Louisiana Conference's Communications Department Takes Home 13 Awards at UMAC Annual Gala

The Communications department of the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church is celebrating a remarkable victory at this year's United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) annual awards gala. The Louisiana Conference team walked away with an impressive total of 13 awards, showcasing their dedication to excellence in various communication disciplines.

The standout achievement was the award for 'Best in Class', Podcasting. The Louisiana NOW podcast was highlighted as Best in Class for the third consecutive year. The specific episode highlighted for this year's honor was '717 Days of Faith', which delved into the remarkable journey of St. Charles United Methodist Church in Destrehan, which counted the days since their congregation last worshiped in their sanctuary.

The narrative was all the more poignant given the backdrop of Hurricane Ida's devastation, which struck the community in the summer of 2021. This powerful episode showcased the resilience and faith of the congregation as they faced the challenges brought by the storm, which went down in history as the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana.



 

Other awards include several first, second, and third-place awards, including video production, which took home both third and second-place recognitions. Additionally, their dedication to storytelling through striking imagery earned them two third-place awards and a second-place award in the field of photojournalism.

 

The department also earned several first-place awards, including a first place for Todd Rossnagel and his story featuring the 50th anniversary of the Up Stairs Loung Fire: Honoring Courage and Inclusion: St. Mark's United Methodist Church Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Up Stairs Lounge Fire.  

Louisiana was also represented in other ways as GNTV and the General Council on Finance and Administration design team were both honored for their work with the 2023 Louisiana Annual Conference. GNTV was honored for the Annual Conference LIVE stream, and the GCFA design team was honored for the design of the AC23 logo, HōPE.   

"It's always nice to receive recognition for the hard work," said Rossnagel, Director of Communications for the Louisiana Conference. "We have a strong commitment to delivering exceptional storytelling that resonates with United Methodists in Louisiana. William Willoughby and I are incredibly honored and humbled by this recognition. These awards are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our Communications team and a reflection of our ongoing mission to connect and inspire our congregations and communities through the power of effective communication."

The UMAC annual awards gala recognizes outstanding work by communicators within The United Methodist Church and provides an opportunity to celebrate and share best practices in the field of communication.