Thursday’s breakout chapel in Collins Alumni Auditorium honored Dr. Richard Goode as he received the Mary Morris Award of Exemplary Service to Society.
The award is presented to one faculty member every year who displays a high level of service to the community and to the church. The award is named in honor of faculty member Dr. Mary Morris, who passed away due to colon cancer in 2005 at 36 years old.
Dr. Morris worked alongside of an organization called Character Counts. The program has chapters in cities all across the country, and its goal is to teach all ages about having good character. Dr. Morris was able to show her love of Jesus Christ through her work with the program, as well as on international mission trips.
Past recipients of the award include former student Brett Flener, AGAPE leader Tom Burton and founder of the I.C. White Stone Foundation and university graduate Kim Tucker.
The award was presented by the academic director for Lipscomb University’s Institute for Law, Justice and Society, Dr. Randy Spivey.
“If there was every a chapel for you to live tweet, I think this is it. Because the stories you are going to hear and the words you are going to hear today are not the kind that need to stay in this room,” Dr. Spivey said as he began the presentation.
Dr. Spivey announced Dr. Goode as this year’s winner of the award, and after the applause, went on to commend Dr. Goode’s accomplishments.
“Dr. Goode has inspired students well beyond their time at Lipscomb. He played a signigicant role in the lives of students who have become advocates for the homeless, theologians, church historians, ministers to the poor, in prison and disenfranchised,” Dr. Spivey said.
Dr. Goode devotes much of his time to his work at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison, and his founding and sustaining of the Life Program at the Tennessee Prison for Women.
“These services are what uniquely qualify him for this award,” Dr. Spivey said.
The program allows inmates to take undergraduate courses sponsored by Lipscomb. The Life Program involves traditional Lipscomb students and inmates taking Wednesday night class together. Inmates are allowed the opportunity to earn their associates degree.
“Dr. Goode has consistently and subversively found ways to echo Jesus’ proclamation in Luke 4: to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the prisoners,” Dr. Spivey said.
Dr. Spivey concluded his presentation by reading some quotes from the prisoners that Dr. Goode teaches.
One prisoner from the Tennessee Prison for Women said, “Through the Life Program, Dr. Goode has saved my life in the sense that I now have a future.”
Another simply said, “Dr. Goode is Jesus to me.”
At the end of the speech, Dr. Spivey welcomed Dr. Goode to the stage.
Dr. Goode thanked every person involved in the Life Program as well as Lipscomb, the history department and the Morris family.
Dr. Goode began to explain the Life Program, but said it did not have a true definition.
“We don’t claim to have faith based proposals to fix social problems,” Dr. Goode said. “We have the quest to see the humanity and dignity of those before us, to imitate Christ and to build a community.”
After Dr. Goode spoke a little more about the Life Program and what it means to work in the prison systems, he concluded. The father of Dr. Morris, Charles Morris, spoke very briefly, thanking Dr. Goode and Lipscomb.
“Today is special because it gives me the opportunity to look upon a group of people who are going to be changing the world a lot in the years to come by the service that you give,” Mr. Morris said.