2020 Faculty Citation and Alumni of the Year Awards
On Friday, Feb. 7, Moody Bible Institute’s Alumni Association presented two annual awards during Founder’s Week conference: Faculty Citation Award, and Alumni of the Year Award.
Faculty Citation Award to Jewish Studies Professor
This year’s Faculty Citation Award was given to Dr. Michael Rydelnik, professor and program head of Jewish Studies. Each year the Alumni Association chooses one nominated faculty member to honor for his or her distinguished service.
Raised in an observant Jewish home in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Holocaust survivors, Rydelnik celebrated his heritage proudly and with conviction. It was not until high school when his mother revealed her faith in Jesus as the Messiah that Michael was challenged with the reality of Jesus. When confronted with the messianic prophesies in the Hebrew Bible, he also trusted in Jesus as Messiah. That led to him attending Moody Bible Institute, where he focused on Jewish Studies. It’s also where he met and fell in love with Eva McCollum, his bride.
Michael is a skilled writer, editor and Bible professor. In honor of his commitment to Jesus the Messiah and desire to reach the Jewish people and others through teaching, preaching, writing, hosting of Moody Radio’s Open Line radio program, and Israel tours, he was chosen to receive this year’s Faculty Citation Award.
Nancy (Andersen ’80) Hastings, executive director of the Alumni Association, presented the award to Dr. Michael Rydelnik and his wife, Eva, on Alumni Day of Founder’s Week during the morning session on the Chicago campus in Torrey-Gray Auditorium. To hear about the life and ministry of Dr. Rydelnik, please watch the Faculty Citation Award video tribute, which was shown during the award presentation.
Alumna of the Year Award to Bangladesh Missionary
During the evening session of Founder’s Week at The Moody Church, Hastings announced the 2020 Alumna of the Year Award, which honored Marilou (Hage) Long. Each year the Alumni Association chooses an alumnus for his or her demonstrated loyalty to the Kingdom of Christ through honorable character, ardent service, and accountability to the Word of God.
Marilou was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and at an early age trusted Jesus as Lord and savior at her mother’s knee. She attended Moody Bible Institute and studied Music and Education. After receiving her master’s degree in Education, she went on to teach for eight years at Inter-City Baptist School in the Detroit area. This experience, paired with a renewed call to missions, led Marilou, Jim and their two young daughters to move to Bangladesh in July 1985, with ABWE International.
After a trip to India where she visited 10 successful schools, in 1996, the Lord led her to start William Carey Academy, an English-speaking school with an all-Christian staff. Remarkably, 100 percent of the school’s nearly 250 alumni have gone on to college, serving as lawyers, doctors, teachers, researchers, engineers, businessmen and women, theologians and ministry leaders.
To hear more about the life and ministry of Marilou (Hage) Long, please watch the Alumna of the Year Award video tribute, which was shown during the award presentation.