Good Faith Media's 25 Who Inspire

Editor’s Note: The July-September 2025 issue of Good Faith Magazine recognized our inaugural class of 25 people who inspire us toward lives of good faith. Good Faith Magazine is a free resource for Good Faith Advocates.

Like many of our readers, I grew up in a church that handed out perfect attendance awards. Once a quarter, the Sunday School director would honor those who, week in and week out, rolled out of bed on Sunday mornings to attend class to study the Bible. For some of us, the ceremony served as motivation. “I’ve made the list two quarters in a row,” I reasoned. “I can’t stop now.”

My insatiable desire to be recognized for my commitment must have made me insufferable to my parents when we were on vacation. Because, you see, there was a loophole in the perfect attendance rules. You were out of luck if you missed a Sunday due to sickness. If you missed because of a death in the family, “too bad, so sad.” But if you were out of town on vacation and visited another church, you could get credit as long as you brought that church’s bulletin or worship guide back with you as proof. There was no vacation from church.

Mrs. Nell Mallet held the record for the longest unbroken streak of perfect attendance in my church. At one point, her streak lasted around 30 years. As a young child, I had my eye on that prize for some time. But eventually, we stopped handing out these awards. This was probably for the best, as I would have eventually grown tired of maintaining nonstop presence at church. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still at church exponentially more than the average person. I’ve never reached Mrs. Mallet’s level of commitment, but I can count on two hands the number of Sundays I’ve missed in the past thirty years, with some digits to spare. But it’s good that no one is counting.

I imagine some church somewhere is still holding these awards ceremonies. But knowing what I now know about faith and commitment, I hope not. In college, a student minister told me that one of the holiest things he can do on a Sunday morning is to occasionally skip church and help his wife with the laundry. Although I had stopped counting my perfect attendance by that point, his statement still scandalized me. I nodded my head in feigned agreement because I wanted his approval. But I secretly questioned if he was even a Christian.

I now know that going to church every Sunday isn’t a tell-tale sign of faith. In some cases, it may be a sign that someone is unwell. It’s hard to embrace grace if missing a Sunday of church deducts points from your account.

Even so, I do appreciate the impulse to recognize people who show up. Just because showing up isn’t everything doesn’t mean it isn’t something. Showing up sometimes comes with rewards, but it always comes with a cost. It takes a lot to show up, and looking someone in the eye and saying, “I see you have shown up,” can be a holy act.

The people on Good Faith Media’s inaugural “25 Who Inspire” list are those who show up. They may not have perfect attendance, but they move steadily toward presence. Their lives bend the world toward justice. They bear witness to the grace and mercy of God by faithfully tending the acre entrusted to them. Compiling this list has been a joy. We hope their presence inspires you as much as it has inspired us.

From September 15 through October 19, we will feature a different honoree each weekday at GoodFaithMedia.org. This list will be updated below as each individual is honored.

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