An Inspiring Figure

The selections by the jury this year from a field of 527 nominees included Augustinus P. Purba Sth., MA among the prize winners. He is a pastor with the Christian Protestant Karo Batak Church (GBKP), one of the Indonesian member churches of the United Evangelical Mission.
 
Aid for refugees
Pastor Augustinus P. Purba heads the Diakonia Division of the GBKP. He received his MA in 2013 at the Institute of Diaconic Science and Diaconic Management (IDM) of the Protestant University Wuppertal/Bethel, as part of the international course of studies in Diaconic Management that is jointly administered with the UEM. The GBKP pastor received the award for the dedication he showed during the eruption of the Sinabung volcano in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, in the province of Sumatera Utara, some 50 kilometres southwest of Medan. There was a series of eruptions in September and November 2013 and January and February 2014, during which thousands of people had to be evacuated. As the jury put it in their justification for the award, Pastor Purba helped area residents during this time “out of profound conviction, regardless of [their] religion”.
 
The award
The award was given at the Santika Hotel in Bengkulu by Dr Syamsul Maarif, the head of the In-donesia's National Agency for Disaster Management. Participants at the festive occasion in addi-tion to Pastor Purba himself included Pastor Rosmalia Barus, Deacon Khristiani Ginting, Rosmeri Peranginangin, and Pastor Anton Keliat of the GBKP.

The candidates for the award were submitted both by independent non-governmental organisa-tions and by congregations, ministers, and other establishments. The jury elected their candidates for the award with the assistance of an independent team of experts. The prize recognises people that society perceives as "inspiring, humanitarian figures".