Mark Blankenship, minister of music and administration at First Baptist Church, Hilton Head, is the recipient of the 2008 W. Hines Sims award for leadership in church music.
Blankenship, left, receives the W. Hines Sims award for leadership in church music from a representative of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference Executive Committee.Blankenship, who joined Hilton Head First Baptist in 2005, spent most of his 30-year career at LifeWay serving in various capacities before eventually becoming director of the church music department. He retired from LifeWay in 2004 and joined Bold Mission Project, a music mission organization.
Blankenship joined Hilton Head First Baptist to “end his ministry career back in the local church where it began and where my first love is.” He is also an accomplished song writer.
The W. Hines Sims award is named for the second director of the church music department at the Baptist Sunday School Board, now LifeWay Christian Resources.
In accepting the award, Blankenship praised the pioneering work of Sims over a 50-year period, during which graded children’s choirs, orchestras, handbells and ensembles were established in the churches. Blankenship said the work of Sims impacted “all who were involved in local church music ministries.”
For the past 37 years, the W. Hines Sims award has been given to church musicians who have proven leadership and have made significant contributions in church music. The Southern Baptist Church Music Conference Executive Committee considers possible candidates and chooses a recipient at the mid-year meeting in June.
“Though the W. Hines Sims award is really not known well outside Southern Baptist local church musician circles, it has great meaning to all local church musicians who either know W. Hines Sims or knows the history of the development of church music in Southern Baptist churches,” Blankenship said.
For his part, Blankenship is humbled to fall in a long line of honored church musicians.
“I have long admired the list of people who have received this award and the outstanding contributions they have made to the continual growth and development of church music among Southern Baptists and other denominations as well,” he said.
The award also mirrors Blankenship’s many years of service to churches.
“One cannot receive a higher compliment than an award from your peers,” Blankenship said. “I am grateful for the award and for the many years of service to Southern Baptists, both in local churches and in denominational life.
“It is one of those awards that make you feel that you have helped many people throughout your ministry,” he continued. “Hopefully, my leadership and my music writing have made significant contributions to many churches, many music leaders, and many believers across our convention.”