Woodland Park, CO, —

“The event was an unforgettable night of faith, fellowship, and fine dining,” said Richard Harris, T&L Banquet MC

Truth & Liberty Coalition (T&L), Inc., a non-profit based in Woodland Park, Colorado, recently held its second annual awards banquet fundraiser on the campus of Charis Bible College, located at 800 Gospel Truth Way in Woodland Park. Andrew Wommack, president of the Truth & Liberty Coalition, and Richard Harris, executive director, hosted the gala awards banquet.

Riley Gaines, a twelve-time All-American swimmer, was the keynote speaker for the evening. Known for tying UPenn’s Lia Thomas (a biological male swimmer on the women’s team) at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, Riley has become a powerful advocate against injustice in women’s sports.

“The stand that I have taken is for pro-women…It would have been really safe, really secure to ride off into the sunset. God clearly had different plans for me,” Gaines said.

Pat Bradley, president of Crisis Aid International, and Joe Kennedy, former assistant coach for the Bremerton, Washington, high school football team, received the 2024 Truth & Liberty Coalition Awards.

The Samuel Adams Award is given to someone who has demonstrated exceptional courage, commitment, and effective leadership to defend the Gospel of Christ and the unalienable right to freedom under God. “Adams was a devout Christian who believed that individual liberty is a gift from God but proclaimed that all people have the duty to obey God’s will in everything,” Harris said.

“We need to honor people who are standing up like Pat Bradley, Coach Kennedy and Riley Gaines,”  said Wommack.  “They’re showing other Christians how to make a difference in their own areas of influence.  They are a blessing.”
“The 2024 Samuel Adams Award recipient honored Pat Bradley for his incredible work rescuing victims of human trafficking and bringing life-saving relief to the poorest and most vulnerable,” Harris said.

Harris added that his ministry, Crisis Aid International, is one of the first organizations to visit no-go zones, visiting countries like South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, where starvation, disease, and danger are part of everyday life.

“Pat has witnessed the results of the genocide firsthand, and Crisis Aid encourages others that “doing nothing” is not an option,” said Harris. Crisis Aid has provided millions of pounds of food to adults and malnourished children worldwide. They have also helped to rescue thousands of young women from sex trafficking, the youngest being four years of age.

“Crisis Aid is committed to “helping the helpless” with relief efforts locally and globally, equipping those beyond the crisis to take responsibility by providing programs that train, inspire, and move them to independent, self-sustaining living,” said Harris.

The goal of the second award, Samuel Whittemore Award for Heroic Christian Citizenship, is to recognize exceptional sacrifice and courage by an everyday believer who stands firm for the truth of the Gospel and our God-given freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Joe Kennedy is the 2024 Samuel Whittemore Award recipient. In 2008, the Bremerton High School football coach promised God that he would pray and give thanks after each game he coached, regardless of the outcome.

“This commitment to a simple, private act of worship caused him to be stripped of his position as a coach and forced him into lengthy battles against the school he faithfully served. Coach Joe stood his ground until he ultimately prevailed,” Harris said.

“Coach Joe secured a huge victory, not just for himself, but for all of us. His fight has had a nationwide impact on public school teachers, employees, and coaches, who are now free to live out their faith in public,” said Harris. Thanks to this win, millions of Americans now have more religious liberty than we have had for the last 60 years.”

In a surprise announcement during the event, Riley Gaines also received the Samuel Whittemore Award for Heroic Christian Citizenship.

In addition to presenting awards, Harris shared the organization’s vision for the future with the audience: “Truth and Liberty is impacting the nation. Our vision for the future is to continue to lead through strategic collaboration with other organizations throughout America.”

“We believe Truth and Liberty is called and uniquely positioned to play a major role in the Third Great Awakening by equipping, unifying, and mobilizing the Church to stand for truth in the culture,” he said.

The event also included an exceptional dramatic stage performance depicting President Abraham Lincoln being conflicted about releasing the Emancipation Proclamation, developed by Robert and Elizabeth Muren—creators of the patriotic In God We Trust musical and leaders of the Charis Bible College Film & Production School

The following people and groups were recognized for the event’s success: event sponsors Andrew and Jamie Wommack; T&L board members; T&L staff; chef and kitchen personnel; and “all the incredible teams” at the ministry.

More than 500 people attended the event.

The date for the 2025 event is May 2, 2025.

ABOUT TRUTH AND LIBERTY COALITION

Truth & Liberty Coalition, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) non-profit based in Woodland Park, Colorado. Established by Andrew Wommack and other Christian leaders, the goal is to educate, unify, and mobilize Christians and conservatives to become involved in their community and government affairs.

A live daily call-in show is available at 3:30 pm (MT) with hosts Andrew Wommack, Alex McFarland, Bishop E.W. Jackson, Janet Porter, and Richard Harris.  Call (719) 619-2341 with questions.  –30–