Samuel Rodriguez receives Jack Hayford Lifetime Achievement Award for Christian ministry
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez was recently bestowed the Jack Hayford Lifetime Achievement Award from The King’s University for his ministry work.
Stressing the importance of being “intellectually inclined and spiritually empowered," Rodriguez, the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, shared in an Instagram post last week that he had received the award. Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Rodriguez stated that “the glory and honor belong exclusively to Jesus.”
“The mission of this university is to shape leaders who will impact the world with the love and truth of Jesus, and being a part of this is a true honor,” he added. “For me, this award is a blessing that comes directly from the Lord’s hand.”
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In a statement shared with The Christian Post, he added: “Dr. Jack Hayford was a remarkable man with a deep passion for advancing the Kingdom of God and training the next generation of Christian leaders who are committed to serving Christ and living out His calling on their lives. I am blessed to walk in Dr. Hayford’s footsteps and continue the mission he dedicated his life to.”
Rodriguez received the award at the Southlake, Texas-based university’s Evening at The King’s gala on Oct. 17. At the ceremony, The King’s University President Irini Fandro said Rodriguez was a “disciple, pastor and leader who builds people, crosses and mends bridges and sees no boundaries in his calling to live a lifetime of profound ministry.”
“I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams to receive an award coming from the name and the legacy and the multi-generational mantle that stems out of the ministry of Dr. Jack Hayford,” Rodriguez said as he accepted the award.
Rodriguez recalled how he first met Hayford in his 20s, crediting Hayford as one of the individuals who introduced him to the Charismatic Leadership Council along with a staffer from Charisma magazine: “Charisma, for whatever reason in the world, featured me regarding youth ministries in America.”
Rodriguez debated whether to characterize his mentor as “weird” or “wired,” describing how “he demonstrated that the Holy Spirit doesn’t make you weird, it wires you, it connects you to the finished work of Christ.” He detailed how, before he met Hayford, he came across him on the radio as he sat in a car during his sophomore year of college, debating whether to pursue a career in engineering or ministry.
“The car was filled with the Chicano glory of God in such a supernatural way. I broke down, came back home from Penn State, looked at my wife and said, ‘Honey, I need you to get ready, trust the process. I’m not going to be a computer engineer. I’m going to live out and fulfill the calling.’”
Rodriguez said he was honored to “[receive] an award in the name of a man who was used mightily by God to demonstrate to this young man from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this crazy idea that you can be both intellectually inclined and spiritually empowered,” referring to Hayford’s influence on his life and career path.
“The spirit-empowered reality is not exclusively for the uneducated. It is for everyone,” he declared. “Your cognitive bandwidth does not have to be sacrificed on the altar of some sort of charismatic exuberance."
Rodriguez also identified the award as a reminder that “all of us have a responsibility to pave the way for the next” and that "when your integrity is greater than your influence, nothing can stop you.”
“Who speaks into you is much more important than who speaks about you,” he proclaimed. Rodriguez concluded by expressing hope that God would “let the next Mark Zuckerbergs and Elon Musks be Christ-centered, spirit-empowered young men and women who change the world.”
"Young men and women filled with the Spirit of God, not acting weird but wired, connected to the finished work of Christ with identity, with intimacy, with integrity, influence and innovation,” he said.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
