Rejoice Davis, right, 2023 Denman Award winner for youth, listens as Bishop Lanette Plambeck speaks about her, and Rev. Gary Ball-Kilborne, left, listens. Photo by jlynn studios.

Rejoice Davis, a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lead, South Dakota, is always invitational. She lets others know they are welcome and belong in youth group and at church. She invests in relationships with these students and shares her faith openly.

Rejoice invites her fellow students at school and even brings them to a youth group. Rejoice goes out of her way to make students on the edge know they are loved and worthy. 

Rejoice has introduced others to Jesus Christ through her living witness and her service to God and others. She engages friends and strangers alike because of her love of Jesus, introducing them to the possibility of a relationship with her savior. 

She is committed to being present at youth group and on worship Sundays. Rejoice helps people know Jesus because she knows Jesus. Rejoice is willing to share her story and to claim her faith in Jesus. 

For two years, Rejoice has also been a part of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries—CCYM. At CCYM meetings and events, she has consistently demonstrated a strong desire to see others develop a love for Jesus. She works at helping this to happen. 

For these reasons and more, Rejoice Davis of Lead Trinity United Methodist Church in Lead, South Dakota, is the recipient of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award for youth. The award was presented on June 9, 2023, at the Dakotas Annual Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Thank you, Rejoice, for your commitment to follow Jesus and share Christ with others!