Contact: David Hall, 770-722-2125

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Calvin 500, the international Quincentenary celebration of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth (July 10, 1509), is bestowing three Lifetime Achievement Awards this week in Geneva to honor exceptional scholarship and achievement.

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Reformation Scholarship was awarded on July 6th to Robert Kingdon, "Scholar par Excellence in the history of the Reformation, who led the way to a greater appreciation of Calvin's work by his own study of Calvin's life and times," said Dr. David W. Hall, Executive Director of Calvin500.

The Calvin500 Executive Committee bestowed this award with its deepest thanks and in honor of Dr. Kingdon's Lifetime Contribution to Reformation Scholarship. John Witte, Jr., of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, accepted the award on behalf of Dr. Kingdon on July 6, who is recovering from an illness in Wisconsin.

On July 8, the Calvin Quincentenary in Geneva will award its Lifetime Achievement Award for Liturgics to Hughes Oliphant Old, "Dean of Reformed liturgical scholars in our day, for calling the Church back to the sources for worship according to Scripture, affirmed by the Fathers and the Reformers: Chrysostom, Augustine, and Calvin." Dr. David W. Hall, Executive Director will present the award "with our deepest thanks and in honor of his Lifetime Contribution to the Recovery of Reformed Liturgy," which will be accepted by Dr. Terry L. Johnson of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia.

In addition, at its closing banquet on July 9 in Geneva, the Calvin Quincentenary will award its Lifetime Achievement Award for Pastoral Ministry to Rev. Geoffrey Thomas, "Reformed pastor in the tradition of Calvin, Baxter, Spurgeon, and Lloyd-Jones, for exemplifying the life of a godly pastor and mentoring many others, and for your years of pastoral ministry that adorns the profession." At the closing banquet, Rev. Geoffrey Thomas will address the gathering on "What I learned from John Calvin and Martin Lloyd-Jones," and the award will be presented by Drs. Derek Thomas and David Hall.

Throughout the week, scholars and ministers are presenting lectures and sermons in these historic environs to celebrate the contributions of the Genevan reformer.

For more information and updates, visit www.Calvin500blog.org.  Live blogging information will also be available from that page.