Dr. Robert Revington receives 2024 Chris Vais Community Award
Knox College is pleased to announce that Robert Revington is this year’s Chris Vais Community Award recipient. Principal Ernest van Eck announced the recipient of this year’s Chris Vais Award on April 2nd, during the College’s last Community Worship service of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Robert Revington recently completed his PhD in Church History at Knox College. Currently, he serves as a postdoctoral researcher at Queen’s University. Robert is an elder at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Aurora and is sometimes asked to deliver sermons in various churches. Through his academic pursuits and spiritual leadership, Robert continues to inspire and enrich the lives of those around him.
The Chris Vais Community Award is presented to a theological student in his/her graduating year who has contributed to the Knox Community in an exceptional way by having a pastoral and community-building influence on the College. Knox’s faculty, staff, and students elect each year’s recipient.
Dr. Revington began his Ph.D. studies at Knox College in 2018. In addition to receiving a generous scholarship from Knox College to commence his studies, he also earned himself the esteemed Bombardier doctoral scholarship.
His studies at Knox College focused on how modern biblical scholarship—and the quest for the historical Jesus—has historically been perceived in popular culture and the church, and whether churches have seen it as a threat.
During his time at Knox college, Dr. Revington has played a huge role in fostering community at the College through his time on the Mission & Theological Society as Worship Convener and Vice President.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Revington on receiving this esteemed award.
The Chris Vais Community Award was established in 2002, in memory of the Rev. Dr. Chris Vais, by classmates who graduated with him from Knox in 1987. Each year Vais’s family and friends honour his memory by making a financial donation to this award.
Vais served on the Mission & Theology Society Executive Committee, sang in the Knox College Choir, and participated fully in both resident and academic life. He was known to be generous in spirit, with a deep reservoir of compassion and great gifts of hospitality and welcome.
Ten years after graduating from Knox, in January 1997, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); he died just five years later, at age 39. Before Vais’s death, Knox conferred on him an honourary Doctor of Divinity degree, in recognition of his outstanding leadership even at such a young age.
Knox is grateful to the donors who faithfully give each year to make this award possible.