Rev. April Lewton Appointed Vice President of Development and Marketing for the National Benevolent Association.
ST. LOUIS, Missouri – The National Benevolent Association (NBA) has appointed Rev. April
Lewton as the organization’s Vice President of Development and Marketing, effective June 1,
2012.
Lewton has been actively involved with the NBA and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
since her college years. While earning her BA from Chapman University, Lewton served as one
of the inaugural NBA Leadership Scholars. Upon graduation, she worked with the NBA in the
areas of special project management, fundraising, development and church relations.
“I am pleased that Rev. Lewton is joining the leadership team at the NBA. Along with her array
of skills and gifts, she brings with her a strong relational tie to the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ),” said Mark D. Anderson, President and CEO of NBA. “She will help all of us in the
Church live more fully into what the founding women of the NBA created 125 years ago.”
Prior to joining the NBA this June, Lewton worked with Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), a
United Church of Christ related institution of theological and ministerial learning, to build a
comprehensive annual giving program. During her three year tenure as CTS, she increased the
number of donors to the annual fund by 50 percent, provided leadership for a $2 million
campaign commemorating the Seminary’s move to a new home, increased the Seminary’s
outreach and relationship with local church partners across the country and assisted the Seminary
in its efforts of rebranding and marketing. Lewton’s further development experience includes
grant writing, individual donor-relations, direct mail, phone campaigns, special events and
volunteer management.
In addition, Lewton has worked as a community organizer with the Asian American Institute
(AAI), a social justice, advocacy organization working with Asian and Pacific Island American
communities throughout the wider Chicago area. In her organizing work, she brought together
faith communities around the issues of comprehensive immigration reform, voter rights, racebased
hate crimes and public education initiatives for immigrant youth. She has experienced the
power and positive change that can result from community action and education about issues of
justice and public advocacy.
In joining the NBA, I am excited to work with and on behalf of the ministry of the Church
committed to creating communities of compassion and care through the provision of health and
social services,” said Lewton. “As a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I have
known and experienced the legacy and dedication of Disciples in service to others, especially
those who are in physical, mental and social need. I look forward to engaging and encouraging
Disciples in this ministry of service throughout the life of the Church."
Continually active in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Lewton has served on the board
of directors for the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD). Additionally, she has
served as a member of the General Board and the Administrative Committee of the
denomination, and has been an active leader with the board of directors of DisciplesWorld
magazine. Aside from formal Disciples’ ministries, Lewton has been part of the ecumenical
leadership of Pacific, Asian, and North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry
(PANAAWTM) and several young adult ministry initiatives across the life of the general and
regional Church. She currently serves as a trustee for the Disciples Divinity House at the
University of Chicago and is an active member at University Church of Chicago.
Lewton earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religious Studies from Chapman
University in Orange, California and her Master of Divinity from the Divinity School of the
University of Chicago. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Her spouse, Garry Sparks, is Assistant Professor of Humanities in Global Christian Studies at the
University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.
About The NBA
The National Benevolent Association (NBA) is a general ministry of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), a mainline, Protestant denomination with over 3,700 congregations
throughout the United States and Canada. The NBA traces its roots back to the 1880s when six
women in a St. Louis-based prayer group gave birth to a local program designed to help the
area’s widows and orphans.
For more information on NBA please visit www.nbacares.org.