In the Queen’s New Year's Honours List 2022, an MBE has been awarded to David Jonathan of the Grassroots Programme, Luton Council of Faiths and the Near Neighbours Programme for services to community cohesion and interfaith relations in Luton
In LUTON TODAY Steve Sims reported on Monday, 3rd January 2022 that a Luton man shares MBE for strengthening community cohesion with those who have supported his work over two decades
David Jonathan of Grassroots, Luton Council of Faiths and Near Neighbours "humbled" at New Year's Honour
Full news article can be read on the link below;
On 6 January 2022, The United Reformed Church’s Communications Officer Ann-Marie Nye posted on the URC’s website;
Luton URC member gains MBE in New Year’s Honours
David Jonathan, a member of Bury Park United Reformed Church (URC) in Luton, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2022. Full news article can be read on the link below;
https://urc.org.uk/luton-urc-member-gains-mbe-in-new-years-honours/
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Since the award announcement, hundreds of greetings, prayers, blessings and congratulatory messages have been sent for which GRASSROOTS and David Jonathan (Johny) are extremely grateful and feel blessed.
Some of the instant messages from Trustees & Team:
“Wonderful news, a thousand congratulations and very very well deserved.” (Revd Canon David Lawson)
“What fantastic news to start the year. So well deserved. Good to see the honours system working as it should.” (Revd Phil Horner)
“What wonderful news. Many congratulations Johny. So well deserved”. (Janet Bird)
“Sooo well deserved and we are sooo proud of you. It is so good when such wonderful work is recognised and shared. What an inspiration. We thank God for you! Thank you for letting us share in your light.” (Deborah Purfield)
“Congratulations Johny. Very well deserved. A great way to start the year.” (Brian Roe)
“What a well-deserved award, great news, Congratulations and all good wishes.” (Ruth Tetlow)
“Yay! Well deserved! Recognition at last. So proud.” (Revd Maggie Hindley)
“Hurray and at last well deserved, super proud of you and the huge amount of work you have done over the years. I'm thrilled for you.” (Kim Greig)
“SO WELL DONE for the MBE. Great news for you Johny and all of us. You so deserve it. Hope this is the shape of things to come for 2022.” (Ann Hyde)
“A Huge Congratulations to David Jonathan (Johny) MBE for joining the Queen's New Year's Honours. So well deserved. A great booster start for 2022. You make us proud. Congratulations again.” (Mohammad Ryad Khodabocus)
“Many many congratulations 🎉 Johny for receiving the MBE”. (Kishore Kaler)
“Congratulations Johny sahib. A most deserved honour. We are very pleased for you and your family! 😊” (Zafar Khan)
“Many congratulations Johnny. We are very happy for you. Well deserved 👏.” (Yogesh Mistry)
Deputy General Secretary (Mission) at United Reformed Church (URC) Francis Brienen said:
Many congratulations to Johny. This is great news! Thanks for all the work that he has done to make Luton a better place to live and to enrich the lives of many different communities. To have this recognised through the award of an MBE is wonderful and very well deserved. We in the URC and in the wider CWM (Council of World Mission) family have been and continue to be blessed by his faithful service and ongoing commitment to promoting peace and understanding between communities and faiths in Luton.
Elizabeth Plews of Edward Street, Dunstable URC said:
Many congratulations on this award - very well deserved! The Grassroots project has been such a success in so many areas and has brought people and communities together in such a variety of ways. Yes, it has been a huge collaborative effort, but that also needs someone with determination, enthusiasm and vision to drive it forward. David Jonathan (Johny) has been the lynchpin, drawing others round him to create opportunities for people to grow, to become friends, to reach understandings and to influence behaviour and relationships. Well done to all at GRASSROOTS , but especially to Johny, for achieving this honour in recognition of his combined efforts.
URC Minister in Luton Revd Heather Whyte wrote:
Congratulations on your richly deserved award. You have made Grassroots what it is and Luton would not be the same without Grassroots. Your welcoming infectious smile has bridged many gaps. Enjoy this moment. Love and prayers.
Church of England St Albans Diocese Bishop The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith said:
The honour is well deserved. David Jonathan has worked hard for many years to build up good solid relationships between various groups. Although we all recognised this locally it is fitting that it’s now been recognised nationally. I am sure it will also be an encouragement to all those who work with him.
Church of England St Albans Diocese Bishop of Bedford The Rt Revd Richard Atkinson said:
Many congratulations to David Jonathan on his MBE. Great news and so well deserved . A tribute to all his inspirational work in Luton and more widely. I am delighted for him and Grassroots. When the time comes I hope he has a great investiture.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton Bishop Rt Revd Dr David J Oakley said:
Congratulations on a well-deserved honour and an endorsement of all the great work carried out so patiently and humbly by David Jonathan and the Grassroots Programme. I’m delighted to see how much has been done to encourage hope and a positive future amongst the different cultural, racial and faith communities in Luton. There really is so much to celebrate and to rejoice. Grassroots is an advent group of living and new life within our struggling society. I wish every blessing for the coming years.
Rev. Dr David M. Chapman, District Chair Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire District of The Methodist Church in Britain said:
I am delighted to learn David Jonathan has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours in recognition of his long and dedicated service to community cohesion and interfaith relations in Luton. This honour is richly deserved and affirms the work of Grassroots. I hope he and his colleagues will be encouraged by this public and national recognition. Congratulations and well done.
Former South Beds Methodist Circuit Superintendent Minister Revd Julie Bradshaw said:
I am delighted in sending this note of congratulations on Johny’s recognition in such a way as an MBE. He has been such a key to the success of this work with his humble, thoughtful, positive and fearless approach to community cohesion. His wisdom and faith shine through all he does. It was a joy to be alongside and support him in tiny ways during my ministry in Luton. Keep lighting the candles Johny!
HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis said:
I am so delighted that David Jonathan has received such a well-deserved honour in the New Year's List. It is such a pleasure to see him recognised for the outstanding work that he has done for our community. I am sure that many people whose lives he has influenced for the better, will also be pleased to hear of this national recognition. Many thanks again for all that he does and my very best wishes for his continuing success.
Dr Robert Oakley OBE DL, who heads the Queens Awards & Honours Panel for the County of Bedfordshire said:
What tremendous news this New Year’s Day that all the incredible work of David Jonathan for the Luton community over the last 20 years has been recognised by him being honoured and becoming a member of the British Empire. All the work that he does is incredibly important. We thank him for what he has achieved and it is very significant that he has been recognised in this fashion. This is a very happy day not just for him and his family but also for GRASSROOTS, LCoF & NEAR NEIGHBOURS Programmes.
Luton Borough Council’s Chief Executive Robin Porter and Leader of the Council, Cllr Hazel Simmons said:
Congratulations to David Jonathan for getting an MBE in this year’s honours list. This is very well deserved and an excellent tribute for all his years of hard work.
Executive Director of The Church Urban Fund (CUF) Rachel Whittington said:
Huge congratulations to David Jonathan on receiving his MBE – such wonderful news, very well deserved and testament to his tireless work over so many years. I hope he & GRASSROOTS has got a fitting celebration planned to acknowledge this honour.
Dr Nazia Khanum OBE DL, Chair, United Nations Association-Luton said:
It is with great pleasure that I write to give my warmest congratulations to David Jonathan on his Royal Honour which has been long overdue. If it was in my gift, I would have Knighted him years ago for his tireless work for promoting interfaith understanding and community cohesion in Luton and beyond. I have been speaking many times in the past about how his work deserved to be nationally recognized. He has been greatly admired by those of us who have known him over the years and now he will inspire many more who did not know about him yet. VERY WELL DONE INDEED, JOHNY! May God grant him a long, healthy, happy and productive life which will make a difference to the society in which we all live and work. With warmest wishes and congratulations to Johny and his family for this wonderful achievement and for a very successful 2022.
Penny Leigh-Brown, a local Peace Activist said:
What absolutely fabulous news -and so well deserved, after all his amazing years of dedicated work and inspirational encouragement for peace and justice and community cohesion in Luton and beyond! We still quote his work and describe the influence of GRASSROOTS in ours and many others’ thinking. Long may your work continue, and we send our loving hope for a more healing, loving and just 2022!
Revd Sheila Maxey, Former Moderator of the United Reformed Church (URC), UK said:
I am so very delighted to learn that David Jonathan has been honoured with the MBE. He certainly deserves the honour for the wonderful work he and his GRASSROOTS team has done in the cause of peace and reconciliation in quite a difficult situation. I felt a little personally proud that I had facilitated his coming to the UK in the first place. With love and good wishes for the coming year to him and his family.
Revd Dorothy Spence, URC Minister in Cumbria wrote:
CONGRATULATIONS, Johnny; that is absolutely wonderful news and very, very well deserved. I was only in Luton for about two years, (working with the Luton and Dunstable group of Churches.) but in that time I became most impressed by the work you were doing. Since then you have kindly kept me in touch as your work at Grassroots continues to progress. So, Johnny, enjoy a little bit of celebrity fame for a while! No doubt you have ongoing plans for what you will tackle next, but be assured that you have already helped many people, and steered them through the difficulties (and rewards) of absorbing more than one culture. Well done!! Every good wish for 2022!
Revd Julie Cox, Church of England Priest in Yorkshire wrote:
It is with great delight that I learn of David Jonathan’s very well deserved honour of an MBE. It is an honour which I know he will say is also for GRASSROOTS, and his colleagues. We moved away from Bedfordshire, but I will always retain an interest, and affection, for GRASSROOTS and for Johny’s wonderful work for the people of Luton. Many congratulations Johny! God bless you for everything you do in His name!
Revd Canon Stephen Purvis, Church of England Priest in Bristol wrote:
I was so pleased to hear about the award of MBE you have received from the Queen. It is very well deserved and helps to restore one's faith in the honours system. I do think the more that Luton's efforts in building inter-faith and inter-cultural relationships can be broadcast to the wider public, at home and abroad, so much the better. And, of course, you have been / are at the very heart of that. I do despair at times when I see the lack of real ecumenical and inter-faith engagement and activity. It seems to me that as we face the challenges of the pandemic, the evil gulf between the very rich and the very poor, and climate change, people and nations must learn how to work collaboratively and respectfully together - aware that, more often than not, more unites us than divides us - hence, the Global Ethic. Keep up the good work. God bless you, Grassroots and LCoF.
Kanti Lad, President, Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj Hindu Temple, Luton said:
On behalf of the Management Committee and the Trustees of Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj, many many congratulations to you for the prestigious honour of MBE bestowed upon you by H M the Queen. We are very proud of you. It is a big honour for LCoF. A well deserved honour. Finally your services to the Faiths Community have been recognised. Well done.
Dhansukh Panchal, Vice-Preisdent, Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj Hindu Temple, Luton said:
I am so thrilled to hear that you have been awarded MBE by Her Majesty. Congratulations to you. A very proud moment for us as well. You thoroughly deserve it. Keep up the fantastic work you do in the Community.
Award-winning creative producer, multidisciplinary artist, a notable community broadcaster Shemiza Rashid said:
Johny is such a brilliant human! So very well deserved! Never leaves home without his smile! Congratulations to him and his beautiful family! Much blessings brother!
Sujel Miah of Luton Council of Mosques said:
Johny is probably one of the humblest of people you will ever meet in life. He is a servant leader and works thankless hours striving to bring goodness to our town. His efforts have brought communities together and inspired many of us to strive for fairness, justice and solidarity. He is our local hero who keeps us smiling even through challenging times. Congratulations Johny!
Methodist Recorder Published 4th Feb'22
Some other web and social media links sharing the same news are also listed below.
https://twitter.com/LutonRising/status/1480492983904575489
https://lutonnewsdesk.blogspot.com/2022/01/new-years-honours-2022-for-bedfordshire.html
https://m.luton.gov.uk/Page/Show/news/Pages/Lutonians-recognised-in-New-Years-Honours.aspx