By Wesley Wright
A longtime pastor in the Williamsburg area was recognized for his work in the community.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy gave Rev. Charles Swadley its Citizen of the Year award on Dec. 19.
He was an associate minister the Willamsburg United Methodist Church from 1979 to 1983. He also led congregations in Richmond and Toano during his pastoral career. Swadley retired from leading churches in 2011.
He worked with the Interfaith Center in a bevy of roles. After stepping in as its interim executive director in two different situations, he is on staff as its Faith Outreach Coordinator.
Since then, the bulk of his work for the center has been involved in outreach: introducing the Interfaith Center to groups around the state. Those efforts resulted in him winning this year’s award.
“It’s been Jewish groups, Muslim, all the up to northern Virginia and out to Hampton and Virginia Beach,” he said. “It’s very fulfilling to see all that work come together.
The Army veteran previously spent time with the center’s Board of Directors and has worked with groups around the Williamsburg community before and after his retirement.
Those groups include the Williamsburg-James City County Special Education Advisory Committee and the Virginia Council of Churches.
Though winning the award satisfied him, he was careful to acknowledge that what he does is only important in conjunction with the efforts of many other people from cities across the state.
“It’s tremendous and humbling,” Swadley said. “No one gets up there and accepts the award because of their work. It’s the work of many different groups across the state.”
