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Mr. Charles E. Beasley and Ms. Laurie G. DeCuir have both earned promotions for their impeccable service to BCM.
Mr. Beasley has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Ms. DeCuir has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Kathleen Badeaux, Accountant 1, enjoys flowers from her cowokers on her last day at BCM. She returned home to Vancover, British Columbia May 1, 2010.
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Dr. Gene Huffstutler, and Dr. Byron Harrell present Ms. Elaine Kelly with a cake during a celebration in honor of her many years of service to BCM.  |
MEC meets in July to celebrate Dr. Gene Huffstutler's 27 years of service. |
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Foundatoin Facts
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, BCM provided $300,000.00 in emergency funds during the first month after the storm to United Way to help with the emergency needs of its communities during the initial recovery efforts.
With the 5th anniversary of the storm approaching, BCM is still instrumental in improving the quality of life for the communities affected.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
July 29 & 30, 2010 - Grantee Workshop
September 1-15 - Transom Cycle Grants Accepted
September 24-26, 2010 - Annual Board Retreat |
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Ochsner Baptist Rededicates the Myron Madden Interfaith Chapel
On July 12, 2010, The
Ochsner Baptist Pastoral Care Department rededicated the Pastoral Care Library and the Myron Madden Interfaith Chapel which is located on the second floor of the Clara Wing of Ochsner Baptist Hospital.
The chapel reopened after almost 5 years of being closed following Hurricane Katrina. BCM provided funds that allowed the renovation of the chapel to occur.
The chapel is named for Rev. Dr. Myron Madden who is the father of Clinical Pastoral Care in our area. Dr. Madden and his wife, Ann, attended the rededication. Dr. Madden spoke to those in attendance. He said "I feel very honored for this chapel to bear my name. The greater part of my ministry as a chaplain was in this institution". In closing, Dr. Madded said, "May those who serve here be given the grace to lighten the burden of separation, to strengthen the faith of the living and to sweeten the tears of the dying. To put it another way: Give them the power to bless in the name of the one who blesses us all".
The service concluded with a small reception for all in attendance. |
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Visit Our Grantee  www.no-hunger.org |
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Have a Story to Share?
Know of programs and people positively contributing to our community working with BCM? Send your story to [email protected]! |
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Greetings!
As our newsletter evolves, it is my hope that it will deliver pertinent information concerning BCM, its grants, and community work through our strategic endeavors. Look for changes in upcoming issues that will highlight related projects and give you the information you need to be well-informed about BCM.
Please enjoy this issue of our newsletter, and as always, your comments and contributions are welcomed. |
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Dr. Eugene "Gene" Huffstutler retires from Baptist Community Ministries 
Dr. E. W. (Gene) Huffstutler will retire after 27 years from his position as President of The McFarland Institute, a BCM division offering chaplaincy services, congregational wellness and clinical pastoral education.
"Gene has served The McFarland Institute and this community with distinction for the past 27 years. He has devoted most of his career to the professional development of chaplains serving dozens of public and private institutions in Louisiana and other parts of the United States. He also led the formation of congregational nursing in the region and nurtured its growth until is serves more than 130 churches today. Dr. Huffstutler is synonymous with The McFarland Institute, and his leadership and wisdom will surely be missed." said Dr. Byron Harrell, President/CEO of BCM.
Dr. Huffstutler is an ordained Baptist minister. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University, his Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and his Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He served as an associate pastor and student evangelist while in college, was pastor of the Markland Baptist Church in Markland, Indiana while in seminary. He also served as minister of pastoral care at First Baptist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico following seminary. Dr. Huffstutler has been the Director of Chaplaincy at Orleans Parish Prison, Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education at Baptist Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, Texas and Director of Pastoral Services at Southern Baptist Hospital, New Orleans. He has also taught Business Ethics for Tulane University's "University College" and is currently a Certified Supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
In 1995 Dr. Huffstutler became Executive Director of The McFarland Institute, a division of Baptist Community Ministries, and in 2002, he was named President of The Institute, which has two divisions: Congregational Wellness and Chaplaincy Services. His retirement will be effective on July 31, 2010.
Dr. Huffstutler is married to Brenda Huffstutler and they have two sons. They will reside in Tennessee. |
Ms. Jennifer P. Roberts Joins BCM as Vice President, Eduction Grants
On August 16, 2010, Ms. Jennifer P. Roberts will begin work here at BCM as Vice President, Education Grants. Her responsiblities will include developing strategic proposals for consideration by the Board of Trustees, reviewing and scoring grant requests, monitoring all active Education grants and coordinating with program evaluation.
Ms. Roberts earned a Bachelor's degree in Urban Studies and Education from Bryn Mawr College and recently obtained a Master's degree in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. She is a native of Houston, TX, with family ties in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Ms. Roberts is married to Daniel Smith, a registered nurse, and they are excited about returning to the New Orleans area after their stint in Boston.
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BCM Announces Grant Awards for the March 2010 Transom Cycle
Baptist Community Ministries has awarded six grants to local nonprofit organizations totaling $745,446.00. The following organizations and programs were funded subject to annual performance reviews:
- Afterschool Partnership of GNO - Advancing Youth Development Training; grant totaling $125,000 for 1 year.
- Greater New Orleans STEM Initiative - Core Element Summer STEM Initiative; grant totaling $250,666 over 3 years
- Jefferson Chamber Foundation - Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy; grant totaling $115,000 over 2 years
- Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families - Positive Parenting Program Triple P; grant totaling $59,780 for 1 year
- Resurrection After Exoneration - Beacon Industries, A Job Training Program for the Formerly Incarcerated; grant totaling $75,000 for 1 year
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans Nine-A-Day the Head Start Way; grant totaling $120,000 over 2 years
BCM grants are awarded competitively. There were a total of 47 applications submitted during this funding cycle that were scored by BCM staff and outside experts. BCM funds eligible non-profit organizations in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany and Plaquemines in four zones of interest including health, education, public safety and governmental oversight. Applications are accepted twice a year, March 1-15 and September 1-15.
According to Dr. Byron R. Harrell, President of BCM, "BCM is proud to help the six nonprofits selected to move forward with their programs to improve the wellbeing of the people living in the New Orleans region. The overwhelming needs of the people living in our region and the high quality of the applications have made our funding decisions very difficult but we are pleased with the results. Baptist Community Ministries has been a provider of health care services and a leading advocate for a healthier community since 1924 and we are looking forward to working with our new partner organizations in the future." |
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Selflessness and Self Preservation
Pacing Ourselves May Be The Toughest Part of The Giving Equation
by: Byron Harrell
I recently read a review in The Economist (May 22, 2010) of a new book written by Oren Harman titled "The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness" in which the scientific explanation for altruism is discussed. Why should people be kind to strangers? It seems that George Price, an American economist, studied the question and developed a mathematical formula (now known as the "Price Equation") describing how characteristics of altruism can prove disadvantageous to the individual but also improve the state of the average group member. He noted that such characteristics are found in nature in bee and ant colonies wherein the sterile workers protect the queen and the colony at the expense of their individual survival. Another interesting example of altruism can be found in cellular slime moulds. This collection of cells live as individual amoebae until starved, at which point they aggregate and form a multi-cellular reproducing body in which some cells sacrifice themselves to promote the survival of other cells in the body.
Price was able to mathematically describe populations in which kindness was widespread and all members benefited from altruism. He calculated that this spirit of generosity could even be passed down through generations to the ultimate benefit of every member across time. Price compared his findings with similar but dying populations where charity was essentially nonexistent or abused.
At the time, researchers of altruistic behaviors among animals were ideologically opposed to the Darwinist concept of "survival of the fittest" and coined a new term known as "survival of the nicest". (more) |
In Closing...
We thank you for taking your time to read this issue, and we hope you will look forward to our next "new and improved" issue due to you on October 26, 2010. |
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Sincerely,
Cindy Markham
BCM |
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