TEXAS TIDBITS: Staff changes at Baptist Building

Staff changes at Baptist Building. Scott Willingham has been named local congregation evangelism specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and Rand Jenkins has been named director of Cooperative Program/marketing. Willingham has been pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Wichita Falls since 2000. Previous pastorates include First Baptist Church in Dumas, First Baptist Church in Taylor, Greenwood Baptist Church in Saltillo and First Baptist Church in Richland. Willingham is a member of the Baptist University of the Americas board of trustees and has served on the Wayland Baptist University trustee board. Jenkins has served as manager of BGCT marketing/creative services. Prior to coming to the BGCT Executive Board staff in 2002, Jenkins served as director of public relations for Dallas Baptist University. Previously, he was president of RCJ & Associates and account executive for Alday Communications. He also has been an adjunct professor of marketing and advertising at DBU since 2004.

BGCT still offers psychological services. In spite of staff cutbacks, the Baptist General Convention of Texas continues to offer counseling and psychological services to ministers and their families through a network of counselors across the state. While the BGCT has eliminated its psychological services staff, it has asked Dan McGee, who once led its counseling efforts, to lead the work to help ministers and their families find counselors. McGee is expanding the network of counselors across the state he helped establish while working with the BGCT. Each person in the network has been researched and recommended. In addition to connecting ministers with counselors, McGee continues to provide assistance to ministers who have questions about counseling issues. He also conducts tests to help staff members better understand each other and work together. The BGCT provides some financial assistance for ministers who receive counseling through this network. For more information about counseling and psychological services, contact McGee at [email protected] or (800) 388-2005.
 
Former Texas Partnerships leader goes to BWA. Don Sewell has been appointed consultant to Baptist World Alliance Secretary Neville Callam in the area of mission advancement. Alan Stanford, who directed mission advancement for BWA since 2006, has left BWA to return to the pastorate. Sewell is former liaison to Baptist groups for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, where one of his responsibilities was enlisting Texas Baptists for volunteer positions with BWA-related causes. Before he assumed the liaison post, he directed Texas Partnerships. Sewell is a member of the Baptist World Aid committee.

Morris Foundation fulfills $1 million matching pledge to HBU. Stewart and Joella Morris presented a $1 million check from the Morris Foundation to Houston Baptist University at a recent trustee board meeting. Last winter, Morris challenged the trustees and other HBU supporters to make a financial commitment to the university, pledging to match all contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1 million, with all funds used to meet general operating expenses.