Malcolm Howell never imagined his attendance at the 1940 Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) would foreshadow an element of his life 60 years later.
As a young boy, Howell, a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Mobile, sat in the pew at Central Baptist Church, Decatur, during the 1940 ABSC annual meeting. He heard numerous reports and witnessed several business items, but the action that has most impacted Howell came when the Baptist Foundation of Alabama (BFA) was voted into being.
Howell, retired academic dean from the University of South Alabama, now serves on the board of directors of BFA, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary during this year’s ABSC annual meeting.
To celebrate the anniversary, BFA is hosting a luncheon Nov. 14 for Alabama Baptist leadership including entity leaders, trustors (people who have trusts with BFA), past and current members of the board of directors, retired employees, State Board of Missions (SBOM) personnel and directors of missions.
Along with Howell’s BFA testimony, the program will include scholarship recipients past and present, state convention leadership and a review of the history of BFA by Elizabeth McManus, widow of former president of BFA, U.A. McManus Jr. Other former presidents include Leslie Wright, Carl Campbell and Vernon Yearby, all deceased.
C. Warren Trussell Jr., current BFA president, said BFA has grown from managing a few hundred dollars 60 years ago to managing $128 million today.
“We are servicing more than 1,400 individual accounts,” said Trussell, who has been with BFA 18 years, 12 1/2 of those as president.
“From the very beginning, the foundation has offered services to Alabama Baptists without any cost or obligation,” said Trussell, who started out at BFA as vice president of development. “The convention committed itself to support the operation of the foundation from the Cooperative Program (CP) budget,” he said, noting A. Hamilton Reid, a former executive secretary-treasurer of the SBOM and L.L. Gwaltney, a former editor of The Alabama Baptist, were instrumental in bringing about BFA.
Trussell — who served as president of the Northwest Baptist Foundation in Portland, Ore., before becoming president of Alabama’s BFA — also noted BFA’s commitment in return to the CP. “The foundation directors have always designated the undesignated income to the Cooperative Program,” he said. “Today the foundation has become the largest single contributor to the Cooperative Program in Alabama.”
BFA gave more than $515,000 to the CP for the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 1999, Trussell said. “Our gifts are projected to be similar this year,” he noted.
“Another highlight of the past 60 years has been the growth of our scholarship program,” Trussell said, noting BFA currently manages more than 100 funds for scholarships.
“For the current academic year, we awarded scholarships to more than 600 students, totaling more than $600,000,” he pointed out.
BFA also has helped build chapels on the grounds of seven correctional facilities “because of the generosity of specific Alabama Baptist families,” Trussell said.
Another area of growth has been the BFA staff, Trussell noted. “We have grown from a president and secretary 60 years ago to a staff of 12 today,” he said, noting the board of directors approved Oct. 26 a new staff position of scholarship administrator.
While financial management is one of the main focuses of BFA, a ministry side also exists, particularly with senior adults for whom BFA is managing their finances.
“We look at their personal needs as they reside in assisted living homes or have an aide in the home,” Trussell said. “Our vice president of ministry (Tom Randall) visits every 10 to 14 days and checks with them by phone in between.”
Randall makes sure their needs are met by taking them to the doctor, picking up personal items for them and other activities they may not be able to do for themselves, Trussell said.
Future ventures for BFA include the establishment of a satellite office in Birmingham and an expansion of the Montgomery facilities, Trussell added.
“We are expanding the facilities and the staff to better meet the needs of Alabama Baptists.”
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