May 2004
BCA News

Missions St. Louis

“We’ve A Story To Tell”

Grapevine / New Members

Positions Available

Dishin’ with Doug
2003-2004 BCA President

The 2004 BCA Annual Workshop is history (a little 50^th anniversary humor!) and many thanks are in order. First, thanks to a great group of officers who gave so sacrificially of themselves during the year. I won’t name them one by one, but BCA is blessed to have members like these who are willing to serve the organization in such significant ways. Thanks also to those who served on various committees or gave of themselves in other ways during the year. Your participation and contributions are what BCA is all about. Also, the presence of W.C. Fields and Floyd Craig at our workshop made it an extra special event, and I’m grateful for their efforts to be there.

A special thanks goes to Keith Beene, who was recognized at the workshop for ten years of service to BCA as administrative coordinator. Keith’s behind-the-scenes efforts year in and year out are instrumental in making BCA the dynamic organization that it is.

And last, thanks to you for allowing me to serve you as your president. It has been an honor and a privilege, especially when I consider the heritage of leadership that preceded me. I’ve appreciated the encouragement from so many of you along the way, and truly valued the experience.

We begin our next fifty years with a strong team of officers, under Jan Kelley’s leadership. I encourage you to support them with your prayers and service. What people will be saying about BCA fifty years from now depends on us. Let’s all recommit ourselves to making BCA stronger, recruiting new members, and most all to remaining focused on our purpose of being as effective as possible in communicating the Good News of the Gospel to a lost world. May that be our legacy!

Doug Rogers is Communications Coordinator for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

St. Louis Sees “Spirited” BCA Workshop Gathering

ST. LOUIS – Eighty members of Baptist Communicators Association gathered in St. Louis April 15-17 to celebrate the organization’s 50^th anniversary.

Historical vignettes were shared throughout the three-day meeting held at the St. Louis Westin next to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Dozens of participants attended a game on Friday evening as a part of the workshop..

A highlight of the annual workshop was the awards banquet on April 15 at the St. Louis Zoo. This year’s banquet featured Wilmer C. Fields, the Baptist communicator for whom the organization’s awards competition is named.

Dozens of awards were given in the fields of news and feature writing, photography, public relations, graphic design, interactive and audio visual communications. The grand prize winners were:

-- Arthur S. Davenport Award for exceptional achievement in public relations: Larry Thompson, Bellevue Baptist Church, Bellevue Centennial Celebration.

-- Exceptional Achievement Award in Interactive Communications: Communications and Marketing, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and David Brown, Studio DB, for Global Missions CD.

-- M.E. Dodd Award for exceptional achievement in audio-visual communications: Ty Wood, Florida Baptist Convention, “Raising The Standard.”

-- Fon H. Scofield Award for exceptional achievement in publication photography: Matt Jones, International Mission Board, “Zagreb.”

-- Frank Burkhalter Award for exceptional achievement in news writing: Greg Warner, Associated Baptist Press, “Jibla Baptist Hospital.”

-- Leonard Holloway Award for exceptional achievement in feature writing: A writer in a restricted area, “House of Life and Hope in Brazil.”

-- Albert McClellan Award for exceptional achievement in print media and design: Publications & Creative Services, Office of Public Relations, Baylor University 2002-2003 Annual Report.

Other highlights included plenary presentations by Karen Pruente, Midwest managing director for Spaeth Communications, and Larry Brumley, associate vice president for external relations at Baylor University.

Pruente’s presentation was on effective communications. She identified four steps communication professionals need to take to be effective: know your audience, know what words to use, develop headlines (simple words) that convey your message, and validate words with proofs.

Brumley recounted Baylor’s experience in crisis communications with the disappearance and death of Patrick Dennehy, a member of the school’s basketball team.

He said that he learned many things during the summer-long experience. Among them was that “the key to effective crisis management is having the right people on the crisis team and knowing who your constituents are.”

Another is that with the rapid rate that information is shared, “now is too late.” More issue management now can help reduce the need for crisis management later, he shared.

In a business session on Saturday morning, members:

– approved three bylaw changes. Two made email and mail as acceptable ways to conduct business for the organization. The third changed the term of office for the organization’s officers to run from workshop to workshop instead of July 1 to June 30.

– dedicated the 2004 workshop in honor of Leonard Wedel, the last living charter member of the organization.

– awarded $3,000 in scholarships. The professional scholarship was given to Sean Copley, design editor and graphic designer for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. Three academic scholarships were awarded to Brian Koonce ($1,000), Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee; Chris Turner ($500), Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tenn.; and Hae Yun Park ($1,000), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth.

– heard a positive financial report and audit.

– received an invitation to the 2005 workshop, which will be held April 20-24 in Denver, Colorado.

– Jan Kelley, Manager of the Office of Information & Communication for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, was elected president. Other officers are Joe Westbury, The Christian Index, will serve as president-elect; Allen Spencer, Colorado Baptist General Convention, program vice president; Dick Bodenhamer, Woman’s Missionary Union, membership vice president; Ele Clay, FamilyNet, missions vice president; Tamera Heitz-Peek, Southwest Baptist University, awards chairperson; Tanya Dawson, First Baptist Church in Madison, Miss., communications vice president; Becky Bridges, Baptist General Convention of Texas, professional development coordinator; Jerilynn Armstrong, Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, treasurer; and Charles Richardson, Hardin-Simmons University, historian.

The 2004 workshop ended with several members working at the East St. Louis Activity Center. The BCAers worked with children and youth to help them compose a tribute letter to a parent or significant adult in their lives.

Mission St. Louis – The Write Stuff

ST. LOUIS -- You would never expect to encounter the jewel that is the East St. Louis

Christian Activity Center in the midst of urban ruin. But anchored among the projects and dilapidated buildings, the Center attracts as many as 500 school-aged children each day who encounter authentic faith and an opportunity to acquire skills for a brighter future.

Eleven BCA members found their way to the Center for the annual mission project following the St. Louis BCA workshop. Inside they discovered another surprise, a state-of-the-art computer room equipped with first class machines and software. There also were 30 eager members, as the students are known. Well, they may not have been eager at first, but with some time to get past the street exterior required for life in the projects,

the true personality of the kids came out. Center staffer Melissa Berry was a gracious host.

With an age range from grade school to high school, some of the kids wrote simple phrases thanking their parents for the love they share and the investment they have made in their lives. The graphics programs came in handy for art. Some of the older students wrote well-crafted tribute letters to their parents. One went so far as to write a letter to the editor to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It was a memorable experience.

Additionally, the generosity of BCA members was demonstrated with a mission offering to support the work of the Center in the amount of $1,050, recognizing the 50th anniversary of BCA. Please consider making a commitment today to take part in the 2005 BCA mission project in Denver.

BCA’s History Now On Disc

One of the mementos distributed at the BCA workshop was a CD containing an updated history of the organization titled “We’ve A Story to Tell.” The historical-disc is chalked full of memories from former presidents and a little bit about how the organization started in 1954. The CD also contains other historical items such as a membership directory, and a copy of the by laws. BCA is mailing a copy of the CD to you in the coming weeks. We hope you will enjoy reminiscing about the past of BCA and will join with us in envisioning an even brighter future for the organization.

Grapevine

J.K. Edwards and wife Mandy have adopted a 15-month-old girl named Summer Noelle. Edwards is the electronic media specialist at the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The couple brought their daughter home on April 5.

New Members

BRANDY CAMPBELL is a Public Relations Staff Writer at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal, Mo. bcampbell@hlg.edu

MATT CARSON is an Editor in the Missions Education Team Resources Section at the North American Mission Board. mcarson@namb.net

TABITHA FRIZZELL is the Director of News and Media Relations for Union University in Jackson, Tenn. tfrizzel@uu.edu

DAVID NELMS is an Editor of youth materials at the North American Mission Board. dnelms@namb.net

RHONDA HUFTY is the Director of Public Relations at Hannibal-LaGrange College. rhufty@hlg.edu

KEITH JONES is an Editor of Children’s Missions Education materials at the North American Mission Board. kjones@namb.net

REBECCA JONES is the Assistant to the President for Public Relations at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. jonesr@obu.edu

BRYAN MCANALLY is an Editor of Adult Missions Education products at the North American Mission Board. bmcanally@namb.net

BEVERLY VOS is the Director of Promotional Strategies at Union University. bvos@uu.edu

MELISSA WILLIAMS is an Editor of Adult Mission materials for the North American Mission Board. mwilliams@namb.net

Positions Available

Assistant Director, Communications Services

Bellevue Baptist Church

Memphis, Tennessee

Assistant Director will assist the Communications Services Director in following responsibilities:

1. Managing and scheduling on a day-to-day basis the production of all media.

2. Writing, editing, and designing in all media.

3. Supervising part-time, freelance, and contracted writers and graphic designers.

4. Planning and directing photography for all media.

5. Managing budgets and expenditures, and obtaining estimates.

A 4-year degree is required. Communications and/or marketing degree preferred. Experience with Word and Excel. Prefer some experience with the following software: QuarkXpress, Photoshop, Freehand or Illustrator. Web development experience is a plus. Applicant should be able to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple projects, and meet deadlines. Knowledge of pre-press and print production (1-color through 4-color process) is mandatory. For more information or to apply, please contact Larry Thompson at Bellevue Baptist Church, (901) 347-5420 or lthompson@bellevue.org.

Communications & Grants Coordinator

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services

Carmi, Illinois

This position provides for the public relations/communications needs of Baptist Children’s Home & Family Services. The major job responsibilities include:

1. Identify, research, and solicit grantmaking organizations, matching them to BCHFS programming needs.

2. Provide design & production services for BCHFS communications needs.

3.Assist with BCHFS communications events.