As president, I have the privilege and responsibility to point Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries to where we are going. This is the visionary aspect of leadership I love – and fear – because it means going into the unknown. Baptist Homes founder, Dr. Milford Riggs took a step into the unknown when he rented a home and received the Home’s first residents in 1913. Seven years later, Riggs led the ministry to build the massive structure that is now the Riggs-Scott building of the Arcadia Valley campus. Ed Goodwin was at the helm of leadership when he led the effort to add the northwest campus in Chillicothe. A decade later, Larry Johnson envisioned the Ozark campus. President Steve Jones dreamed of a campus in central Missouri, a vision that birthed the Ashland campus that is currently expanding.
So, what do things look like for this ministry at 30,000 feet? From this vantage point, I can see Baptist Homes Hospice providing quality end-of-life care to Missouri Baptists and countless others as they approach the end of this earthly journey. I see campuses birthed through acquisition rather than new construction. Looking towards Kansas City, I see the Baptists Homes of Independence campus. Looking south one can see the Baptist Homes of Adrian campus. Across Missouri, I see dynamic partnerships between Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries and our three MBC affiliated universities. These partnerships have become a pipeline for nurses, administrators and social workers. I can also see dozens of bi-vocational pastors serving the local church while working part-time with Baptist Homes as hospice chaplains, nurses and other healthcare related careers.
As we dip a little close to ground level – let’s say 10,000 feet, I see affordable independent living apartments providing seniors a secure place to live, three great meals each day and access to additional services at a very affordable price. At this level, I see major construction at Ashland, along with additional units at our existing campuses. Dipping a little closer to the ground, those new units look a lot like the residential apartment building that opened on April 1st in Ashland!
As you can see, the view from 30,000 feet is exciting. At ground level, it’s hard to see how we will get to where we are going. That is why I invited you to join me on this journey. To fulfill this vision will require prayer, planning and God’s gracious provision. To that end, Baptist Homes is partnering with the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home and Missouri Baptist Foundation in an unprecedented campaign to support these initiatives. We are working with churches and individuals to secure locations for additional campuses and offices for hospice ministry. And, we are praying. Philippians 4:6 reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” If you are like me, I tend to pray more when I’m at 30,000 feet. I hope you will join us in prayer as we seek to follow Christ – even into the unknown – in these coming years.
This column is an update to an article in the June edition of My Home magazine. To receive My Home magazine for free, email desk@thebaptisthome.org.