In one way, the numbers tell the story of John Williams
tenure as executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Childrens Home.
Endowment climbed past $21 million. Some 950 children went
through the home during his 16 years of leadership. More than a dozen counseling
centers were opened around the state to aid families in crisis.
But those are not the numbers Williams talks about when he
reflects on his work at the Louisiana Baptist agency.
In one way, the numbers tell the story of John Williams
tenure as executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Childrens Home.
Endowment climbed past $21 million. Some 950 children went
through the home during his 16 years of leadership. More than a dozen counseling
centers were opened around the state to aid families in crisis.
But those are not the numbers Williams talks about when he
reflects on his work at the Louisiana Baptist agency.
Williams speaks of the one boy who became the first to attend
college in his family and now is pursuing a doctorate.
He speaks of the one girl who left the home, got married and
now is rearing children of her own in a Christian home.
And he speaks of the individual staff members who deserve the
credit for the success of the home.
“I owe a huge, huge debt of thanks to friends of children
who made our work possible,” says Williams, who retired as executive director
of the home at the end of last month. “And I recognize youre only
as good as the people around you – and I had the best people you could
find.”
The fact that the home found Williams to lead those people
16 years ago was all a matter of the Lords leadership, he says.
Williams had filled a variety of roles in education and other
fields. However, he and his wife, Sue Ellen, also had talked about doing missions
work at some time.
Then, someone suggested that Williams submit a resume for the
childrens home position to succeed longtime executive director Wade East.
“And after several months of prayer and family discussion, the Lord led
us in that direction,” Williams recalls. “It seemed to be a match
made in heaven.”
As Williams reflects on his tenure at the home, he compares
it to previous experiences, such as having the chance to launch a continuing
education unit at Louisiana Tech in Ruston and to host three United States presidents
at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
“Ive had the opportunity to do some pretty neat
things,” he notes. “But none of them compare to seeing the changes
in the lives of children and their families.”
Williams led the home through a time of change and expansion.
A review of 10-year goals leading up to the new century shows
how work was completed to upgrade and maintain various physical aspects of the
operations. In addition, Williams helped the home mark its centennial anniversary
in 1999 and led in construction of the Daddy Flowers Chapel to replace a facility
destroyed by fire.
And he guided the expansion of the home in three key areas.
In 1992, the home entered the maternity home field, opening
Happy House in Tallulah and assuming the ministry once operated by Southern
Baptists through the Sellers Home in New Orleans.
In ensuing years, Happy House has ministered to a number of
unwed teenagers and young women, Williams notes.
In 1996, the home used a generous gift to open its first Granberry
Counseling Center in Monroe. The center was designed to help minister to families
in crisis from a Christian counseling perspective.
The idea took hold – and by the time of Williams
retirement, 14 counseling centers had been opened around the state.
Finally, in 2000, the home opened Cheatham House in Baton Rouge,
a second residential care facility that can minister to as many as 12 children
at a time.
However, through it all, Williams continued to focus on the
heart and soul of the homes ministry – its residential care program
for children in crisis.
The type of child the home ministered to during that time changed,
Williams notes.
“Theres been a big difference,” he says. “I
dont think the American public is close to being aware of the children
who have been fetally abused – by alcohol, drugs, whatever. They look like
regular children, but theres something missing. … America is sitting
on a land mine in many cases.”
The challenge is to work with such children for a period of
time, seeking to restore their sense of values and self, Williams says. The
reward may not come for years.
Still, the work is done – because it is what Christians
are called to do, Williams says. “The guide for what we do is found in
Scripture, where Jesus took his hands and put them on the children and blessed
them. Thats what were supposed to do, put our arms around these
children and love them.”
The Bible also says children shall have a place of refuge,
Williams adds. That is key in a world where too many children are expected to
grow up too soon, he says.
“We just let them be children, …” Williams notes
of the home. “They arent forced to grow up too quickly, and they
can regain some of that childhood innocence.”
Despite the ongoing ministry and 100 years of history, Williams
agrees that many Louisiana Baptists probably do not know of the good the home
does.
“We really do have a marvelous program thats looked
up to by people all over the country. … Were up near the top.”
Leaving the home, Williams already has relocated to Baton Rouge,
where he is working part-time for the Pennington Ball Medical Research Center,
a nationally-recognized nutritional research facility.
In addition, he is pursuing the object of his retirement –
“to smell the roses and enjoy the days with my wife.”
Looking back to his home ministry, Williams notes it sometimes
is easy to mix up the material side of the work – endowment, facilities,
etc. – with the interpersonal side.
The key is to let the Lord guide in all one does, he emphasizes.
“You have to be careful not to let the material – bricks and mortar
– take over,” Williams notes. “Thats not the most important
thing. The children are the most important thing. The most exciting thing of
all is to see people make it in their lives.”