WASHINGTON (ABP) — A prominent family of Texas Baptist philanthropists has given a big boost — and a challenge — to the campaign to create a permanent home for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
BJC Executive Director Brent Walker announced June 29 that the Baugh family has given $500,000 to boost the group’s campaign to build the Center for Religious Liberty on Capitol Hill.
Family representative Babs Baugh then, in a surprise announcement, said her family would match any other pledges or gifts made to the campaign between June 29 and July 15.
The center is part of a capital campaign begun in conjunction with the BJC’s 70th anniversary. It would help purchase, renovate and endow a row house on Capitol Hill that would hold offices for the Washington-based group. The facility would also house working space for BJC partner organizations — such as Associated Baptist Press’s Washington Bureau — and visiting scholars.
BJC leaders, who advocate for church-state separation, have said they hope such a building will establish a highly visible presence for the Baptist conception of religious freedom near the Capitol. For most of its existence, the organization has been housed in the Washington offices of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Babs Baugh is the daughter of Eula Mae and John Baugh, who founded the SYSCO Corporation. Over the years, the Baughs have donated large sums to many Baptist causes, including BJC, Baylor University, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and ABP. John Baugh died in March at age 91.
The news came during the group’s annual luncheon in Washington, held this year in conjunction with national meetings of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the American Baptist Churches USA. Walker made the announcement about the gift in introducing the Baugh family as the recipients of BJC’s 2007 J.M. Dawson Religious Liberty Award.
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John Baugh, Baptist philanthropist, critic of fundamentalism, dies (3/5/2007)