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HighGround Hosting Baptist Leaders in Israel - PART II

July 1, 2019 - Faith came alive for a few members of HighGround’s leadership team when they recently traveled to Israel. It is one thing to read stories and picture the events in your mind, but quite another when the stories you’ve read suddenly come to life before your eyes.

“As we read the Bible and hear all of the stories, it comes alive as you see it,” Jeff Smith, President and CEO of HighGround, said.

Jeff was one of three HighGround leaders who traveled to Israel. The other two leaders were Ben Curry, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and David Slover, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. HighGround’s travelers were also joined by leaders from other foundations including Arkansas Baptist Foundation, Alabama Baptist Foundation, Florida Baptist Foundation, Illinois Baptist Foundation and Ohio Baptist Foundation and long-time donor Dorothy Meyers. The trip, two years in the making, served as the annual meeting for the Baptist foundations across the nation.

For Ben, the experience was eye-opening because he was able to see multiple Christian denominations bearing witness to their faith in one, unified space.

“While Christians all live in different parts of the world and express our faith differently, we are all worshipping the same God,” Ben said. “We just do it in different ways.”  

For HighGround, the experience reminds us of our own clients – it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture in the business from day to day. But, our work plays an important role for all those we serve. It reminds us that no matter how small the part we play is, it is all in the name of moving worthy causes forward and we should search for life-giving opportunities.

In Israel, a vast desert, it’s easy to spot opportunities that will bear new life.

“Where there is green, there is life because there is water,” Ben said.

It is up to us to tend to the opportunities that come our way and build an oasis in the middle of the desert – to be influential in helping build prosperity for our clients so they can make a difference in the world.

 “We all have influence. We influence where we are. Where we sit. Where we work. We do that with our talents,” Jeff said.

At HighGround, our mission is to support your mission so you can utilize your talents and be influential where you work to transform lives.

At the end of the meeting, the leadership team gifted each staff member a small gift – a handcrafted cross made of olive wood. The olive branch is a symbol of abundance, glory and peace.