Hawkins reports on GuideStone activities to Southern Baptist Convention messengers

June 15, 2011

PHOENIX — GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins delivered the 93rd annual report to messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 14-15 in Arizona.

Despite the current economic climate, which continues to struggle since the 2008-2009 economic downturn, GuideStone has had one of its greatest investment years ever, receiving favorable recognition from industry firms like Lipper and fi360. For example, fi360 recently ranked GuideStone Funds 8 out of 224 fund families. To determine the standings, mutual fund and ETF families are ranked by the fi360 Fund Family Fiduciary Rankings^TM. In these rankings, fi360 determines the percentage of the individual funds in a family that have a fi360 Fiduciary Score^TM in the top quartile of their peer group. The Score evaluates investments on nine different criteria to determine if the investment meets a minimum fiduciary standard of care: regulatory oversight, track record, assets in the investment, stability of the organization, composition consistent with asset class, style consistency, expense ratio/fees relative to peers, risk-adjusted performance relative to peers and performance relative to peers. Additionally, fund families must contain at least five distinct funds with a three-year history to be considered in the report.

For a full report on GuideStone’s investment performance, visit our "News Room."

Additionally, Hawkins reported on GuideStone’s property and casualty product and the organization’s ongoing activities to ensure compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Hawkins emphasized that GuideStone already meets many of the act’s requirements, including no lifetime or annual caps on medical coverage. GuideStone has also never canceled anyone’s insurance coverage, except for non-payment of premiums.

Turning to GuideStone’s new property and casualty product, Hawkins noted that the organization is licensed to provide coverage in 49 states and expects to be licensed in all 50 states in the near future.

“So many churches,” Hawkins said, “trust GuideStone for retirement and insurance coverage, making the property and casualty coverage a natural fit for many churches.”
In addition to GuideStone’s financial products and services, Hawkins noted the continued success of Mission:Dignity, a ministry that provides ongoing financial support for retired Southern Baptist ministers and their widows who are in need.

Through Mission:Dignity, GuideStone Financial Resources assists approximately 2,000 retired Southern Baptist ministers and their wives who have critical financial needs. Most of these served small congregations in decades past with little, if any, contributions toward a retirement plan. Sixty percent of Mission:Dignity recipients are widows. One out of every four recipients is a pastor’s widow age 85 or older. Qualified recipients are eligible for grants of $200 to $530 each month. The ministry, which receives no Cooperative Program gifts, has raised $60 million over the last decade.

The Mission:Dignity program is funded by the generous support of individuals, Sunday school classes, and churches across the Southern Baptist Convention. Gifts of any size are welcome and 100% of contributions are paid out in grants with nothing taken out for administrative expenses.

Mission:Dignity Sunday is June 26 on the SBC calendar and churches can learn more about this important ministry. Order free bulletin inserts and a DVD for use in worship services, Sunday School departments or mission-oriented organizations on our website or call 1-888-98-GUIDE (1-888-984-8433).

Hawkins invited messengers to encourage their churches to join GuideStone in celebrating Mission:Dignity Sunday, scheduled for June 26.