Members of Second Presbyterian Church since 1987, Bruce and Judith Campbell are the parents of Carter Campbell as well as son Bruce, who lives in Houston, Texas. They have five grandchildren. They are long time members of the Sojourners Sunday School class.
Bruce served as Chairman and CEO of the Board for National Bank of Commerce until early 1993. After retiring from full time service at the bank at that time, he continued to serve on the Board and he also served as the Executive Committee Chairman for a number of years. SunTrust acquired NBC in 2004.
He was a member of the Foundation Board for 13 years over the time frame of 1998-2012, serving as the inaugural Chairman of the Grants Committee. Bruce was known for his insightful vetting of grant applications and his ability to offer sound principles for the operation of not only ministry partners but the Foundation itself. This was particularly helpful as the Foundation began to figure out how it was going to develop policies and implement practices across multiple areas including grants, investments, stewardship, and general operations.
Hear from Bruce about his involvement with the Foundation:
Some years ago, I was fortunate to join Second`s Foundation Board. I knew of the Foundation`s establishment, but it was only after being involved that I began to understand what an important and vital role it served in the life and mission of our church.
The Foundation was established thanks to the foresight of elders Herbert Rhea, Monte Weaver, Jim Boren, and others. It was created in part to complement the church with grant activities beyond the year-to-year capacity of the annual church budget. Very wisely, the founders restricted the Foundation from contributions to the church’s annual budget - which historically has become a real problem for some wealthy churches in other parts of the country.
Annual giving is good and necessary for the life of our church but the time horizon for gifts to the Foundation is in years or decades. Those gifts will be doing good works for the Kingdom long after you are gone. The Foundation supports church members attending seminary plus multiyear support of foreign and home mission activities in coordination with the church. Foundation funds are responsibly managed by professionals and overseen by the Foundation’s Investment Committee, which is comprised of members of Second with financial experience.
It is for these reasons that Judith and I have included the Foundation in our estate plans.
Members of Second Presbyterian Church since 2002, Carter and Bowie Campbell are the parents of Frazer (Vanderbilt), Eleanor (University of Virginia), and Carter (Memphis University School). They are members of Cornerstone Sunday School class.
Carter has previously worked in banking and started a new business several years ago. National Property Concepts is oriented around repurposing excess space in existing bank branch locations.
He currently is a member of the Foundation Board, serving for six years since mid-2016. He currently serves on the Nominating and the Grants Committees and as Chair of the Scholarships Sub-Committee, which oversees among other things everything related to our seminarians.
Hear from Carter about his dad and the Foundation:
Dad had a wonderful influence on so many people; myself included. He genuinely loved the people who worked at the bank, and he treated them accordingly. One the biggest lessons Dad taught me was how to treat others. He was by no means perfect, yet I learned how to treat people by listening to him at the dinner table and observing how he interacted with people at the bank and in everyday life.
I remember Dad talking about the 2PC Foundation, and he was so excited to see young folks going into full time ministry. I recall him describing how the Foundation played such a pivotal role in allowing these folks to attend seminary. His involvement with the Foundation certainly impacted me and my interest in serving when I was approached years later.
As a believer in Christ and His kingdom, it has been incredibly rewarding and encouraging to learn through the Foundation about the things God is doing around the globe to extend His kingdom of mercy and grace to a hurting and broken world.
Through this involvement, my views on the needs in the local community and the world arena have been impacted. I would say I have been thoroughly encouraged. This broken world aches on every level of life, and the answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to save lost sinners. It is easy to get discouraged. However, I have been immensely encouraged by what God is doing around the world, and serving on the Foundation has encouraged my heart. Whether its supporting folks pursuing seminary degrees, foreign missionaries, or local ministries, God has blessed the 2PC Foundation with the privilege of supporting a variety of initiatives to expand God’s kingdom.
For those who might be considering becoming involved with the mission of the Foundation I would say that if you desire to support the expansion of God’s kingdom at home and around the world, I’m not aware of another entity like it. I would encourage anyone to consider including 2PC Foundation in their estate and gift planning. From wonderful resource stewardship to strategic and targeted missional support, 2PC Foundation is a unique vehicle to support initiatives oriented around extending God’s kingdom.