Longtime friend of the ministry and Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) Trustee Betty Greene is a recipient of the 2016 Heritage Award. The award is among the highest of honors given to a North Carolina Baptist.
“Betty Greene is a marvelous example of how one woman can make a difference in the lives of many,” said BCH president/CEO Michael C. Blackwell, who presented the award to Greene. “She is an exemplary Trustee and it is an honor to name Betty H. Greene as the BCH Baptist Heritage Award winner for 2016.”
This year’s awards were presented to Greene and the other recipients recognized by fellow North Carolina Baptist organizations at the annual ceremony. The event was held on April 26 at the Sheraton Four Seasons, Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
“I feel very unworthy of, and humbled by, this recognition, but I don’t do what I do to get awards,” Greene said regarding the honor.
She was joined at the awards luncheon by her husband Dale and their five adult children – Gwen Honeycutt, Pam Greene, Tony Greene, Tim Greene, and Jeff Greene.
Greene and her husband live in Boone where they are members of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. She has been a part of the church since she was born and her connection with BCH goes back to her early childhood.
Greene fondly remembers her days as a small girl riding with her father to deliver truck loads of food – apples, potatoes, produce, and canned items – to BCH’s Mills Home campus in Thomasville. It was the start of her life-long relationship with the ministry.
“As a child, making those trips with my daddy to take food to the orphanage, it was difficult for me to understand why children were not with their parents,” Greene said.
When she married Dale Greene and they began their family and grew their business, her passion for BCH and desire to aid hurting boys and girls became even stronger.
From her days in the Cradle Roll department at Mt. Vernon and being baptized at age nine, Greene has worked tirelessly in missions. She has led every age group in WMU, serving as director for many years as well as leading Mission Friends and Girls in Action.
Whether serving on the community Crisis Pregnancy Board or taking part in a missions opportunity in Turkey, Greene gravitates to children. Her task in Turkey was to care for missionaries’ children. Many of them had never interacted with strangers, but Greene quickly embraced them and won their hearts.
The Baptist Heritage Award recognizes individuals who represent exemplary service and giving to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) or an organization associated with the Convention. It is jointly sponsored by BSCNC and the North Carolina Baptist Foundation.