American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) presented awards of merit to three American Baptists at a luncheon that preceded the 2011 American Baptist Churches USA Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Maj. Susan D. Caswell

Rev. Stephen E. Ott

Rev. William J. Painter

Maj. Susan D. Caswell, Fort Meade, Md., received the Merit Award for Military Chaplaincy. She has been endorsed by American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) since 2000. She was an active member of First Baptist Church in Pasadena for many years. In addition to teaching Bible class, she has worked with single parents and divorce-recovery groups. Her Army achievements include top-notch leadership as officer-in-charge of the Northeast Recruiting Team at Fort Meade. Her ministry in the military setting has proven outstanding. “She is a person with an unusually bright mind,” says one of her colleagues. “This ability allows her to function very successfully as a pastor, enabling her to grasp the complexity of interpersonal dynamics that are the common task of pastoral ministry.”

The Rev. Stephen E. Ott, executive director of the Center for Career Development and Ministry, Dedham, Mass., received the Merit Award for Pastoral Counseling. He was ordained in 1973 and endorsed by ABCUSA in 1976. He has more than 35 years of experience in aiding clergy and seminarians with vocational discernment, professional maintenance, crisis intervention and boundary issues. A Boundary Awareness Workshop provider, Ott has conducted important research in the much-needed area of effective treatment programs for clergy involved in sexual boundary violations. Ott has shaped the lives of future servants of the Gospel both by interacting with individuals and by ministering in an academic setting.

The Rev. William J. Painter of Judson Park Retirement Community, Des Moines, Wash., received the Merit Award for Institutional Chaplaincy. He has served at Judson Park since 1983. In addition to his work as chaplain, he has ministered to the wider community in a variety of ways, currently as emergency planning officer. He showed outstanding leadership recently, when the residential facility’s four floors were without electricity for three days. Painter has also provided leadership to the board of the Association of American Baptist Homes and Caring Ministries. He has offered training just about everywhere, from local churches to aging agencies’ regional and national meetings. In every aspect, Painter has conducted himself in a manner that honors the people he serves as well as God. 

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