Safe. Peaceful. Hopeful. These are words often used to describe Boothe Campus, where our Homes for Children ministry is located.

It is not just the child residents who recognize the exceptional atmosphere. The feeling is evident as you drive through the gates up to the main buildings. Jeff Brewer, Director of Development, believes there is a holy anointing on the property as a result of the sixty-six years of faithful obedience to God from the first day of the ministry’s existence.

Obedience to God has been the number one priority from the very beginning when Jess Lunsford founded the South Texas Children’s Home. He was determined to operate a program that was fully funded by private donations, taking no government funding. That policy is still in force today.

The beautiful Lundsford Chapel is, perhaps, the most striking building on campus. The soaring steeple and tall A-frame construction leads eyes upward, reminding each of us from where our hope comes. The sanctuary is central to many activities throughout the school year and in the summertime when church volunteer teams are on campus.

Leaving the chapel and crossing the street, the bricks in the sidewalks draw your attention. Not only does the color of the red clay stand out, but engraved on many of them are the first name of every child who has lived on campus and the year they moved to Boothe Campus. Seeing the names reminds you of the scope of this ministry; so many bricks representing the thousands of children who have found shelter and safety here. And there is still plenty of room for more bricks, representing the children who have yet to come home to Boothe Campus.

The Piper Children’s Center is next on the tour. This is the office building for the administrators, case workers, counselors, and other staff who keep the children’s home humming. Here we see another combination of past and present. Large painted portraits of our founders, Laura Boothe and Jess Lunsford, hang in the receiving area, reminding us that we are accountable to both those who came before us and those who follow behind to continue in unwavering obedience to God’s good plan for each of us. Moving past the long line of hand drawn Christmas cards, each framed with a picture of their child creator and the year they were chosen to represent STCH Ministries, will bring a smile to your face as you approach the commissary.

If the office spaces are the wheels that keep the program moving, the commissary is the motor that keeps it running. A large room with both a walk-in refrigerator and a giant freezer opens up to a storeroom lined with towering wooden shelves filled with canned goods, cleaning supplies, paper products, and children’s clothing. The commissary delivers the bulk of the weekly needs for each cottage family. The overarching goal of life on Boothe Campus is normalcy. We want our kids to experience the closest thing to a healthy family life as possible.

The cottages are the most inviting places on campus. Each home is spacious with room for up to eight kids. The living room along with a generous kitchen and dining area are comfortably designed for family gatherings. Most of the cottages open up to a front porch looking over open areas for bike riding, swinging, and roller blading. Houseparents care for each cottage, carrying out the most critical aspect of the endeavor: creating a loving, family atmosphere for the children of Boothe Campus. Most of the youngsters residing here have come from extremely difficult situations. They arrive with a deep need for a healthy, new normal. They find adults ready to provide safety, model peace, and teach them there is hope for a bright future.

If you would like a personal tour of Boothe Campus, please contact our office at 361.375.2417 or email development@stchm.org. Arrangements can be made for individuals or groups.

STCH Ministries opened a new Family Counseling office in Richmond, Texas, making seventeen locations in all. The new office is hosted by Water’s Edge Community Church and provides professional counseling services that are distinctively Christian.

Randy Beck, pastor at Water’s Edge, is optimistic about this new venue for reaching out to the church’s neighborhood.

“We are always looking for ways to show compassionate care for the community. It is great to see families walk through the door of a church – not for worship services but because they are broken and know they need help,” Pastor Beck explains. “STCH therapists share our values and we know the families will be impacted for the Kingdom.”

STCH Ministries has offered counseling for families, couples, and individuals since 1995, and expanded to Houston in September 2016. In the past two years, services in the Houston area have grown to four full-time therapists at five locations. The Family Counseling team has plans to continue reaching out to new areas in metropolitan Houston in the coming years.

Across South Texas, there are also regional Family Counseling hubs in Corpus Christi, Victoria, and San Antonio, with office locations at partner churches in surrounding communities. In addition to private counseling sessions, professional therapists provide training and information to church leaders and their congregations through a variety of seminars and workshops on topics related to the family.

For a complete list of Family Counseling locations, or to seek help for a counseling need, visit www.STCHM.org/FC.

Baptist organizations have been providing care for widows and orphans for over 100 years, adhering to the biblical mandate of James 1:27.  On September 9 – 11, 2018, STCH Ministries participated in the Connections Conference, the annual meeting of the Association of Baptist Children’s Home Professionals, which brings together organizations from across the country to collaborate on development and communications topics.  This year’s conference was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Southern Baptists have long held their commitment to cooperation and enduring strength of the denomination, with like-minded entities working together for the purpose of bringing people into relationship with God. STCH Ministries and twenty other Baptist Children’s Homes across the nation collaborate through the Baptist Coalition of Children and Families (BCCF), and the Connections Conference is made up of the development and communications professionals of these children’s homes.

Rod Marshall, BCCF President, underlined the cooperative commitment in his address to the gathering. “We work closely with the North American Mission Board, the Women’s Missionary Union, and Baptist Press to address the needs of families in the United States. Baptist child care providers have been the best in child care for over 150 years.”

Throughout the weekend, the theme of “Staying Connected” was intentionally implemented in each aspect of the conference.  Through general meetings, breakout sessions, meal times, and special events, participants were encouraged to share with one another on a variety of topics.  STCH Ministries staff members were among the speakers at the conference, presenting about compelling storytelling and working with contractors.

Raymond J. Gary Jr., CEO of iDonate, spoke extensively about the mindset and motivations of American charitable donors. “Today’s donors are empowered consumers who expect their experience to be a dynamic, simple, joyful experience. We need to be smarter than Netflix and bolder than Uber in our efforts to connect with them,” he instructed.

Conference attendees displayed a common purpose as they exchanged experiences and strategies regarding subjects as diverse as leadership, data management, and how to best share a ministry’s stories. Jeny Cortez, STCH Ministries Director of Development, commented, “There’s no sense of competition. We all want everyone to be successful. We know it is all for the glory of God and the healing of broken lives.”

Conference attendees were reminded of the importance of their work by two of the residents of the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home who attended the event. Ryleigh and Sophia helped with logistics and each spoke during the meetings. When Ryleigh first moved to the children’s home, she did not understand why her mom made the decision to send her into residential care. She was convinced she had done something unforgivable. Professional counseling and the unconditional love of her houseparents helped Ryleigh decide to trust in Jesus as her Savior.

The conference ended with participants returning to their home organizations full of inspiration, new ideas, and a powerful sense of connection to their counterparts in other states. In 2020, the Connections Conference will be hosted by Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in South Carolina.

Cans for Kids is a project that allows Texas churches to take an active, practical role in the day to day, bread and butter of caring for children. The strategy is simple: a church, Sunday school class, or small group sets a time frame to collect canned goods for the children at STCH Ministries Homes for Children and delivers them to the commissary at Boothe Campus.

The process is customizable – be it a church-wide contest between small groups or a simple way for children to participate in ministry. STCH Ministries staff members are available as guest speakers to either start off or wrap up the initiative. Additionally, the donation can be a part of the experience – bring the donating Sunday school class out to Boothe Campus for a tour and the opportunity to see how your contributions are put to use.

You already are a part of the work of STCH Ministries. Every prayer, every donation, and with each referral, you are participating in the restorative work God is doing in the lives of children through our organization. Your help ensures that residents at Homes for Children will have the nutrition and energy they need to grow up strong.

When it comes to working together, there’s no such thing as small potatoes! Check out www.STCHM.org/Cans-for-Kids to download resources that will help you promote the Cans for Kids campaign at your church.