In 1926, the Alabama Baptist State Convention made two decisions that continue to impact one of the most important ministries Baptists do together in this state. First, messengers to the annual convention meeting decided to reduce the percentage of Cooperative Program (CP) funds channeled to the then-Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes from 10 percent to 3 percent. Then an annual special offering was approved through which the work of the Children’s Homes was to be financed.
More than 80 years later, that pattern of a low CP allocation alongside a special offering is still in place. The offering received in Alabama Baptist churches is the largest single source of financial support received by what is now known as the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries (ABCH).
The CP allocation to the ABCH has continued to fall — today it is less than 1 percent — making the annual offering that much more important. And while the amount received through the offering has gone up, the percentage of the ministry budget provided by the offering has trended downward in an unrelenting fashion.
Last year, Alabama Baptist churches gave $2,679,523 through the offering. That amounted to 30.81 percent of the Children’s Homes’ total receipts of nearly $8.7 million. It was not too many years ago that offering receipts made up about 75 percent of total receipts, ABCH officials said.
Part of the reason the percentage of operating costs covered by the offering has fallen may be that fewer churches participate in the annual Mother’s Day offering emphasis. Last year, just over half of the state’s 3,200 cooperating Baptist churches contributed to the offering for the ABCH.
The declining number of participants may be due to the fact that the Children’s Homes emphasis was not on the denominational calendar for a number of years. Yes, the annual offering was always approved, but churches were encouraged to observe the offering whenever they wanted to, and there was no set time when churches were asked to emphasize the work of the ABCH.
That changed in 2005. That year, the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day, was designated Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries Emphasis Day. It appears that way on this year’s Alabama Baptist calendar. Now no church can just overlook the emphasis. Every church has opportunity to support the work of the Children’s Homes through prayer, through promotion and through the pocketbook.
The ABCH has a well-rounded program to serve children and their families. For children who need long-term residential care, two campuses in different parts of the state are provided. For children whose needs are better suited to a group-home experience, three facilities are available, again in different parts of the state. When family-care ministry is needed, the Children’s Homes provides two facilities for single mothers with dependent children.
The Children’s Homes even provides emergency shelters where children may be placed for a period of time when unexpected circumstances arise.
When a child can best be served by placement in a foster home, the Children’s Homes provides an extensive network of service with qualified social workers to oversee the foster home program.
Helping strengthen families (and sometimes save families) can be the best service one can provide to children. Again the ABCH is there. Currently the Children’s Homes partners with Baptist associations in 27 places to provide trained professional Christian counselors. The Children’s Homes also has four other counseling sites in the state, with more set to open this year. The counselors at these sites provide a range of services from premarital counseling for engaged couples to intervention in the most serious situations.
While participants are expected to pay something for the counseling services, few ever pay the total cost. Last year, counseling fees provided less than 25 percent of the cost associated with this service.
Serving children and their families is not cheap. The 2008 budget is $8,312,282. If 2007 is a guide, the ministry will spend about 60 percent of its total expenditures on providing homes for children. About 11 percent will underwrite the counseling ministry. Taking care of facilities and capital improvements will claim most of another 10 percent. Administration received 8.55 percent of expenditures in 2007.
As Alabama Baptists would expect, those charged with directing the ministry to children have sought various funding channels in order to provide for the needs of those committed to their care. Trusts and endowments are a major funding channel. So are donations from businesses and concerned individuals who are not Baptists. When appropriate, the Children’s Homes receives reimbursement for some services.
But nothing takes the place of the support provided by Alabama Baptists as they emphasize the work of the ABCH and as they give a special offering to support the ministry to children and their families provided in the name of Christ as expressed through Alabama Baptists.
Every Alabama Baptist church should pray for, promote and encourage pocketbook support for this valuable ministry. If it cannot be done on Mother’s Day, then make sure it is set for another time on the church calendar, but be sure and support the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries.
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