gbchfm

A Love That Remains

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:59:27 GMT

The GBCH&FM Meansville Campus

More than 70 years ago, Reverend Charles Pickney East and his wife, Eula Avis, were moved to care for children after losing their infant son. One cold Sunday morning, after Rev. East preached near Cedartown, a young mother placed her toddler in his arms and said, “If you want her, she’s yours.” That moment marked the beginning of their calling. They adopted the little girl, Delsie, and later opened a home for other children with nowhere to go.

Tucked among the rolling hills of Pike County, the Meansville Campus of Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries (GBCH&FM) began with one couple’s desire to help children in need. What started as one an act of love has grown into a place of refuge for many children and families.

In January 1946, the Easts purchased 133 acres in Pike County and welcomed their first four children to what was then the Pike County Children’s Home. By May, the renamed Pine Mountain Children’s Home housed 51 children and two adults, sharing just one bathroom. A working farm on the property helped sustain them through those early years.

In 1956, the home became part of GBCH&FM, securing its mission under broader support. Through the decades, the Meansville Campus has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of Georgia’s at-risk youth and families. Today, it serves through three core programs: ASCEND, DJJ Step-Down, and Family Care.

The ASCEND Program supports young men ages 12–21 with a dual diagnosis of behavioral, mental health, or developmental challenges. An example of some of the youth served are youth diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or have IQs under 70. Program Coordinator, Tammy Pinson, shared how the work is demanding but deeply rewarding. “Our residents start creating a family outside of the one they may not be able to be with and begin working towards their independence. That’s something special to experience,” she said.

ASCEND provides life skills, therapy, education, medical care, and spiritual guidance in a nurturing environment. Most youth are referred by the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and many transition to foster or adoptive homes, adult care programs, or independent living. “We help them stabilize and thrive,” Tammy explained.

Volunteers play an important role by offering mentoring, tutoring, or simply spending time with residents to model healthy relationships. Others help by hosting birthday parties or holiday celebrations that show these young men they are seen and valued.

The DJJ Step-Down Program , led by Program Coordinator, Patricia Brooks, serves teen males ages 13-18 who are transitioning from the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) correctional facilities back into their communities. With structured support, on-campus schooling, and daily life skills training, the program helps these young men move

toward a brighter future. “They’re very resilient,” Patricia said. “We don’t fixate on their past but focus on who they’re becoming.”

Patricia recounted the story of Dominic, who will become the first youth in the program to graduate with a high school diploma rather than a GED, this May. “That right there is God!” she said, tearfully. “To see these kids succeed, it means everything.”

Volunteers can support these DJJ youth by leading Bible studies, offering workshops on job readiness and life skills, or creating community service opportunities for the boys to give back. Just showing up to encourage these young men can make a lasting impact.

The Family Care Program , led by Coordinator Emily Meadows, serves mothers and children facing homelessness or escaping domestic violence. “It’s more than a shelter,” Emily said. “It’s about transformation. They must be willing to follow the rules and work toward independence.”

Each mom receives a personalized case plan with goals in education, employment, and savings. Families also participate in faith-based and family-building activities. Emily recalled a mother who saved nearly $2,000 and secured housing before graduating from the program. “She never thought she could do it,” Emily said. “We’re so proud of her and the other mothers who have worked hard to achieve their dreams.”

Community support is vital. Donations help furnish apartments and provide essentials since most families arrive with nothing. Volunteers provide Bible studies, childcare during classes, and host holiday events. “Volunteers are a vital part of our ministry,” Emily shared.

Behind the scenes, Support Services Coordinator, Bill George, keeps the campus running handling everything from trimming trees to fixing broken washers. “We fix what’s broken and maintain the campus grounds,” he said, “but it’s more than maintenance, it’s ministry.” He recalled mentoring a resident who accepted Christ and now thrives. “Every repaired pipe or painted wall makes this a home,” he said. “Volunteers are a huge blessing; we always welcome more!” Whether you enjoy landscaping, painting, light repairs, or providing meals, Bill says there’s a place for everyone to lend a hand.

At the helm is Campus Administrator, Sharon Wallace , a 25-year veteran of GBCH&FM. Her leadership is rooted in Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” With wisdom and compassion, Sharon leads a team committed to restoring lives.

What began as the Easts' act of love has become a legacy of restoration. The Meansville Campus remains a place where lives are rebuilt through love, faith, and community support.

Your partnership through prayer, donating, or volunteering ensures this mission continues. Whether you mentor a teen, lead a Bible study, or swing a hammer, you are part of offering a love that remains.

The Art of Perseverance

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:58:10 GMT

Julian's Story

This December, Julian Campbell will proudly graduate from the Arwood Malcolm Educational Center (AMEC), Palmetto Campus’s on-campus school, with his high school diploma. His next dream? To pursue a degree in graphic design and attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

“My favorite school subject has always been art,” Julian shared. “I’ve been drawing since I was three years old. I love doodling and creating, that’s why I want to go to SCAD. They have such a strong art program, and it would be an amazing opportunity for me.”

In high school, Julian found belonging and inspiration in the Art Club. “It was my favorite class because not only did I fit in with everyone, but I also got to create comics and drawings of different people. I loved sharing what I thought was beautiful with others.”

Although SCAD hasn’t offered him a scholarship yet, Julian is determined to reach his goal. “I’ve received scholarships from other colleges,” he said. “Right now, I’m looking into attending Georgia Southern to complete my core studies, then transferring to SCAD’s Atlanta campus once I can get funding. I plan to work hard to make it happen.”

Julian’s passion for creativity extends far beyond the classroom. “My favorite hobby is drawing because I love putting my ideas on paper,” he said. “I also enjoy creative writing, poetry, storytelling, and I love soccer, especially being the goalie. I like protecting the goal at all costs.”

In addition to his studies, Julian also works at a local grocery store bagging groceries, a job he takes great pride in. “I like making my own money,” he shared with a smile. “It feels good to work hard and earn it myself.”

Julian has been a resident of our DAC program for the past three years, where he has experienced both support and growth. “My favorite memory here was last Christmas,” he recalled with a smile. “We all came together, unwrapped presents, and I got an iPad. It meant a lot to me.”

During his time with us, Julian has learned valuable lessons about vulnerability, community, and faith. “I’ve learned to open up about my emotions,” he said. “As a kid, I used to keep my feelings to myself, but being here taught me to share how I feel, whether I’m sad or happy. The Staff are my family. Sometimes they help me, sometimes they challenge me, but I love them.”

Julian also shared how his faith has deepened during his time at GBCH&FM. “My relationship with God has grown tremendously since I came here,” he said. “I always wanted someone by my side through thick and thin. Staff members have helped that come true because they’ve helped me read the Bible more and learn that God is always with me no matter what.”

During his interview, Julian offered encouragement for future residents of the program. “I believe anyone who comes here might have a troubled past,” he said, “but with a little help, and with caring staff and the education they provide, you can make it.”

He reflected on his own journey as an artist: “I used to hide my drawings because I feared what people would think. But whenever I’ve shared them, people love them. So, I’ve learned to put my insecurities aside and accept that maybe I really am a talented artist.”

From drawing stick figures as a toddler to creating portraits that captivate others today, Julian continues to grow in his gift. “When I was three, I’d always ask my mom for paper,” he remembered. “I’d draw little stick figures and characters based on people I knew or imagined. Over time, those stick figures became bigger, more detailed characters and now, they’re something people enjoy. I want my art to appeal to everyone, and so far, it’s been happening.”

To Julian, art is far more than skill or expression, it’s a calling. “Art is subjective,” he said thoughtfully. “What one person sees as art, another might not. But to me, art is whatever gift God gave you to share with others.”

Join us in praying for Julian as he pursues his dream of becoming a visual artist and that his relationship with Jesus continues to grow. May he always remember to use his talents to make a positive impact on the world.

Holy Smoke

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:57:54 GMT

21 Years of Grilling Competition and Love!

The Holy Smoke Christian Grilling Competition returned for it’s 21st year on March 5th in Preston, Georgia. Hosted by Macedonia Baptist Church in the Centerpoint Community with local churches across the area attending.

For 21 years now, churches and teams from across the area have entered the competition to cook their best ribs, BBQ Boston butts, and chickens, for a chance to earn the title of Holy Smoke Grand Champion.

This year’s event raised an all-time record of $20,250.00 to support abused and neglected children in Georgia. That brings the event’s two-decade total to more than $190,250.00.

Each year, proceeds from the event are divided between Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and the

Methodist Children’s Home in Macon.

In addition to some great Bar-b-que, there’s a cake auction, gospel music performers, and plenty of

hand shakes and smiles to go around. This year Ebenezer Baptist Church in Ellaville claimed the Grand Prize Trophy.

Since it’s humble beginnings in 2004, with about a dozen teams, Holy Smoke has grown into a major

annual event.

We want to thank everyone involved for making this such a great and spirited event each year, and

for the generous support it provides to our ministry.

Wilbanks Joins GBCH&FM Team

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:38:17 GMT

"Foster Care is more than just providing a safe place. It's an opportunity to show the love of Christ in a real and life-changing way."

For almost 30 years, Rev. Shane Wilbanks has been serving in ministry, sharing his heart for

Jesus and helping the next generation grow in their faith. His journey began in 1995 when he and

his wife, Amy, stepped into their first full-time ministry role as house parents with Georgia

Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries (GBCH&FM). Newly married, they were

entrusted with the care of eight children, ranging in age from four to eighteen. Those early years

deepened their calling, teaching them the realities of caring for children who had experienced trauma.

From there, Shane served as a student and family pastor in Georgia and Mississippi, helping parents and teens build a strong biblical foundation. In 2016, he stepped into full - time evangelism, founding Make Known Ministries. Traveling the country, he shared the Gospel in churches of all sizes, using preaching, live Gospel paintings, and creative illusions to engage audiences. Through his ministry, he has witnessed countless lives changed, from children at Vacation Bible School to adults at revival gatherings.

Shane’s calling has now come full circle, leading him back to GBCH&FM as our new Church Relations and Foster Care Recruiter. He and Amy have been married for 30 years and are blessed with six children, four adult sons and two beautiful daughters, one of whom they adopted through foster care. Their journey as foster parents over the past five years has strengthened their understanding of how foster care not only protects children but also provides them with love, healing, and stability they desperately need. Shane is eager to advocate for our foster care program across Georgia, encouraging churches and Baptist Associations to take an active role in this important ministry and recruiting future foster parents. “Foster care is more than just providing a safe place, it's an opportunity to show the love of Christ in a real and life changing way,” he shares.

Shane is available to come to speak at your church or event. You can reach him at swilbanks@gbchfm.org or

770-463-6409

3 Ways You and Your Church can get involved with the Children's Home Today

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:58:11 GMT

How is your Church caring for Georgia's children in crisis?

Hope Restored - Lives Transformed

Caring for Children and Families in Crisis

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:49:34 GMT

An overview of our Ministries at GBCH&FM:

Hope Restored - Lives transformed

Children's Home Day 2025

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 17:08:14 GMT

Giving Children and Families Hope and a Home

Imagine, for a moment, the heartache of a child left behind. The confusion in their eyes, the tears they cannot hold back, and the fear of an uncertain future. In an instant, the world they knew is gone, replaced by overwhelming questions: Where will I sleep? Who will take care of me? Will I ever feel safe again?

Years ago, on a dusty country road, three children stood watching as their mother drove away. Too young to fully understand, too powerless to stop her, they clung to each other in fear, wondering if she would ever
return. She was their world, and their world had just shattered.

I was the oldest of those three children. Though our mother never came back, we were blessed with the love of extended family and friends who stood in the gap for us. With their support, we graduated high school, pursued careers, and built families of our own. Over time, through hard work, prayer, and God’s grace, our relationship with our mother was restored. That experience shaped my life’s calling.

Today, I am blessed to serve at Georgia Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries, where we stand in the gap for children and families in crisis every day. Our dedicated staff, therapists, teachers, and chaplains provide not only a safe home but also therapy, education, independent living skills, medical and dental care, and—most importantly—the love of Christ. In 2024 alone, we provided 55,808 days of care to 570 children and families in need, helping them build new futures.

Children’s Home Offering Day, traditionally celebrated on Mother’s Day, unites our supporters across Georgia to help sustain this life-changing ministry. This Mother’s Day, May 11th, we want to challenge you to give $300 to support an individual for a month in our Residential Care Program. You have the opportunity to stand in the gap for a child or mother in need. Will you join us? Your generosity provides safe homes, nourishing meals, healing counseling, and the love of Christ to those who need it most. Your prayers and support make all the difference.

Together, we can answer God’s call and change lives.

Melissa Thomas
Development Coordinator
Georgia Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries

The Magic of Camp Hawkins

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:43:06 GMT

Imagine a place where children with disabilities experience the joy of summer camp, where they are celebrated, supported, and given the chance to shine. That place is Camp Hawkins, a special needs camp run by Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries. Located in Mount Airy and Baxley, Georgia, Camp Hawkins offers an unforgettable experience for campers and volunteers alike, where love and service intersect to create life changing moments.

Volunteers from all walks of life gather at Camp Hawkins, united by a mission to serve. Scott, a seasoned special education teacher, leads a group of volunteers from First Baptist Church in Waynesboro and Botsford Baptist Church. For Scott and his team, Camp Hawkins is more than a place to serve; it’s a mission rooted in Christ’s love. “The most amazing thing is seeing the positive love shown to these kids,” Scott shares. “The counselors are incredible, and they really embody Christ’s love. That’s what brings us back every year.”

Sandy, a retired speech pathologist, echoes Scott’s sentiments. Moved by the impact of Camp Hawkins, she has been bringing in more volunteers each year. “Seeing the kids treated like every other child is precious. This experience has been amazing,” she shares, misty-eyed. Sandy remembers how one counselor, initially apprehensive about working with children with special needs, found her true calling at Camp Hawkins. “She loved every second of it and is now considering changing her major to special education. The love and acceptance here are life changing.”

The camp’s inclusivity resonates with new volunteers like Haley, who was invited by Sandy to join the team. “The purpose of this camp is to make the kids feel important and valued,” Haley explains. “It’s special to have a place where these kids receive the support needed to fully participate in fun activities that other kids their age participate in. Seeing their joy and how God works through these moments is amazing.”

The joy and laughter extend beyond the campers, as volunteers like Amber share in the fun. “Doing arts and crafts is especially fun, and the kids are so proud when they see they can do things other kids do,” Amber says. Whether it’s tie-dying shirts or leading other activities, the volunteers create moments of joy and confidence for the children.

For camp leaders like Allison Hellenstein, who has been with Camp Hawkins since 2013, the experience is equally transformative. Allison’s journey with the camp began during college, where she joined as a counselor through the Send Me Now missionary program. “I met my husband here, and each summer we look forward to spending time with the campers. We pretty much get paid to have fun with them,” Allison says with a smile. Her favorite part of camp? The Saturday night Talent Show, where campers proudly showcase their unique talents. “It’s a privilege to be part of creating a platform for our campers to share their gifts and life lessons with us.”

The heart of Camp Hawkins is captured by Program Specialist, Rachel Laubrich, who emphasizes the camp’s core mission: “We want every camper to leave here understanding they are loved and valued by us and, most importantly, by Christ.” With a one-to-one camper-to-counselor ratio, every child receives personalized care and attention, ensuring they feel like they have a best friend for the week.

The impact of Camp Hawkins extends beyond the campgrounds, reaching into the lives of families. Rachel shares stories of transformation, like Max, a camper with autism and a traumatic brain injury. “Max used to scratch himself and say, ‘Max is hateful,’ a phrase he had internalized from his past. But after camp, his mom noticed a change. Instead of saying that phrase, he started singing camp songs like ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ That’s why we do this — to share the love of Jesus with our campers and watch Him transform their lives.”

Another camper, Elaine, who had a traumatic brain injury, couldn’t walk or stand when she first attended camp. By the end of the week, with help, Elaine stood proudly on the stage at the camp’s Talent Show. The following year she worked hard during physical therapy and with determination, she walked across that same stage, a moment of triumph that brought the entire camp to their feet in celebration. “Camp Hawkins is about creating opportunities for kids that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Rachel shares proudly.

The Talent Show is a highlight of camp week, where campers are celebrated for their talents, and the entire community comes together to cheer them on. “It’s the greatest show where you will laugh your head off and then cry,” Rachel says. “It’s a night when our campers get to shine.”

But the impact of Camp Hawkins doesn’t stop with the campers. Volunteers like Scott, Sandy, Amber, and Haley all describe their experiences at Camp Hawkins as life changing. The camp creates a ripple effect of love, service, and transformation that spreads through the community, inspiring more people to get involved.

Rachel emphasizes the importance of volunteers in making Camp Hawkins possible. “The more volunteers we have, the more spaces are available for our campers,” she says. “Whether you’re a camp counselor, nurse, or part of a church volunteer team, there’s a place for you at Camp Hawkins.” With each new volunteer, more children are given the opportunity to experience the love and joy that Camp Hawkins offers.

Camp Hawkins is a place where children with special needs are cherished and empowered. It’s a place where volunteers find purpose, and families experience the joy of watching their children thrive. As Scott said, “Last year, when we left, we knew we had been bitten by the Camp Hawkins bug.”

Are you ready to catch the bug? Join the Camp Hawkins family and experience the profound impact you can make on these incredible children and their families. Volunteers and donations keep this camp thriving, so why not take the leap?

Visit georgiachildren.org or contact Rachel Laubrich at rlaubrich@gbchfm.org to learn how you can get involved and be a part of this extraordinary mission.

A Milestone - Mariyah

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:00:01 GMT

“I’ve been reading my Bible more, going through my devotions more, and praying more than I ever have,” Mariyah said. “If I could give anyone any advice I would tell them to continue to always grow closer to God.”

Now we would like to celebrate Mariyah, a resident of our Measnville Campus, who is graduating from Pike County High School. After graduation, Mariyah plans to go on to a technical school to hopefully become a Certified Nurses Assistant. But her dream job is to be a barista in a coffee shop so she can finally get that cup of coffee she's been wanting since she was four years old.

“It has always interested me to be a nurse and I think with my love for helping others and learning new things all the time I would be good at it,” Mariyah explained. “I also want a really good cup of coffee.”

While staying busy with her studies to graduate high school, Mariyah has many hobbies that keep her busy as well. She is very creative and loves painting, drawing, coloring, and exercising in her free time. She also loves animals, especially her cats. There are just too many to name.

When Mariyah first arrived at the Meansville Campus, she was filled with nervousness and anxious about her new journey, but she soon realized there was nothing to be worried about.

“I was scared when I first got here because I didn’t know anyone,” Mariyah explained. “But over time I learned that I had an amazing support system behind me and also made some friends along the way.”

Mariyah says that the staff at Meansville have become a big part of her life and impacted her greatly especially in her spiritual journey.

Join us in praying that God surrounds Mariyah and He helps her to use the knowledge, skills, and insights gained through her education for His glory and inspire her to believe in the goodness of life even when faced with challenges and difficulties. As she commences with her life, may she grow even more closer to God.

Congratulations on this huge milestone Mariyah!

Your support makes stories like Mariyah's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

God Is With Me - Destinee

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:00:01 GMT

“Coming here and being in this program has been one of the best opportunities that I've been given personally,” Destinee says. “I've had a chance to get to know myself with the space that me and my family have been provided and it has been life changing. This place is a safe haven for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.” 

We are thrilled to honor Destinee who is graduating from Newnan High School. After graduation, Destinee plans to attend Reinhardt University and major in music with a minor in writing.

“I love music and writing so much that after I get that degree I’d love to go back and major in English or Creative Writing as well,” Destinee explains. “Honestly, if I had enough money, I would probably have multiple majors.”

Destinee’s love for writing and music comes from her being heavily involved in her high school marching band for the last four years.

“I enjoy a lot of things like cooking, drawing, and baking,” Destinee said. “But the main thing that I do with my time is play tuba in the marching band.”

It's been a passion of hers for a long time as she has participated in all state district honors bands, writes music of her own, and hopes to one day share that music with other musicians around the world.

Destinee and her family are in our GBCH&FM Family Care Program, which provides a place for mothers and their children to leave harmful environments or circumstances, and Destinee feels that it has positively impacted her life in many ways.

Working hard to graduate high school and get accepted into college is no small task and Destinee attributes this success to the encouragement and guidance her mother has given her every step of the way no matter their circumstances.  

“So, my mom is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing people in my life,” Destinee said. “She has had a great influence in helping me become who I am and leading me in the right direction many times, and I cannot thank her enough for that.” 

Not only has she felt supported by her mother but also by God whom she has grown closer to while residing at GBCH&FM. 

“My walk with God has definitely been a challenging one, mainly because these past few years I have struggled with myself, my self-confidence, a little bit of anxiety and finding my place,” Destinee said. “And as scary as it's been, it's also been very eye-opening knowing that through all the things that I go through, I know that it's fine because God is there with me.” 

Please pray with us for Destinee that she will continue to chase and achieve her dreams. Pray that God gives her the faith and a sense of purpose in her next steps, and that she remains aware that God is with her always. 

Congratulations Destinee! We wish you the best for your next big adventure!

Your support makes stories like Destinee's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

High Honor Graduate - Kali

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 09:30:00 GMT

“Since being here, I feel like I have been able to express myself better and I've been given many more opportunities than anywhere else I've ever been,” Kali said. “This whole experience has shown me how to mature and how to let go of a lot of things from the past.”

We are delighted to acknowledge Kali who is graduating from Appling County High School Summa Cum Laude. After graduation, Kali plans to attend Coastal Pines College to complete her core classes and save up as much money as she can before attending a four year college later on.

While spending the majority of her time studying and graduating with such high honors, she also enjoys singing, songwriting, drawing, and crocheting which really helps to ease her mind.

“I don't have many extra curricular activities as far as school goes, but I do have a job at Hardee's in Baxley,” Kali explains. “It’s taught me a lot of things as far as working with customers, being patient, and learning real life skills that I will need to know in the future.”

Before coming to GBCH&FM, Kali had been to an array of group homes where she struggled a lot and never felt like she was accepted or had a family to call her own.

Kali says that she has been treated like family since she first arrived and she has grown close to so many staff members since being at GBCH&FM.

“Miss Linda has helped me through really everything because she is so motivational and to the point,” Kali explained. “I want the staff here to have all the appreciation they deserve because they've been nothing but great to all of us.”

As Kali has been with GBCH&FM, she has learned more about God and who He is.

“Before I got here, I knew about God but it wasn't anything really soul level,” Kali said. “I didn't grow up going to church but when I got here, the staff helped me through everything and took me to church. They welcomed me in everything and I actually got baptized in September, and since then I've grown stronger and stronger learning new verses of the Bible.”

Kali is grateful for her time at GBCH&FM and looks forward to her bright future.

Pray with us for Kali that God continues to guide her in all of her adventures. That she will pursue her relationship with God wholeheartedly and hold steadfast to His promises for her life. We ask that God provides guidance and discernment as she begins her new journey.

Congratulations Kali! We are so proud of you and all your accomplishments!

Your support makes stories like Kali's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Chasing His Dreams - Xavier

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 10:00:12 GMT

“Coming to GBCH&FM has been an eye opener for me spiritually seeing so many people come alongside me and knowing that I’m not alone on this journey,” Xavier said. “I was in a lot of negative situations in life before I came here and never took the time to pray but now, I see how important it is and that God has a bigger plan for my life.” 

We would like to recognize Xavier, a resident of our Baxley Campus, who will be graduating and attending Coastal Pines Technical College. He plans to pursue a career in cybersecurity but is also interested in welding.

Xavier enjoys the idea of welding, a skill he will learn over the summer. He wants to help construction workers get the pieces that they need to get the job done. He is also very interested in cybersecurity and knows it’s going to take some time to obtain that degree. 

“I am really good at coding with computers, and I enjoy the idea of helping protect important information, so I want to get started on that as soon as I get my welding degree,” Xavier said. 

Aside from chasing his dreams, Xavier enjoys playing football, fishing, singing, and drawing. And his favorite is playing football where he excels at playing both running back and cornerback. 

When Xavier first arrived at GBCH&FM, he initially thought the Baxley Campus was just going to make him do manual labor during his entire stay and soon discovered that was not the case. 

“I was so wrong about what I thought GBCH&FM was,” Xavier said. “We have fun and enjoy the day being kids and help where needed. I’ve learned so much from the staff here and am so thankful for their constant support.” 

While campus staff helped Xavier with his education, they also developed his character and taught him important life skills that will benefit him for the future. 

“Mr. James has taught me that no matter what situation I'm in, I don’t need to run away from it but to face it head on,” Xavier explained. “He shows me how to learn and grow from any circumstances and to always find a better solution.” 

Xavier realizes how God used his time at GBCH&FM to help him grow and sees that God has a bigger plan for his life. 

Pray with us for Xavier as he leaves high school and begins college, that he will follow God's plans for his life and that God will help him to use his gifts wisely and pursue his dreams boldly.  

Congratulations on all your accomplishments Xavier!

Your support makes stories like Xavier's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

It Takes a Village

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 16:54:17 GMT

Our Baxley Campus

In South Georgia lies a story of compassion, community, and transformation. The tale begins in the 1930s with a man named Mr. E. L. Odum, whose vision and generosity set the stage for what would become GBCH&FM’s Baxley Campus.

Mr. Odum purchased over a thousand acres of land in Appling County to establish an orphanage, and local Baptist leaders were stirred by the idea of providing a home for orphans in their community.

With Mr. Odum's encouragement, the Southern Industrial Orphanage was born, and opened its doors in early 1932 to welcome twenty children into care. In 1946, Southern Industrial Orphanage was deeded to the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, marking a new era in its history.

One of the most remarkable chapters in the campus's history unfolded on November 3, 1948, when 1,300 acres of land were transformed into a thriving farm in a single day. A monumental undertaking fueled by the dedication of 10,000 men. The farm not only supplied sustenance for the children but also provided jobs for the local community for many decades.

Today, the Baxley Campus remains a symbol of resilience and hope for children and families in need. The campus continues to grow and adapt to the changing needs of the children in care. Our dedicated staff and many volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that every child and family receives the quality care and assistance they deserve.

The Campus’s residential programs provide shelter, food, clothing, medical and dental services, counseling, educational opportunities, spiritual guidance, and independent living skills to youth who are in DFCS, DJJ and private custody.

The facility’s Family Care program provides furnished apartments to mothers and their children who have been displaced from their homes for various reasons or fleeing situations of domestic violence. Staff work with these families to provide resources, training, and spiritual guidance to help them in rebuilding their lives and becoming more independent.

Michael Shumans, a hometown native of the community, is the Administrator of the Baxley Campus where has served for the past eight years.

Shumans oversees the campus’s day-to-day operations, ensuring that the campus runs smoothly, and that each resident receives quality care. His commitment to fostering a sense of community and providing consistent support for his staff has earned him the admiration and respect of his employees. “The Administrator wears many hats and responsibilities can change day to day and sometimes moment by moment,” Shumans shares. “My role is to hire good people who have a Christian mindset, support them, make sure they have what they need, and then get out of their way and let them do their job. This is a beautiful campus that’s been here a long time and our vision is to make sure that this is the place God wants it to be.”

Working alongside Shumans is Tiffany Holloway, the Director of Services, whose 11 years of experience has made her an invaluable asset to the campus.

With a focus on creating a trauma-responsive culture, Holloway ensures that both staff and residents feel safe and supported as they navigate the challenges they face. Her dedication to upholding the highest standards of care and implementing best practices has helped to shape the nurturing environment that defines the Baxley Campus. “My role is to make sure that we provide quality care for our residents, and reminding staff of the importance of having a mindset of excellence when we do our work. I grew up in a family of teachers, social workers, and both of my grandmothers were foster parents. I considered other career fields, but God was leading me in a totally different direction. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“I’m proud of the fact that we operate like a family here.”

Despite their unwavering dedication, the team at the Baxley Campus faces numerous challenges in their mission. From maintaining the physical campus to recruiting and training qualified staff (which there has been a shortage of since Covid), the need for resources is constant. However, with the support of generous donors and volunteers, the Baxley Campus continues to make a difference in the lives of those it serves.

“We wouldn’t even make it a week or a month without our South Georgia Baptist Associations

and churches partnering with us. Almost every weekend, we have a group coming to do ministry work on our campus or activities with our kids,” explains Shumans. “There’s always something for everyone to do.”

Rev. Stephen Bene serves as the Associate Chaplain /Development Specialist at the Baxley Campus. With nearly three decades of service, Bene provides spiritual guidance and support to residents and staff in helping them find strength and solace in their faith. Since the beginning of this year, 11 residents have already made professions of faith!

“I want to make sure I’m available to any of our residents as well as staff, if they need any kind of spiritual guidance, if they have questions, or if they just simply need someone to listen,” said Bene.

Bene’s efforts to foster connections with local churches and associations strengthen the bonds of community and have helped to ensure our children and families receive the support they need to thrive.

“I want to foster more relationships, especially with our churches in the South Georgia region.

We want to always share our opportunities for volunteering, I want churches to become more involved with us on a consistent basis and find opportunities for them to support our kids spiritually.”

As the Baxley Campus continues evolving its programs to meet the needs of those it serves, one thing remains constant - its unwavering dedication to providing a safe and nurturing family atmosphere. It really does take “a village” and the staff at Baxley are certainly that. Everyone and every position are vital to their success.

For those looking to positively impact their community, there are numerous ways to support the work of the Baxley Campus. Whether through financial contributions, volunteering time, or providing much-needed resources, every act of kindness helps to ensure that children and families in need receive the care and support they deserve.

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most and ensure that the legacy of compassion and kindness continues to thrive at Baxley Campus. See more pictures in our Messenger Magazine.

Desperation to Restoration

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 14:32:32 GMT

Elizabeth’s story serves as a source of encouragement to all who find themselves facing adversity, reminding them that even in the darkest of nights, the dawn of a new day awaits, radiant with the promise of God's unfailing love and boundless mercy.

Amid life's turbulence, there are moments when faith is tested, and hope seems fleeting. For Elizabeth Edwards, facing the unexpected departure of her husband and the daunting reality of homelessness, the journey seemed insurmountable. Yet, it is often in the darkest hours that the light of faith shines brightest, illuminating a path to unexpected blessings and new beginnings.

Several years ago, Elizabeth began to hear the Lord say to her the words of Isaiah 43:19: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" Little did she know those words would become the anthem of her next journey.

It was a time of upheaval when her husband made the painful decision to leave, abandoning not only her but also their three daughters, and their shared faith in God. Left to navigate the storm alone, Elizabeth found herself grappling with the harsh realities of a world where the cost of living soared, and her safety nets seemed out of reach.

From the day her husband walked out, Elizabeth embarked on a relentless pursuit of stability, using her break times at work to reach out to shelters in search of a roof over her family's heads. Despite facing repeated rejections, she clung to her faith, drawing strength from the parable of the Widow and the Judge in Luke 18:18, determined never to lose hope.

In her darkest moments, a glimmer of divine intervention emerged through the words of her Pastor, Apostle Dale Osborne, who delivered a message of assurance: "God has prepared a place for you." With renewed hope, Elizabeth pressed on, trusting in the unseen hand guiding her steps.

Divine providence manifested in the form of a connection to Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries. “A lady gave me the number to GBCH&FM where I contacted Marketta Stepp, Palmetto Campus’ Family Care Program Coordinator, who sent me the program application paperwork to complete and put me on the waiting list for a family apartment that would soon become available.”

With her belongings packed and her daughters in tow, Elizabeth embarked on a journey guided by the assurance that God's plan was unfolding. Arriving at her brother, Leroy's, doorstep, Elizabeth found unexpected solace and support, a testament to the bonds of family and the blessings that often arise from adversity.

Soon after, the anticipated call came with her approval for placement at Georgia Baptist Children's Home. Stepping into the furnished apartment, Elizabeth’s heart overflowed with gratitude as she witnessed the tangible manifestation of God's provision.

“I got a call from Marketta letting me know that the apartment was ready. The girls and I went over to see the apartment and it was fully furnished with added toiletries! The Family Care Staff had set the apartment up to welcome us and my children were so overjoyed by the accommodations that they ran throughout the apartment screaming and laughing with joy.”

Within the nurturing environment of GBCH&FM, Elizabeth’s faith blossomed, propelling her towards unforeseen heights of success and self-discovery. From employee to business owner, from uncertainty to stability, she found herself on a trajectory of growth and independence.

As she reflects on her journey, Elizabeth acknowledges the pivotal role played by GBCH& FM in her transformation. It was here, among the embrace of community and the guidance of mentors, that she found the strength to rebuild and the courage to embrace her newfound purpose.

“Here at GBCH&FM, God built my faith and took me from glory to glory,” Elizabeth explained. “He allowed me to understand that being at GBCH&FM was to help me stay focused and to be led by His Spirit. Here I have grown and succeeded more than I ever have in life. I went from being an employee to being a business owner. I preached my first trial sermon at my church. I have learned to balance my life through self-care, and during my stay I was also able to save up enough money to be able to buy a house. I’m getting ready to do that soon.”

As Elizabeth looks towards the horizon, she does so with a heart full of gratitude, knowing that what the enemy intended for harm, God used for her good. In the journey from desperation to restoration, she found not only shelter but also the abiding presence of God’s love, guiding her every step of the way.

“I thank God for this place of refuge where restoration takes place and God's peace greets me at my apartment door. The Family Care Staff have always offered support, building me up and giving me good Godly counsel and Marketta gave me the push I needed to walk into success. I am thankful that what the enemy intended for harm, God turned into a testimony of His goodness and grace. I look forward to walking into my new beginning with confidence. Thank you, God for GBCH&FM!”

Elizabeth’s story serves as a source of encouragement to all who find themselves facing adversity, reminding them that even in the darkest of nights, the dawn of a new day awaits, radiant with the promise of God's unfailing love and boundless mercy.

Building a Stronger Community

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 14:29:13 GMT

Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries is excited to announce the appointment of our new Senior Chaplain, Byron Smith.

Byron’s role as Senior Chaplain goes beyond the conventional responsibilities. He plans to spend more time with our staff, offering pastoral care and general support.

His goal is to continue the important work already being done throughout our campuses – spreading the word of Jesus to children and families. Byron is working to foster an intentional daily spiritual emphasis, as well as offering pastoral support to both our residents and staff. With his guidance, the chaplaincy program will see a stronger sense of Christian community throughout the agency.

“The aim is to provide assistance to our staff who face the unique challenges of working with our residents from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds,” Smith said. “We will focus on providing spiritual care to residents and support to our dedicated staff while we hope to equip them with resources they need to minister effectively to our clients.”

Originally from Soperton, Georgia, Byron grew up in Texas in a home that was no stranger to alcoholism and the dysfunctions that accompanied it. He felt the call to ministry as a teenager and later attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and Dallas Baptist University.

Byron’s background uniquely qualifies him for his new role as he brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to the position of Senior Chaplain. Smith came to the Children’s Home as the Administrator of the Meansville Campus in 2016 and has been in that position for the last seven years.

His over thirty years of full-time ministry experience includes his service with Buckner Children’s Home in Dallas, Texas and the Methodist Home in Macon, Georgia. He has also served as an Associational Missionary and Church Planter with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

Byron is not only a seasoned chaplain but also an avid traveler with a passion for local and international missions. He has undertaken more than thirty mission trips to ten different countries that included the experience of proclaiming the Gospel on a radio station in Uganda that reaches over 750,000 people.

Byron and his wife Kimberely have been married for thirty-two years and their

love for travel extends to his family, with his three sons. Ethan in Austin, Texas, Jack in Boston, and Cameron in New York. Therefore, travel is a natural part of life.

Envisioning the success of the Chaplaincy program, Smith says he hopes to see a strong spiritual foundation for our residents and staff, a significant increase in professions of faith, baptisms, and participation in Bible studies.

Additionally, he is looking forward to establishing more partnerships with churches, boosting volunteerism among our campuses, and making our community outreach even more impactful.

“Our staff face daily issues with both work and family concerns,” Byron explained. “I would hope that they will feel spiritual encouragement as they are uplifted in daily prayer and when “life” happens they realize that they are supported by the Senior Chaplain.”

No Longer a “Kid of the System”

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 11:30:00 GMT

“Our mission is to provide a nurturing, structured, and safe environment that fosters a sense of trustworthiness which is key in building rapport with our residents,” Sara explains. “I believe that children have a need to belong and if that need is not fulfilled in a positive way, they often resort to misbehavior. We understand the necessity of expressing God’s unconditional love to youth with challenging behaviors. Our goal is to accept them as they are, welcome them, and let change happen organically with time.”

In a world where the struggles of disadvantaged youth often go unnoticed, there exists a beacon of hope in the form of our staff that work directly with our children. One of whom is Sara Morris, Program Coordinator for one of our Palmetto Campus’s residential programs. Sara’s youthful sense of fashion, fun-loving personality, and unique experience of growing up in the foster system helps her connect with our residents who have experienced various levels of trauma during their short lives.

Sara was born and raised in Heidelburg, Germany, which at the time, was the headquarters for United States military operations. She grew up surrounded by Americans and enjoyed their friendship and learning about American culture, food, language, and music which later influenced her decision to move to the U.S. in her 30s.

During Sara’s teenage years, she grew up in Germany’s foster care system where she was placed in several group homes, often moving her personal belongings in a trash bag. She experienced firsthand what it was like to be disadvantaged and looked down upon as a “kid of the system” which was considered different from “normal people” in society.

When Sara was 16, the foster system allowed her to move into her own apartment as she completed a dual enrollment school and work program. This allowed her to work while she obtained a degree in office administration. The director of one of her former group homes contacted her and explained she had the potential of becoming a good social worker. He offered her social work training experience with his agency while she worked as the office administrator of his group home for several years.

“I enjoyed the field of social work. It opened my mind and helped me better understand my experience growing up in the system,” Sarah explained. “My life experience also helped me to have a multifaceted way of thinking. During my studies I related best to therapeutic approaches which concentrated on understanding an individual's behavior so that I could help them learn healthier ways to express themselves. I believe that each person deserves to be treated with dignity and possesses unique potential, strengths, and interests. I have adopted these philosophies into my own approach of working with the residents and staff in our program.”

Sara’s main responsibility as a Program Coordinator is to ensure the youth we care for and our program staff feel supported and safe. Her daily routine consists of a variation of writing reports, staff supervision and training, and resident meetings. Sara enjoys creating learning experiences for our residents that aid them in establishing necessary independent living skills. She also supplies them with resources that aid in the process of coping with the trauma they have experienced in hopes of helping them grow into healthy and responsible citizens.

Some of the daily challenges Sara encounters are influenced by the growing number of residents who have experienced multiple placements within the foster system. This compounds the trauma they have already suffered and often leads to an increase in disruptive behaviors, psychological challenges, and a lack of trust.

“It takes a village to help meet our youth’s needs and to provide them with opportunities to experience a more normalized life while they’re in a residential program,” Sara said. You can help us meet this need by praying daily for our staff and residents, connecting with our campuses to explore volunteer opportunities, or providing sponsorships for field trips (zoo, aquarium, etc.) and special event opportunities.

We understand that our programs are only as effective as the staff who help run them and so we are grateful to be blessed with remarkable individuals, like Sara, who support and care for our resilient youth.

Grace In Motion

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:03:13 GMT

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Keisha’s life took an unexpected tragic turn when she lost her mother and found herself in our unfamiliar group home environment. With Christmas approaching, the weight of her grief grew heavier and more apparent. Amidst her sadness and frustration, a glimmer of hope was ignited by our compassionate counselors and direct care staff who shared Christ’s love with her and encouraged her to create new dreams for her future.

One day, Keisha shared her love for ballet and her interest in taking lessons. We wondered if this could be a possibility for Keisha’s Christmas gift and reached out to the community and volunteers with her wish list. A sweet older gentleman bought her a pair of ballet shoes and a local dance studio provided Keisha with several months of free ballet classes.

The warmth of the holiday season surrounded Keisha on Christmas morning as the community’s generosity shone through the new pink ballet slippers and gift certificate for dance classes. Keisha was thrilled! She attended every class on time and practiced daily, determined to learn as much as possible. Her love for the art of dance grew and the routine practice brought discipline and solace, gradually helping her heal the wounds caused by her trauma.

Years later, we received a letter from Keisha who remembered the profound impact of that Christmas. It was a pivotal moment that not only provided an outlet to process her grief but also instilled in her a strong belief in the inherent goodness of God and humanity. Her journey from growing up in our group home into her next stages of life, led Keisha to become a teacher and she now has her own family to love and cherish each Christmas season.

Keisha attributes her positive life perspective to the kindness and compassion she was shown while at GBCH&FM. Many of the life-changing opportunities offered to her were made possible by donors like you. We are so thankful for the continued support of our donors and volunteers. This year we had 36 children in our care make professions of faith in Jesus Christ! Your dedication is helping lives be restored through the love of Jesus.

There is still time to help make a positive impact on a child’s life before 2023 ends. Your gift, in any amount, will help children in our care continue to receive the restoration that they need to thrive while also providing year-end tax benefits for you. Other ways to give include bequests, stock, and real estate.

If you would like to know more about our agency or have questions regarding planned giving, please give us a call at 770-463-3800 or visit our website at www.georgiachildren.org.

May we all remember the true meaning of Christmas as we enter the holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Shining a Light - Auhnika

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 09:30:00 GMT

“The staff really make sure that we're taken care of, that we are safe, and will help you through anything,” Auhnika said. “I know this place really has changed me for the better.”

Auhnika graduated from Pike County High School! After graduation Auhnika plans to attend Grand Canyon University online to pursue a degree in early childhood education to one day be a Kindergarten teacher.

“Ever since I was 14 I loved working with little kids,” Auhnika said. “My grandmother would take me to church and I would help out in the nursery and I enjoyed it so much.”

History is Auhnika’s favorite subject in school because she loves to learn about the past and how she can learn from it.

Besides going to school and working with children, Auhnika enjoys reading, doing puzzles,and listening to music in her free time. She is also a big soccer fan and cheers for Manchester United.

While being at the Children’s Home, Auhnika has grown and matured thanks to some of our campus staff.

“Miss Amanda and Miss Jessica have influenced me a lot,” Auhnika explains. “They showed me how to act better and become more mature. They make sure that I'm doing the right thing and being healthy.”

Auhnika’s time at GBCH&FM has been an opportunity for growth and improvement that has set her up to be the best version of herself and while chasing after her dreams.

“The staff really make sure that we're taken care of, that we are safe, and will help you through anything,” Auhnika said. “I know this place really has changed me for the better.”

Congratulations Auhnika on all of your accomplishments and success! Pray with us for Auhnika as she begins her college career and that God will use her to bring light to a classroom in the future. May God bless you!

Your support makes stories like Auhnika's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Everything Happens For A Reason - Kmiyah

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 09:00:00 GMT

“My life has changed a lot since being here and it has helped me to be more mature, to get along with others, and to not take life or time for granted,” Kmiyah said.

Kmiyah graduated from AMEC School on the Palmetto Campus.

Kmiyah enjoys being outside on the swings and journaling. She says that she likes writing about her day and it helps her to slow down and process her life.

Her favorite subject in school is math and she says that she's really good at it and working through the numbers to help her understand finances.

After graduation Kmiyah plans to attend a small college and wants to start a business of her own one day either in cosmetology or psychology.

“I want to be able to talk to people and help them through things,” Kmiyah says. “Cosmetology or psychology really offers me the best of both worlds.”

After being here for five months, Kimyah has connected with some staff members who have inspired her to be the best version of herself and make the most of her time at the Children’s Home.

“My life has changed a lot since being here and it has helped me to be more mature, to get along with others, and to not take life or time for granted,” Kmiyah said.

She has seen God work in her life even when things got hard. Kmiyah has always wondered why God put her at GBCH&FM but now knows that it was because she needed time to learn and grow.

“I questioned a lot of things when I first got to the Children’s Home but I realized now that everything happens for a reason,” Kmiyah explained.

Join us in prayer for Kmiyah as we celebrate her graduation and wish her all the best as she ventures off into a new journey. May God bless you!

Your support makes stories like Kimiyah's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Spreading The Gospel - Kamren

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:00:03 GMT

“I want to spread the Gospel and let it change others like it changed me. God is amazing and he knows me and it leaves me speechless.”

Kamren graduated from Coastal Pines Technical College. After graduation Kamren plans to attend Columbus State or The University of Georgia to pursue a degree in counseling. He says that he loves to help motivate people and encourage them as they go through hard times.

“I want to be a marriage counselor to help bring families back together,” Kamren explains. “Too many families are divided by divorce and I want to help them work through their issues to keep their family united.”

In Kamrens spare time he enjoys playing both basketball and football and says that staying active and working out helps him to stay in a good mindset and helps him max out on and off the field.

“I love the competition and no one being able to stop me,” Kamren says. “I workout daily and love to get on the football field and push myself and my team to be the best we can be.”

Kamren works hard on and off the field and while being at GBCH&FM he has really taken the opportunity to better himself thanks to staff members at the Baxley Campus.

“Mr. James helped me a lot while I was in the hospital going through a hard time and Mr. Will is so wise and helps me mentally,” Kamren says. “I really have to praise the whole staff at Baxley for giving me structure and helping me. I learned how to build relationships here that will take me far in life and I am so grateful.”

While being at GBCH&FM Kamren has matured, especially with his walk with Christ. He says that he always knew about Jesus but once he came to the Children’s Home he really dove into his Bible soaking up all the knowledge it had to offer.

“I always turn to Hebrews 11:1 ‘Now faith is the substance of things not seen,’ I knew I had to keep my faith to keep moving through different obstacles in my life,” Kamren explains. “I want to spread the Gospel and let it change others like it changed me. God is amazing and he knows me and it leaves me speechless.”

Kamren says that he knows God brought him to GBCH&FM for a good reason and gave him time to grow and mature. He knows that God will walk with him through everything.

Pray with us for Kamren that he will continue walking with God into his dreams of becoming a counselor and have a thriving future.

Your support makes stories like Kamren's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

See His Goodness - Zyeshia

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 09:00:00 GMT

“I’m starting to read my Bible more and look forward to going to church on Sunday’s as well,” Zyeshia said. “All of the staff here have played a role in encouraging me and guiding me every step of the way and I’m grateful.”

We would like to recognize Zyeshia graduating from Appling County High School! After graduation, Zyeshia will attend Coastal Pines Technical College to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice and hopes to be a forensic scientist in the future.

Zyeshia says that she likes the small town feel this college offers her and makes her feel relaxed and excited about her new journey.

“I’ve always enjoyed crime shows and have loved science,” Zyeshia said. “Being in Baxley gives me a peace of mind and a pace I’m used to so I’m excited to start this new chapter.”

In Zyeshia’s free time she enjoys painting and drawing but also loves to sing. Any way that Zyeshia can be creative is what makes her happiest.

While at The Children’s Home, Zyeshia explained that she grew up not really attending church or reading her Bible. She says that she always sort of knew about Jesus but since coming to GBCH&FM her eyes have been opened to His goodness.

Pray with us for Zyeshia as she leaves high school and heads down the college path, that she will be a source of joy and light to others as she pursues her passion.

Congratulations on all of your accomplishments Zyeshia! We’re proud of you for this success and for those to come as you pursue your dreams!

Your support makes stories like Zyeshia's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Walking With Christ - Travis

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 18:28:40 GMT

“This is a place that changes people's lives, I know that it changed mine,” Travis explained. “It gives you time to become a better person and I learned a lot about myself and about who I truly want to be in life.”

Travis graduated from Appling County High School. After graduation Travis plans to attend Coastal Pines Technical College to pursue a degree in engineering so that he can ultimately become a structural engineer.

“I enjoyed my art appreciation class in school and I’ve learned a lot about different styles and structures so that has made me really interested in pursuing an engineering degree,” Travis said.

Aside from studying and going to school, Travis enjoys hanging out with friends, learning new things, and playing basketball. Recently he has taken up fishing and has started to love that as well.

Throughout his time at the Children’s Home, Travis explained that staff members have impacted his journey greatly.

“A lot of staff have encouraged me since I’ve been at the Children’s Home but Mrs. Kim helped me to understand life and that seeing the bigger picture while having a good positive attitude to better my character will take me far,” Travis said. “She has helped me to strive to be the best version of myself.”

Travis is always looking for new things to learn and ways to better himself. He found this to be true in his walk with Christ.

“I always believed in God but I didn’t take it as seriously as I do now,” Travis explained. “My Nana (his grandmother) was always trying to take me to church and I see the importance in it now through reading my Bible and creating a relationship with God.”

Travis is excited about what his future holds and attributes his success to GBCH&FM and its staff.

Pray with us for Travis that he continues to be the best version of himself and pursuing Jesus as he chases his dream of becoming an engineer. Congratulations Travis on all of your hard work and determination. We are thrilled for you and wish you all the best for your future!

Your support makes stories like Travis's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

A Real Relationship with Jesus - Phillip

communications@gbchfm.org (GBCHFM Communications) — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:28:35 GMT

“Where I was before is not who I am now and I owe that to The Children's Home and Jesus,” Phillip said.

Phillip graduated from Appling County High School and is now attending Coastal Pines Technical College where he will pursue a degree in Criminal Justice to hopefully become a detective.

“I just want to help people,” Phillip says. “I want to help fight off the injustice that is going on in the world now and be a light to people who need it most.”

Phillip attributes his accomplishments to all of the encouragement and direction GBCH&FM staff at Baxley has given him during his time on campus.

“I dropped out of highschool in 11th grade and when I came to GBCH&FM they helped me get through school and catch up to where I was able to actually graduate early,” Phillip explained. “I was very nervous about the next steps of my life but with the help of staff they encouraged me to start college online with Coastal Pines and I have enjoyed it so much.”

Outside of his academics Phillip enjoys listening to music, drawing, and going fishing. He says that fishing brings him so much serenity and peace of mind.

“I’ve gone through a rough time here lately and the staff here have given me so much redirection in my life and I am grateful for them,” Philip said. “I was going to name them but realized it's really every staff person on campus who has made an impact on my life. I wouldn't be the same person I am today if I didn't have their support.”

Phillip has had challenges in his life where he didn’t know where to turn but after being at the Children’s Home he has a new found relationship with Jesus that he is proud of.

“I was going down the wrong path just lying, stealing, cussing, and doing what I wanted to do,” Phillip explained. “I recently had a realization that everything has a reason and purpose which showed me that God has a hand in my life. Since coming here my relationship with God has grown tremendously.”

Phillip explained that without coming to the Children's Home he never would have graduated or had a real relationship with Jesus.

“Where I was before is not who I am now and I owe that to The Children's Home and Jesus,” Phillip said.

Your support makes stories like Phillip's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Business is Booming - Alexis

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 15:20:16 GMT

“This place helped me grow as a person because when I first came here I felt abandoned by my parents because they couldn't take care of me for financial reasons,” Alexis explained. “But this place showed me that through prayer I could heal and move forward with my life.”

Alexis Bell graduated from Berry College in May! Alexis is graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

“There are so many aspects of economics that fit in our everyday life that it was just so interesting to me,” Alexis says. “Economics is allowing me to explore such a wide variety of subjects that are both exciting and interesting.”

After college, she plans to pursue her Master’s Degree at Agnes Scott College in Data Science. While obtaining her Master’s, she will also be employed full time at Norfolk Southern as a market revenue analyst, which she secured prior to graduation.

“Getting ready for graduation has been really tough,” Alexis explained. “I've had tons of finals and trying to get appointments together all while getting ready to move into an apartment and starting a new job. It's been crazy, but really fun and surreal.”

Before starting her journey at Berry College, Alexis lived at one of our group homes at GBCH&FM where she grew up with a number of other girls from a variety of backgrounds. At the time she was very unsure of what to do about her future but her group leaders made sure that she had the guidance and support to follow her dreams.

“The group home helped me a lot with selecting which college to go to because my biological parents didn’t encourage me to go to college or give me any advice or support,” Alexis said. “But at the Children’s Home, they showed me how to apply for scholarships, fill out applications, and helped prepare me to get into college.”

Alexis worked hard and ended up receiving a scholarship to attend Berry College and the rest is history. She attributes a lot of her success to GBCH&FM for their support both emotionally and spiritually.

Now that Alexis is graduating college and venturing into the workforce she is excited about having the stability to take care of herself all on her own.

“It’s really empowering, but also it's really scary,” Alexis explained. “I’m thankful that GBCH&FM taught me that it's important to talk to people and ask for help because no one has ever done it on their own. Even Jesus had disciples.”

Join us in prayer for Alexis as she begins this new chapter in her life and that God will continue to use her to accomplish great things. Congratulations on all of your achievements Alexis! We are proud of how far you have come and cannot wait to see what your future holds.

Your support makes stories like Alexis's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Training for Greatness - Hillary

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:25:21 GMT

“For the first time in my life, I had people that gave me a chance, people that helped me realize that I am worth so much more than I had ever been told before,” Hillary said. “And for the first time in my life, I was able to do things a kid like me only dreamt of doing, like going ice skating, going to dance, and so many other things.”

Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes recognizes all of our hard working students and we are pleased to celebrate our recent college graduates with you. We have three former residents graduating from college this year. We cannot begin to express how proud we are of each of them for reaching their goals and pursuing such bright futures!

Hillary Bearden graduated with honors from Mercer University with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and most recently graduated Basic Community Supervision Officer Training from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. Now she is a Community Supervision Officer (Felony Probation/Parole Officer) with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

Hillary has come a long way since her time with us at Angel’s House community group home. She attributes her college and career success to the home and staff that encouraged her to persevere in the short time she was there.

“I can still remember that day like it was yesterday,” Hillary explains. “I remember walking up to this big white house and as I got to the stairs, I stopped and stood there with a garbage bag full of whatever I could fit in it thinking to myself, this has to be better than where I came from.”

Before coming to the group home in 2012, Hillary explained that the days leading up to her arriving at Angel’s House were some of the lowest days in her life and that she was headed down a destructive path because of her home life.

Hillary was allowed to blossom at Angel’s House and after a short year of being in the program, she had learned and experienced more of God’s grace than she ever had before.

“Had I not gone to Angel’s House when I did, my life could have turned out differently,” Hillary says. “Angel’s House staff played such a big part in me being where I am today. I am beyond thankful for the care and stability they gave me, all the things they taught me, and the love of God they showed me.”

Hillary has accomplished so much, and now being 24 years old, she is beginning her career and still seeing God’s hand in all of her endeavors. Join us in prayer for Hillary as she begins her new job and that God places protection on her as she serves her community. We are proud of all your achievements and pray you continue fulfilling all your dreams!

Your support makes stories like Hillary's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Shining Gods Light - Tara

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 01:20:12 GMT

“Angel’s House helped me become a better person,” Tara shares. “The staff showed me what trusting in Jesus looks like and to shine His light no matter where I am because you never know who you're going to impact that day. So I try to keep that in mind when I am struggling.”

And finally, GBCH&FM celebrates with Tara as she also graduated from Newnan High School in May with honors! While in school, Tara enjoyed history class, was on the mock trial team, and also participated in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (JROTC), where she was a member of the drill team. When she isn’t in school her favorite thing to do is to relax on the couch and enjoy a good TV show.

Following her graduation, Tara will attend Berry College where she plans to pursue a degree in pre-law. She is confident and determined to help make a difference in people's lives.

Before coming into our care, Tara lived with her grandmother, who she had been with since she was a young child. Sadly, this was not a home life that was safe or healthy for her. Tara found herself at Angel’s House Community Group Home, feeling broken and angry.

“After I left my grandma's house, it was very hard for me to accept things how they were,” Tara said. “After I came to Angel's House, the ‘V’s’ and Miss Becky and every staff member continued to share the love of Jesus with me. It's like they say you can run but you can't hide. You can't run or hide from Jesus.”

While Tara’s anger caused her to feel as if she had lost herself and continued down a troublesome path, over time, she began listening to what they were saying, both about herself and about who God truly is.

Tara knows how God used her time at GBCH&FM to help her overcome life challenges and trust in God’s timing.

“Thank you for everything,” Tara says. “This place has done a lot for me and everybody here in this house and I really think that GBCH&FM is a big part of my success story and I will always remember everything that they have done for me.”

Pray for Tara that she will continue to share Jesus’s light with those around her as she pursues her dreams. Congratulations on the incredible achievement, Tara! We’re excited for you and are proud of you!

Your support makes stories like Tara's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Praying for Guidance - Alexander

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 18:47:25 GMT

“I’ve realized that no matter what issues I go through, as long as I stay with Jesus and pray for guidance, I should be able to find a solution no matter how hard the situation is,” Alexander said. “I just know now to stay with Jesus and pray to Him to give me strength.”

Alexander also graduated from Newnan High School in May! While in school, Alexander enjoyed being an active member of both the theater and drama club.

After graduation, he plans to attend the University of West Georgia to pursue a degree in the arts. Alexander says that he is excited about the new opportunities and responsibilities that college will offer him.

Years ago, after father walked out on his family, Alexander and his mother, along with his 9 brothers and sisters, came to our Family Care Program a year ago. Being such a large family raised by a single mother, Alexander and his family alike have faced many challenges before coming to GBCH&FM.

“It was hard at first when we all came here,” Alexander said. “I was frustrated and had a lot of anxiety about what our family was going through but this program has helped us so much because they provided us with assistance and guidance on developing stronger family bonds, stronger morals, and character.”

While being at GBCH&FM, Alexander expressed that he has learned that the difficult things he has gone through, whether it be today or any days ahead, that he needs to rely on God to help guide his future, which was not something he had done in the past.

Alexander feels that his time at GBCH&FM has opened his eyes to what God can and will do for a person. He explained that his family went through so much both emotionally and physically and is grateful for all the opportunities that the Family Care Program has given him and his family.

“I'm just so grateful that the home has given us a space to live and helped us, not only through the pandemic, but through our lives in general,” Alexander explained. “This place has helped us become a better family.”

Pray with us for Alexander, as he ventures onto new adventures at the University of West Georgia and pursues his passion and creates a bright future for himself.

Congratulations on all of your accomplishments Alexander ! We’re proud of you for all of your hard work and determination and wish you all the best!

Your support makes stories like Alexander's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Creating a Future: Angel’s House

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 01:50:22 GMT

“Our biggest job is to help them know Jesus,” Becky says. “Of course we want them to be successful in school and to be caring parents, but our number one job is to share Jesus with them. And if we share Jesus with them, then we've succeeded.”

All of our high school and college graduates have accomplished a great deal this year and are off to pursue all kinds of different hopes and dreams. However, there is one thing some of our current and former female residents have in common, they all lived at our Angel’s House group home at one time or another.

The goal of Angel’s House is to provide a safe and secure environment for teens so that emotional healing and development of personal and family living skills may occur. The mission and purpose of Angel’s House came to life seeing so many young girls graduating high school and college while paving a bright future for themselves.

Angel’s House is staffed by GBCH&FM with Direct Care Staff and operated in a joint effort with the local Angel’s House board in Newnan, Ga, and teams or “house parents'” who live in the home with the girls 24/7. The house parents are supported by Becky Parish, who has served as the Program Coordinator at Angel’s House since January 2007 and has been employed with GBCH&FM for over 30 years. Becky Parish attributes all of their success stories to God.

“Honestly, it's only Jesus that can help us do it. But I think one of the things is, we set high expectations,” Becky explains. “We hold them to those expectations and we make sure to treat every girl that walks through this house as if they really are our family.”

Over 273 teens have come and gone through the group home since its opening in 2004. Becky cherishes all the kids her and her staff have been able to help over the years and enjoys seeing them come back to invite her to special events, to celebrate milestones, and to share how their faith has grown.

Angel’s House has definitely succeeded at turning around teens' lives, just like all of our graduates. The staff have become parental figures in their lives, especially a set of house parents known as “The V’s.”

Erik and Angela Vielhaber, who have been with Angel’s House since 2009 and employed at GBCH&FM since 2005, are a beloved couple to so many of our graduates who have been motivated to serve God.

“We couldn’t do what we do without our Children’s Home family, The Angel’s House Community Board, and a Godly team assembled and managed by our fearless leader, Ms. Becky,” The V’s said. “Jesus, teamwork, prayer, a strong support system, and always looking for ways to Glorify God is the recipe we use to help our residents succeed.”

Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Trusting God's Plan - Destiny

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:49:48 GMT

“Since being in this house, my outlook on my future has definitely changed because of everyone that's supporting me every step of the way,” Destiny said. “I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here and to have a fruitful future because of Angels House.”

GBCH&FM is pleased to honor Destiny, who graduated from Newnan High School in May with honors! While in school, Destiny enjoyed being a member of the color guard team and was interested in both chemistry and geometry; all while being an active member of the National Honors Society and Beta Club.

While Destiny works hard at school, her true passion is crafting. She taught herself how to sew and delighted in creating new pieces to share with others at the home and even learned new techniques from staff members.

“I love to sew and knit,” Destiny says. “I just love crafts, I love making things, and I love sharing what I make with everyone.”

Destiny is very close with staff members, since she began her journey at Angel’s House in 2016, she has learned a lot during her time with us, especially how to prayerfully navigate high school in the midst of a pandemic and the destruction from a tornado recently hitting and severely damaging her high school.

“I've been here five years, and I've loved my experience the whole time,” Destiny explains. “I've met so many different types of people and I've grown in my relationships; to accept different people coming from all types of backgrounds, religions, political views, and I've learned to be appreciative of everyone I meet in life and all the different obstacles we all have to face.”

While life has been a rollercoaster over the last few years, Destiny remained positive and is excited about her college future. Following her graduation, Destiny plans to use her seven scholarships she received to attend Mercer University to pursue her Bachelors Degree.

Destiny now sees how God used her time at GBCH&FM to help her grow and see God’s plan for her life continue to unfold. We pray that no matter what the future holds for Destiny, that God will use her in powerful ways.

Congratulations on graduating high school, Destiny! We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see the impact you have on others in the future!

Your support makes stories like Destiny's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

God's Unconditional Love - Alexis

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 19:28:49 GMT

“Angel’s House feels like home,” Alexis said. “I feel safe and supported here. I just want to thank Georgia Baptist Children's Home for giving me a place to stay and helping me through my journey on becoming the adult that I need to be.”

Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes is excited each year to recognize the hard work and dedication of our high school graduates. These last few years have been challenging but our students have persevered nonetheless. This year we are thrilled to announce that we have four students who have graduated in May!

First we would like to recognize Alexis graduating from Newnan High School! After graduation, Alexis will attend Gordon State College to pursue a degree in business and hopefully can turn her passion of cosmetology into a thriving business. Alexis says that going to college has always been a dream of hers and that she cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Before coming into care at our Angel’s House Community Group Home, Alexis lived with her great grandmother. Sadly, her grandmother passed away in September. Alexis wanted to stay with family but that option did not work out, so she ended up at Angels House where she began her journey in spiritual healing and getting back on track to graduate.

“I came here as a junior and I was really not on track to graduate with my class but the staff gave me a lot of support to help me achieve my goals on time.” Alexis explained.

While the staff helped Alexis with her education, they also provided her with endless encouragement and guidance. She feels closer to God than ever before and feels His impact on her life, especially dealing with the death of her grandmother.

“I feel like here I’ve learned to be more in tune to God and focused on my relationship with Him and it has impacted me a lot,” Alexis said. “The ‘V’s’ [Erik and Angela Vielhaber - Group Leaders at Angle’s House] have been like a mother and father figure to me and I am so grateful for them.”

Alexis realizes how God used her time at GBCH&FM to help her grow and see that God's love is unconditional and that she has people around her that love and care for her.

Pray with us for Alexis as she leaves high school and goes to college, that she will be a source of joy and light to others as she pursues her passion.

Your support makes stories like Alexis's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Trying Something New

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 01:43:50 GMT

“I really can’t explain how I feel about this place. It makes me so happy to be here because they are helping me to do what I like to do,” says Mrs. Cheryl Abadie, who a couple of months ago began her equine therapy regiment at our Good Shepherd Therapeutic Center and boys ranch in Warm Springs, GA.

At age 70, Cheryl is currently our oldest rider to participate in this unique program. Originally from Miami, Cheryl’s family moved to Thomaston years ago and fell in love with Georgia.

“Georgia became our favorite place says Cheryl, everything is the same in Miami but here you have all kinds of different trees, different bushes and four different seasons. I just love it here.”

Cheryl is learning to cope with several physical ailments that keeps her confined to a wheelchair or walker most of the time. Her daughter Laura is her full-time caregiver and brings Cheryl to Good Shepherd every Wednesday for riding lessons.

“Sometimes she is able to ride and sometimes she spends her hour lesson just sitting and brushing the horses” says Shelly Knight, barn manager and therapist at Good Shepherd. “Being around the horses here makes her insanely happy, and she thanks everyone constantly while she’s here.”

20 years ago, Cheryl used to own horses and ride regularly and since beginning therapy at Good Shepherd she has shown improvements in her walking, health and spirits.

“Not too many people come out here at my age. I love every bit of this place. The staff is great and they are really good to me. They make sure I’m comfortable and make sure I can ride safely and even though I haven’t ridden in a number of years, I feel very safe and I enjoy it so much. If people only knew how good it feels to do things like this…maybe more folks like me would do it. I enjoy coming out here and being around the boys in residence here and Shelly of course.”

Cheryl has one horse that she rides during all of her lessons named Chili. “He’s calm and gentle and never gets upset with me over anything. Just the sweetest horse you would ever want to know. I can probably handle one just a little more spicy but I’m certainly not ready for the rodeo by no means! Laura say’s her mother’s primary care physician nearly had a stroke when she took the riding release form for her to sign. “She can’t ride” the doctor said, but Cheryl has proved them wrong.

“I wish more people like me could take advantage of this place. You just have to not be afraid of trying something new. I believe in time, I will be able to walk better and have more mobility. I just love it here!”

Your support makes stories like Cheryl's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home. You can learn more about our Good Shepherd program at https://www.georgiachildren.org/good-shepherd

Through Their Eyes: From Being a Resident to Serving Youth

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 12:15:02 GMT

“I always thought that maybe one day I’d work at Good Shepherd,” Ash explains. “I wanted to work with kids that had gone through similar situations as me so maybe I could have some sort of positive influence on their lives.”

At six years old, Ash was taken into the custody of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). His journey in the system was similar to most other kids’ experiences: being moved from one group home to the next, leaving schools and friends constantly, feeling like everything was temporary. With these experiences also came fleeting rumors of going home that oftentimes ended in disappointment.

For Ash, his first memorable experience with such disappointment came six years after entering the system when he was leaving another center. He was told there was a chance he could go home and be reunited with his family. The day of his release came, but instead of going home, Ash learned he was going to another residency.

While Ash wasn’t going back home like he was hoping, he was brought to our Good Shepherd residential program in Warm Springs, GA, when he was 12 years old. Unlike his previous placements though, there were two great benefits to this specific experience. First, his four brothers were also placed in the program soon after Ash arrived, giving all the brothers a sense of home and familiarity. The second benefit was the horses.

This farm-based treatment program gives our young men the unique opportunity of being responsible for a horse, helping to feed, brush, and take care of them. Ash soon developed a special bond with the horse he cared for, just as many of our clients do. This connection typically serves as a first step to healing for the boys and establishes a sense of both strong responsibility and ownership in them.

Between having his brothers there with him and having the rewarding experience of working with the horses, Ash figured if he couldn’t be home, this was the best case scenario given his circumstances. However, from everything he had endured in his life to that point, Ash had a lot of emotions that he didn’t know how to manage properly, resulting in behavioral challenges that often got him in trouble.

“I was a lot back then,” Ash acknowledges.

After seven months at Good Shepherd, Ash started a fight that ended with a broken window, shattering his ideal situation by having to move elsewhere. He went to another facility that was better equipped to handle such behaviors in children that he and others had developed over the years, where he stayed for several months.

Then came a welcome surprise.

In his home county, a foster parent who was already caring for one of his brothers wanted to care for Ash too. Ash left what would end up being his last facility and went to his foster home.

Eventually, another one of Ash’s brothers came to the same foster home, bringing a total of three brothers to the home, and the remaining two went to a home in the same county. They were all able to be either in the same home or near each other, go to the same school districts they were in before, and have some sense of return to the life they once had together.

To make a good situation even better, Ash’s foster parent was also proving to be an exceptional and caring person to him and his brothers. He was very family-oriented and not only prioritized the brothers spending time together, but also advocated for them to have regular contact with their parents.

“He didn’t treat me and my brothers like we were foster kids. He treated us like we were his kids,” Ash shares. “He tried to make our life as normal as possible, and he did a good job of doing that.”

Even though Ash was still a teenager who had trouble processing everything he had been through and sometimes acted out, his foster parent stuck with him and didn’t give up on him or his brothers. “He was one of the biggest influences to keep me from going back to my old lifestyle,” Ash says. “He’s like my real father.”

Ash stayed with his foster parent until he was 20 years old, when he signed himself out of DFCS care. As a young adult, he worked different jobs over the span of several years, some of which involved helping kids in the foster system, until he saw a job opening at Good Shepherd.

“I always thought that maybe one day I’d work at Good Shepherd,” Ash explains. “I wanted to work with kids that had gone through similar situations as me so maybe I could have some sort of positive influence on their lives.”

He excitedly applied for the open role that would allow him to work directly with boys in the program, and was soon offered the position. Ash, of course, accepted.

Like taking a trip back in time, Ash walked through the doors that had been a comfort for him so long ago, and began his new journey of helping young men who had experienced much of the same things he had. Having been in their shoes before, Ash was intentional on doing his best to be for the boys what his foster parent had been to him: an advocate, consistent, and someone who would stick by them.

“I think that’s what a lot of our guys need. Someone who’s not going to give up on them, somebody who’s not going to just throw them to the side,” Ash says. “It can be a lot and it can be frustrating to have to deal with somebody like that, but it’s rewarding in the end when you see that person coming through their storm and making accomplishments, and you know that you had that influence on their life.”

Ash has worked at Good Shepherd now for three years and has found it both difficult and rewarding to work with kids who were just as angry and confused as he was. One of his favorite parts of the job is talking with the boys and learning about them, what they’ve been through, and understanding how these things influence some of the things they currently do.

“They say they like talking to me because they feel like I can really understand the situation that they’re in,” Ash explains. “I’ve been there, and it’s like looking through their eyes.”

Ultimately, Ash wants the boys to feel comfortable and open about their experiences because listening to their stories often allows for future healing for them and for Ash to have the opportunity to give advice from someone who’s been there and come through to the other side.

Like everyone at GBCH&FM, Ash wants every child in our care to be successful and make it to the better life that they can achieve. He works day in and day out to advocate for the young men at our Warm Springs campus, and tries to keep in touch with some of them even after they leave our care so he can check on them.

To further his skills in social services and transforming children’s lives, Ash is considering going to school to pursue a degree in Social Work. At first, the thought made him nervous, but after working at Good Shepherd and seeing kids grow into thriving adults, the thought has grown more appealing. No matter what, though, Ash has found his purpose in serving others.

“I think it’s more enjoyable to be there for people, because that’s what life’s all about,” Ash says. “There were so many people that were there for me so I want to be that for someone else.”

What started as a bumpy journey at 12 years old has now transformed into a career where Ash can make a positive impact on children in his community, just like others had done for him.

Your support makes stories like Ash’s possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home. You can learn more about our Good Shepherd program at www.GeorgiaChildren.org/good-shepherd

Learning and Growing - Joseph

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:00:02 GMT

“Most of my life, I’ve learned to just bottle things up and let it be,” Joseph shares. “I’ve learned how to let things go now and not let stuff build up.”

GBCH&FM is thrilled to celebrate with Joseph for earning his GED this past fall from Coastal Pines Technical College! One of Joseph’s favorite subjects in school was science because, as he says, “You’re figuring stuff out and making the unknown possible.” Joseph also enjoyed studying history, especially some of the larger events impacted the world, such as wars. “It’s just fun to learn about the past and make sure not to repeat the same mistakes people have made in the past,” Joseph says. “For me, that’s a big thing.”

Having earned his GED, Joseph is now enrolled in classes for cybersecurity, an industry he dreams of making his career. He’s considering whether he wants to pursue cybersecurity within the military, either in the Air Force or Army, or by working at a technology company, but either way, he knows this is the industry he’s passionate about.

Joseph is originally from Washington state, but moved to Georgia with his family when he was young. Growing up, he was active in martial arts and climbed his way up to a brown belt. Joseph plans to eventually settle down and establish himself near Atlanta, but for now, he enjoys fishing, swimming, and having fun with the other guys at our Baxley Campus.

Looking back at the year he’s been at the Children’s Home, Joseph can easily identify ways he’s changed for the better. “When I got here, I was kind of upset and I wouldn’t talk to anyone,” he remembers. “But I’ve gotten more social.”

Joseph has also been able to better understand his emotions and manage his feelings in ways that are healthy and productive, something he struggled with and didn’t know how to deal with before coming here. “Most of my life, I’ve learned to just bottle things up and let it be,” Joseph shares. “I’ve learned how to let things go now and not let stuff build up.”

Join us in praying that Joseph will have a successful career in cybersecurity, but more importantly, that he will work and serve in a way that brings honor and glory to God.

Congratulations on your accomplishment of earning your GED, Joseph! We’re proud of you for this success and for those to come as you pursue your dream job!

Your support makes stories like Joseph's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Building Faith - Isaiah

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 16:15:02 GMT

“At first, I got here and I was stubborn, I didn’t want anything to do with anybody, I didn’t want to listen, I thought I knew it all,” Isaiah admits. “I actually see things a lot different now.”

Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes is excited to recognize Isaiah for graduating from Appling County High School in May 2021! Throughout school, Isaiah came to enjoy most of his classes, namely math, science, and social studies, but he admits English was not a favorite by any means.

After his high school graduation, Isaiah aims to attend North Georgia Technical College to earn his degree as a veterinary technician, and then transfer to the University of Georgia where he can enroll in vet school. Ultimately, Isaiah wants to open his own practice as a companion vet, serving and caring for common household pets, but he would also be open to working with exotic animals, too.

Isaiah has always loved animals as well as the great outdoors. He grew up in a north Georgia town and spent as much time as possible outside, whether it was foraging, going to the creeks, or anything else in nature.

“Ever since I was little, I always went to the creek, just fishing out there all day long until I caught something,” Isaiah says. “I just liked the small town around me and all the mountains and the scenic views.”

While there aren’t any mountains near our Baxley Campus, Isaiah still enjoys going outside to fish, play sports, and just enjoy the fresh air. But he also realizes he’s grown and matured a lot since coming to the Children’s Home.

One area of his life Isaiah sees differently now is his faith. Isaiah and his family were very involved in their church and were there as often as they could be, but Isaiah used to not care about being there, he would only go to church just to see his friends. Now, he doesn’t feel that way anymore.

“It’s not just something to do anymore, it’s something to look forward to,” Isaiah says. “I’ve just really developed in my mind of what I already knew and built up my faith.”

Pray with us for Isaiah as he leaves high school and goes to college, that he will be a source of joy and light to others as he pursues his passion.

Congratulations on the incredible achievement of graduating high school, Isaiah! We’re excited for you and are proud of you!

Your support makes stories like Isaiah's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

Freedom in Jesus - Angilina

Thu, 27 May 2021 13:30:51 GMT

“Angel’s House helped me find my way back to God and find myself again,” Angilina shares. “The staff showed me what freedom in Jesus looks like and helped me be the young woman that I am.”

We are so excited to honor Angilina for graduating from Newnan High School in May 2021! While in school, Angilina enjoyed her weight training class because it challenged her, pushed herself to meet her goals, and helped her become strong both physically and mentally. She also participated in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (JROTC), which not only allowed her to be a leader in her school and community, but also taught her honor, dignity, respect, structure, and how to be herself.

Following her graduation, Angilina plans to attend West Georgia Technical College, but has a wide range of interests, including Veterinary Technology, Early Childhood Education, and Cosmetology. While she hasn’t made a decision yet on what degree she will pursue or career path, Angilina is confident her self-discipline and determination will help her be successful.

Before coming into care at our Angel’s House Community Group Home, Angilina lived with her grandparents, who she had been with since she was a young child. Sadly, this was not a home life that was safe or healthy for her. Her grandmother passed away when Angilina was in middle school, and about a year later, she came to Angel’s House, feeling broken and helpless.

While Angilina’s past trauma caused her to feel as if she had lost herself and to feel like God was a very harsh and judgmental God, the team at Angel’s House began connecting with Angilina and getting her to slowly open up. Over time, she began listening to what they were saying, both about herself and about who God truly is.

“Angel’s House helped me find my way back to God and find myself again,” Angilina shares. “The staff showed me what freedom in Jesus looks like and helped me be the young woman that I am.”

Angilina knows how God used her time at GBCH&FM to help her grow and see God’s love is unconditional. She realizes God not only blessed her with a second chance for a better life with her Angel’s Home family, but He also used her to help her father in his relationship with Christ before he passed away.

“My situation and meeting everyone here was meant to be and was part of God’s bigger picture,” Angilina says.

Pray with us for Angilina that no matter what she pursues for school or a career, God will continue to use her in powerful ways.

Congratulations on graduating high school, Angilina! We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see the impact you have on others in the future!

Your support makes stories like Angilina's possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home.

A Whole New Life: A Mother Stepping Out in Faith and Finding Restoration

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:46:30 GMT

“I've never had this much support in my whole life. It makes a big difference."

Do we spend another night sleeping in the car somewhere that’s at least familiar, or do we drive and hope we can find shelter somewhere else?

Sadly, this is a question that’s all too familiar for many of the mothers who come into our Family Care program with their children, and this was the question Melissa was now asking herself.

Melissa and her two sons—one being 13 years old and the other 2 months old at the time—were fleeing from an environment that was abusive and dangerous. She didn’t know of anywhere safe they could go, only that they couldn’t stay there.

In mid-December, Melissa packed everything she could into her car, buckled her sons in, and drove them away from their home.

Not knowing of any overnight shelters that were nearby, she and her boys would find somewhere to park and try to sleep in the cramped car. Even though they were in Florida, temperatures still dropped to freezing.

Night after night, Melissa asked herself the same question: Do we stay here, in an area we know but where we have to keep sleeping in the car, or do we risk driving somewhere else and hope to find something better?

Trusting better opportunities awaited her family, she chose to move on and leave the state entirely.

“We slept in my car for four nights before we decided to come to Georgia to find somewhere safe to be,” Melissa shares.

She and her family drove to McDonough, where they had been accepted into a domestic violence shelter. The shelter gave them a safe place to stay each night, something Melissa was grateful for. But unfortunately, the location only served families on a temporary, short-term basis. It met their current needs, but they had to keep exploring choices for when their time there ran out.

The shelter and Melissa worked together to find the best option for her family and make sure they were taken care of. The shelter even extended how long she and her sons could stay.

Fortunately, they got in touch with GBCH&FM and worked with our Family Care program to submit Melissa’s application to come to the Meansville campus. As she sat with our team for an exploratory interview, Melissa remembered feeling like she and her situation were just too much for anyone to work with.

“I had so many things going against me,” Melissa says. Being a survivor of abuse, she had a number of health concerns that, in her mind, made her case feel so overwhelming that no one would try to help.

“I wasn’t functioning right. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t see out of one eye, and I had a lot of other mental and emotional problems.”

Even so, she and her sons were accepted into our Family Care program in February.

Our team immediately started to get Melissa the services she needed. Melissa had doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions to address her needs. When she was too anxious to go alone, staff members came alongside her to attend appointments and be with her through it all.

One of the more significant challenges was Melissa’s inability to see out of her left eye, a terrible reminder of the past she so desperately wanted to leave behind.

While the physical limitations Melissa experienced from her lack of vision were difficult, her blindness also affected her mentally and emotionally. “I was very insecure and it bothered me in so many ways,” she shares. “I just felt like, ‘What can I be good at? I’m not good at anything that I used to be good at without my eyesight.’”

Melissa’s blindness was determined to be the result of a detached retina, an issue that could possibly be solved through surgery. But, her doctors admitted there was a very low chance the procedure would be successful in restoring her sight. Furthermore, even if the operation was a success, it would take months of recovery and healing for her vision to be restored.

Melissa weighed her options, scared of going through a surgery that may not help her, but also wanting to see again. What if she couldn’t do anything for months? Could she afford to sacrifice so much time that could be spent helping ensure her family doesn’t end up homeless again? What if the recovery took longer than a few months?

After prayerfully thinking through her scenarios, Melissa chose to move forward and have the procedure.

In early June, she was taken in for surgery, where her doctors and medical teams were able to successfully reconnect her retina. Now it was time to wait and see if her sight would return.

During this period, Melissa remembered how staff members and the other families in our Family Care program stepped up as a community to serve her family. “Everyone here, they prayed for me, they supported me, and they were really here for me and my boys through all of it,” she says.

After four months of slow recovery, the surgery was found to have been a success. Melissa could see out of both eyes again.

“I am full of joy,” Melissa says. Not just because she regained her vision, but because of everything that’s been done for her and her sons.

“I’ve never had this much support in my whole life. It makes a big difference.”

With the guidance and care from our team as well as the other families in the program, Melissa’s life has completely turned around. In addition to the trauma and medical concerns she first arrived with being addressed, she’s also been able to get a job and grow closer to Christ.

“My strength and everything that I’ve been through is because of my faith,” she says. “God has brought me through everything and He’s not even done bringing me through more.”

Ultimately, Melissa’s goal is to go back to school and pursue a career in the healthcare industry so she can help others. But for now, she’s celebrating the significant progress that she’s already made, and continuing to get the help she needs.

Melissa affirms how her journey has allowed her and her family to start over. “It’s like we got a new chance to have a new family. A whole new life,” she says.

“I’m just really blessed to be here.”

Your support makes stories like Melissa’s possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home. You can learn more about our Family Care program at www.GeorgiaChildren.org/Family-Care.

Instilled: The Values Learned that Led a Resident to Success

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:14:13 GMT

“Every time I sit down and think about it, I can say I am very humbled and thankful for the experience of living at the Children’s Home.”

“I begged that if God was real, to take me away from here,” Jenny remembers.

Growing up, Jenny wasn’t raised with any understanding of God. She hadn’t ever been to church, she didn’t know anything about Him, she didn’t even know if He was real. But now as a teenager, yet another incident had happened to her, and she knew she couldn’t stay with her biological parents any longer.

She prayed to a God she wasn’t sure even existed, pleading that if He would take her away, she would follow Him for the rest of her life.

A few weeks later, her prayer was answered: the Division of Family and Children Services brought Jenny away from her harmful environment and into the care of GBCH&FM.

Jenny was welcomed to our Palmetto Campus and began assimilating to her new life, one that was organized and set-up to teach each resident skills and values that would benefit them for the rest of their lives. Like many residents who initially come to GBCH&FM, the routines weren’t familiar to Jenny and took time to adjust to, but she came to appreciate them.

“As a child coming from a chaotic environment, the schedule was comforting,” she explains. “Having the same routines and the same structure on a daily basis, it felt better than anything I ever experienced as a child.”

The daily and weekly schedules also provided opportunities for Jenny and other residents to learn about Christ and attend church, something she took advantage of every time the church doors were open. It was through these opportunities that Jenny learned about the God Who not only heard her prayer and provided a way out from her environment, but Who also paid the ultimate price for her sins and made a way for her to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Through her time at the Palmetto Campus, Jenny was surprised to find something else, something she didn’t think she would have again anytime soon: family. She learned the importance of having a family and support system, and that family can be more than just where you’re born into. Anyone can become family.

“We weren’t blood-related, by any means,” she shares about her group leaders and the other girls in her cottage. “But we were still family.”

Jenny’s life had completely turned around. Here, she didn’t have to worry about being harmed or abused again. She could just be a kid.

After about two and a half years at the Children’s Home, Jenny was graduating high school at the age of 17. Her biological parents’ rights had been terminated so they no longer had any rights to visit, contact, or make decisions for her. But from this loss, she gained a Resource Family who loved her and welcomed her in as one of their own.

Jenny had her eyes set on becoming a caseworker in a nursing home-type setting, where she could care for elderly residents and be a source of comfort and encouragement for them. So she enrolled in the University of West Georgia to help make this dream a reality.

Even though she was no longer a resident at GBCH&FM, her Resource Family also lived in Palmetto, so Jenny could still be close to campus. She even worked each summer as a campus lifeguard while she was in college.

In 2009, she graduated college with a Sociology degree and Biology minor, ready to earn her dream job. But with an economy that was still reeling from a recession, job openings—especially in the social work and elderly care fields—were either scarce or completely non-existent.

“At the time, that area was not hiring,” Jenny says. “I didn’t have a career or anything for six months after graduation.”

Fortunately, she connected with a fellow church member who worked at the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The Department had an opening and he thought Jenny would be an excellent candidate.

She applied and was hired as a Scientist 1, helping to ensure the food that shoppers buy from grocery stores is safe to eat and free from pathogens. Even though it wasn’t a field she was initially interested in, she quickly grew to love her job.

Today, she still works at the Georgia Department of Agriculture, but now as the Atlanta Food Safety Laboratory Manager. Her hard work ethic, organization, and perseverance that developed from her time at GBCH&FM laid the foundation for her to excel and climb the ranks at her workplace.

“Jenny has been an integral part of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s food safety program for the past ten years,” writes Jenny’s long-time supervisor Dr. John Shugart, State Chemist of Georgia and Laboratory Division Director. “Her dedication and love for her job is evident in her everyday work and her ability to overcome obstacles to serve the needs of the people of Georgia. She is a leader at work and in her community. We are lucky to have her work with us at the Georgia Department of Agriculture.”

Outside her professional accomplishments, Jenny has been married for nearly ten years now, and she and her husband have three beautiful children together. She shares how many of the things she learned at the Children’s Home, she still lives out today, some of which are intentional, others more unintentional.

“For the longest time, I would do the laundry on Thursday just because I felt like, ‘Oh, it’s Laundry Day!’” she laughs, speaking on one of the unintentional habits she’s kept. “But I know how to take care of my home because of the Children’s Home. They taught me how to cook, they taught me how to clean, I learned total life skills there.”

Many of the values that were instilled in her while at the Palmetto Campus, she now strives to pass down to her own children: the importance of God and church, the strong work ethic and discipline that develops from structure, and the significance of family.

Jenny attributes much of the success she’s had and much of who she is today to the people who impacted her while at GBCH&FM, like Ms. Kimber Scott, our Central Intake Program Coordinator who reviewed Jenny’s file and accepted her into care; Jenny’s group leaders; and her Resource Family. “But it wasn’t just one person,” she adds. “It was the whole organization. What the organization meant and means to kids like me.”

While the environment and trauma Jenny came from is not something anyone should go through, she can reflect back with gratitude, seeing how her life was completely changed.

“Every time I sit down and think about it, I can say I am very humbled and thankful for the experience of living at the Children’s Home.”

Your support makes stories like Jenny’s possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home. You can learn more about our Residential Care program at www.GeorgiaChildren.org/Residential.

Stronger from the Storms

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 20:34:34 GMT

"Total strangers invested in mine and my children's lives. That took my breath away."

When Cheri and her two children moved to Georgia to take care of her father, she had no idea her family would soon be homeless.

Cheri’s father had been diagnosed with diabetes and Stage IV cancer, so she moved in to become his full time caregiver. Unfortunately, his medications and treatments began to change her dad, making him more aggressive, more hostile, more violent. Cheri knew she and her kids couldn’t stay there, but they had nowhere else to go.

As their environment became more and more unsafe, Cheri made the difficult decision to move herself and her kids out.

Cheri did whatever she could to provide for her family. While they had to live in and out of hotels, jumping from one place to the next, she was at least able to give some kind of shelter. But, especially as the holidays were approaching, she knew they needed help and needed a long-term solution.

She needed a place to call home, and that’s when she found GBCH&FM.

“I applied to the Family Care program and was accepted just before Christmas,” Cheri says.

She remembers one of her biggest concerns after being accepted into the program was finding a way to provide Christmas gifts to her children. What she was met with was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

“I was told to fill out a Christmas wish list for my children, but didn’t think anything of it,” Cheri recalls. “I expected a gift or two for them, but nothing like what we received.”

“GBCH&FM brought in boxes of gifts for my children, and it brought tears to my eyes. Just total strangers invested in mine and my children’s lives. That took my breath away.”

Cheri began working the steps of the program and taking advantage of the many resources we are able to offer to our mothers and families in Family Care. She explained that a lot of her success came from working with Lucille Anderson, the Family Care Program Coordinator at our Palmetto Campus.

“Mrs. Lucille is a godsend for me. Without her, I would be on the couch, crying my eyes out with a bowl of ice cream,” Cheri laughs. “But she motivated me.”

“She doesn’t put up with excuses because she continues to help you find solutions. She encourages you to dig deep within yourself and to persevere through. I appreciate how she is always there to talk to and seek advice from.”

Through our Family Care program , we work hard to devote our time and resources to our community and create an environment to set our families up for success, just like Cheri. We connect mothers with resources to help with food expenses and medical care coverage. We host classes and workshops to learn additional skills that can be applied to their care plans as well as their everyday lives, such as cooking and household budgeting.

Cheri took an interest in entrepreneur courses and learned a lot about starting her own business, budgeting, and even gaining the confidence in herself to pursue her own dreams.

“You have to go and do the work to get to where you want to be,” Cheri says. “I have learned that if you are seeking something or information, there are tools, materials, and people out there that can and will help you, just like GBCH&FM did for me.”

Success comes from hard work and determination, but also a firm foundation built on Christ. Along with workshops and skill building, we love encouraging our families through devotionals and Bible studies, and work to connect them with local churches.

“I have always been a believer, but I was trying to get my life together without God, and that wasn’t working,” Cheri shares. “I came to GBCH&FM and was able to find God and myself during this whole process.”

“My life saying now is, ‘I need water to help these flowers grow,’ because I know now that when I go through a storm, I will come out stronger on the other side because of all that water.”

Your support makes stories like Cheri’s possible. Thank you for giving children and families a place to call home. You can learn more about our Family Care program at www.GeorgiaChildren.org/Family-Care .

A Desire To Serve - Michael

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 17:58:46 GMT

Michael, one of our 2020 graduates, shares his journey of growth and change while at GBCH&FM.

Congratulations to Michael for graduating from Appling County High School! Michael’s favorite subjects in school are social studies and science because he enjoys learning about history, how the world has changed, and just interesting facts about nature and animals.

While Michael finished his classes in December, he’s looking forward to walking across the stage with his fellow graduates this summer. Michael has applied to both Albany State University and Georgia Southern University, but Albany State is his first choice.

With a passion for helping others, paired with the want to perform and serve at the highest level, Michael is highly motivated to further his education through college, where he wants to study criminal justice. Ultimately, he wants to help those who have experienced difficulties and get them on the right path, whether that’s through being a probation officer, school police officer, or anything of the sort.

“I just really want to help other people out,” Michael says. “I want to show them that they don’t have to go back to what they used to do.”

This calling has always been within Michael, but was truly realized during his time on our Baxley campus, where he was in our care for 14 months. Before coming to Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, Michael says he lacked empathy, that he didn’t really care because he thought nobody cared about him.

“But going to the campus, it changed me,” he shares. “Everybody was helping me, everybody wanted to see me grow, encouraging me, teaching me new things. It showed me to care about other people because other people also care about you.”

Michael shares how his faith was also strengthened during this time, that while he always knew there was God and Jesus, he didn’t know much about Him. But during his time in Baxley, he was able to learn so much that grew him spiritually.

“I know that God put me on this Earth for a reason and I have a purpose to serve Him,” Michael says.

Pray with us for Michael as he enters this new journey, that he will continue to see how the Lord is growing his fire to help others, and that God will give Michael courage and confidence to be successful and guide others.

Congratulations on the incredible feat of graduating high school, Michael! We’re thrilled for you and are proud of you!

Leading With Prayer - Azalea

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 17:53:49 GMT

Azalea, one of our 2020 graduates, shares her journey of finding Jesus and friends at GBCH&FM.

Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries is thrilled to celebrate Azalea for graduating this year from Pike County High School! Azalea likes going to school to see her friends and teachers, and her favorite subject is reading, which is something she thoroughly enjoys outside of school as well.

Following graduation, Azalea wants to pursue opportunities where she can work with animals, namely dogs and cats, and even train them. She also wants to help lead the children and youth at her church through Bible studies and teaching them about Christ, just as so many others have done for her.

Before coming to our Ascend program, Azalea admits she didn’t know much about God. She entered the foster system when she was 10-years-old and was frequently moved from one placement to another. “I’ve been in a lot of homes,” Azalea shares.

After nearly four years of striving for a place of stability, Azalea came to the Children’s Home. While she initially had a lot of frustration and hurt built up inside her that came out as anger, the close friendships Azalea developed with other residents helped her in better processing her feelings.

At the same time, through our incredible staff and church volunteers at the Meansville campus, Azalea learned about the Lord, and loved attending the daily Bible studies and devotions. She even began leading everyone in prayer during these gatherings.

“The sweetest memory which we will cherish forever is listening to this sweet girl pray,” Sharon Wallace, Director of Services for Meansville, shares of Azalea. “When she prays, her voice comes as music to our ears and goes straight to Heaven.”

Azalea was in our care for over four years until she was placed with her grandparents, where she now enjoys playing with their two dogs, dressing up and wearing her favorite jewelry, listening to contemporary Christian music, watching her favorite movie Tangled , and reading from the Nancy Drew series. While her sweet, girly self has always been there, Azalea realizes the impact being at the Children’s Home has had on her. “The staff at Georgia Baptist, they helped me with the hard times,” she says. “They love me there a lot.”

Join us in praying for Azalea, that her faith will continue to grow stronger and that God will present her with opportunities to live out her passions while also sharing the love and truth of Jesus.

Congratulations for graduating high school, Azalea! We’re proud of you and are thrilled to see the impact you make in other people’s lives going forward!

God Directed My Path - Nitajah

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:33:53 GMT

Nitajah, one of our 2020 graduates, shares her story, her plans for the future, and her experience at GBCH&FM

We’re excited to celebrate Nitajah’s graduation from Central High School in Carrollton! Nitajah enjoys going to school, mainly to socialize with her friends, like many other high schoolers. She was a cheerleader for the basketball team and math is her favorite subject.

Following her graduation, Nitjah is attending Clark Atlanta University in the fall, where she plans to study either nursing or social work. Her goal of becoming a nurse started when Nitajah was about eight-years-old and she was living with her grandmother.

Her grandmother became ill, so with her passion for helping others, Nitajah quickly stepped up to do what she could, helping with things like measuring medicine doses and doing chores around the house. Unfortunately, her grandma’s health continued to decline until she passed away, but not before the dream to become a nurse was instilled in her granddaughter.

“She was the one who inspired me to be a nurse,” Nitajah says. “She wanted me to be successful in life and she was telling me that she would love for me to be a nurse.”

After her grandmother passed away, Nitajah entered DFCS care and spent the next several years going from one home to the next, totalling six different homes and eight different schools in just ten years. But of those ten years, three have been at our Alice’s House group home , where Nitajah feels safe, where she’s formed close bonds with the staff, and where she’s learned more about herself.

“My life has pretty much been a lot of obstacles that I’ve had to go through,” Nitajah shares. “But I had to let God be the direction of my path. I had to let Him take over and let Him take me where I need to be.”

Because of everything she’s experienced, Nitajah also sees social work as a possible career path she would like to pursue if she changes her mind on nursing. “I like kids and I want to work with youth that have been through stuff like me,” she says.

Join us in praying for Nitajah as she embarks on this new chapter of her life, that God will fill her with peace over any nervousness she has during this time of change, and wisdom to be on the path that is His best for her life.

We’re so proud of you, Nitajah, and congratulations on the huge accomplishment of graduating high school!

Ways You Can Support Us Through COVID-19 (Updated)

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 16:06:13 GMT

Thank you for your continued support!

The uncertainty and effects from COVID-19 have impacted all of us.

During this time, we've had a number of gracious individuals and churches reach out to us asking how they can help, so we wanted to share a few things that would make a huge difference.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We're all in this together and we will all make it through together.

Here are some great ways your support can continue helping our children and families:

Pray With Us

Join us in praying for the countless number of people who have been affected by this pandemic, whether by falling ill to the virus, losing a job, or anything of the sort.

Pray for our leaders, from the national level down to our local communities.

Pray for God to heal our land and for all of us, as a nation, to reset our focus to be on Him.

We would also be honored if you remembered the Children's Home in your prayers as well, that we too will make it through these uncertain times, for our staff to have the patience and strength needed to continue serving our children and families, and that our clients will know that God loves them and He sees them right where they are.

Help Meet Our Campus Needs

*Please note that some items on our lists may not be available at this time because of an extenuating circumstance with the specific vendor. We do our best to find replacements on the lists when this happens, but if you find the same item from another seller and would like to order it and send to us, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Donate

We understand the past few months have had a significant impact on everyone in numerous ways, including financially. So far, we at Georgia Baptist Children's Homes have experienced a 30% decrease in charitable dollars.

If you are able and feel led to give so we can continue serving kids and families, we would be very grateful. No matter if you give a one-time gift or support us on a monthly basis , your support makes a world of difference.

Again, if you’re not able to give at this time, your prayers for our ministry gives more than we could ever ask. Thank you for your support, and please know that we are with you and praying for you, too.

Through your generosity, three of our residents graduated high school this year! We're so proud of them for their incredible accomplishment and can't wait to share their stories with you. Thank you for supporting our work and making such success possible!

If you have any questions or concerns about ways you can support us during this time, we would love to talk with you so please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you again for any and all help you are able to give! We truly cannot thank you enough.

Be well and God bless!

It's Official, I'm a Slaton

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 16:52:02 GMT

One couple's journey through fostering and adopting two sisters

“Can you believe in 30 minutes, we’re going to be parents to an 8-year-old?” Dave Slaton asked his wife, Sonya.

The Slatons were getting ready for their first placement since being approved as foster parents through GBCH&FM’s foster program, Bright Foster Care. The two got married–by their own admission–a little later in life, and tried having kids naturally. But after trying for some time, this option proved unfruitful.

“We didn’t get discouraged or anything,” Dave says. “We decided to do foster care first.”

So the couple started their journey, completing IMPACT training, paperwork, and everything else needed to welcome foster kids into their home. In the summer of 2015, on the same day of their wedding anniversary, they were approved and awaiting the arrival of their first foster child being placed with them.

“It was pretty exciting,” Dave recalls. “We were hoping it would go well, and it did.” He laughs, “We learned to whip and nae nae on day one,” referring to the dance moves that accompany the song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó.

Soon after, a second child joined the Slatons, but was only in their care for about a year. Nearly two years after the first child’s placement, Dave and Sonya learned she would be returning home in the following month or two. So they let the case managers at Bright know they were ready for another child to be placed with them, their third placement.

In June 2017, Anna and Emily were placed with the Slatons, and things seemed to click with everyone almost immediately. “They just seemed like part of our family,” Sonya recalls. This feeling only grew stronger the longer Emily and Anna were with the Slatons.

But at first, the joy that came from connecting with the girls so easily began to also come with some fear of the possibility that Emily and Anna could go back home. While Dave and Sonya knew from the beginning that they wanted to adopt and bring kids into their lives permanently, that option wasn’t available to them at the time.

“It was hard thinking that they might go back home because we loved them so much,” Sonya remembers. “But we also knew that we were just their foster parents, so we just loved them like they were our own.”

And that’s what they did. With their families and church support, they had teams of people rally around them to support and help in any way they could. During the Slaton’s foster journey, their church created a ministry to support local foster parents, and this group served the Slatons in countless ways, including doing laundry, cooking meals, and babysitting. While their acts of service were a tremendous help, the way this team genuinely cared for the Slatons is what was truly memorable.

“They didn’t just come in and drop things off,” Dave says. “They’d come in and sit down and talk, and want to connect with us and the girls.”

With their gracious support group, Sonya and Dave spent the next couple years caring for Anna and Emily, getting to know them, bonding with them, just building family time and creating memories together.

Then one day, things changed: there was a chance Emily and Anna could be adopted. It started as a slight possibility, but soon after, the opportunity was there and the girls could be adopted!

Dave and Sonya jumped on the opportunity and started the adoption process with our Bright case managers.

During this time, not only were Sonya and Dave working to adopt the girls, they were also exploring options of how to maintain a relationship between the girls and their birth mother once the adoption was complete, something that was very important to Emily, Anna, and their mom.

“[Their birth mother] really appreciates the fact we’re doing this because we don’t have to, but we want to,” Dave explains. “The girls have a relationship with her too, so we don’t need to be unfair and say, ‘No, you’re not seeing your mom anymore.’”

The Slatons’ flexibility and willingness to keep this relationship instilled a lot of relief for everyone, making the adoption something they could all be really excited about.

“They were extremely excited about it,” Dave says, talking about the girls’ feelings of being adopted. “I was talking to Anna one day and I asked her what she thought about the last name Slaton, and she goes, ‘I really like that name, but I have to learn how to spell it at school,’” he laughs.

From there, everything with the adoption went smooth, and on October 31, 2019, Emily and Anna officially joined the Slaton family.

That day, as excited as the girls were to wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating, they were even more excited for their adoption and adoption party. Each girl got her own shirt at the party that said “It’s Official, I’m a Slaton” on it, and both exclaimed that they wanted to wear the shirts to school the next day for everyone to see.

Now, months after their adoption, everything with the Slaton family is going like it was before, “which is really, really well,” Dave shares.

“It was kind of a natural flow, we just made it official,” Sonya says. “We call them our daughters, we pray with them every night, we get to love them everyday…”

“Love them everyday for the rest of their lives,” Dave adds.

Sonya and Dave laugh at how the girls’ personalities are so similar to theirs, that Anna will do something that’s just like Sonya does, Emily doing something similar to Dave, and vice versa. Anna and Emily remind Sonya of her and her sister when they were younger, too, with one having blonde hair and the other brown.

Sonya shares, “We couldn’t do this without God and without His people. That’s been very humbling to realize that we can’t do it without everybody’s help.”

Dave agrees, adding, “He’s given us a lot of patience and a lot of strength. We see these girls as a tremendous blessing and it’s going well, so God’s granted us the blessing of having them for the rest of our lives, so that was a huge gift, something that we’re thankful for every day.”

“He chose us to be their mom and dad,” Sonya says. “There’s no other explanation but God being the reason that we have them.”

In Georgia, there are nearly 13,000 children and teenagers in the foster care system. You can make a powerful difference in their lives by volunteering, mentoring, or even by being a foster parent or offering respite services.

Click here to learn about Bright Foster Care, some of the roles you can serve in, answers to frequently asked questions, and how you can get started today!

Can Just Be a Kid - Lisa

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:47:00 GMT

Lisa, one of our 2019 Graduates, shares about her story, her dreams, and her experience at GBCH&FM

Lisa's favorite subject is Literature because she loves reading and writing. She spends her free time writing stories, poems, and songs. She also enjoys talking, listening to others, and being the "mother" in the cottage by helping anyone she can. Since coming to our Baxley Campus, Lisa says she has learned what family and being a kid truly means.

"The staff have become mothers to me," Lisa explained with tears in her eyes. "They have shown me structure, etiquette, and have helped to make me a Christ-following woman."

Since graduating from Appling County High School in May, Lisa will be heading off to college to obtain a degree in nursing. She is currently interning at The Pavilion, a nursing and rehabilitation center in Baxley, so she can build her résumé and pursue her dreams of being a Healthcare Administrator.

"I like making sure everyone is taken care of and to help anyone if they need it," Lisa says with a smile. "So becoming a nurse is like second nature to me."

Before coming to Baxley, Lisa grew up being the full time caretaker to her bedridden grandmother, which required her to take full responsibility for all her grandmother's medical needs, cleaning, and cooking at a very young age. Lisa did that for years until her grandmother passed away, starting a sequence of events that brought her to the Children's Home.

Lisa continued to explain that the Children's Home helped her put life into perspective and that she has experienced many things here she never knew were possible.

"My first Christmas here was so overwhelming," Lisa said. "I went from having nothing to being surrounded by people who loved me. I received gifts for the very first time. This place has changed my life."

Join us in praying for Lisa and that the Lord will continue to be a guiding force in all of her future endeavors.

Lisa graduated high school in 2019, and is working her way through school to achieve her goal of becoming a healthcare administrator. (Photo by Haley Hester)

Preparing To Cross the Jordan River

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:00:00 GMT

Pastor Charles Rehberg's story of service in Baxley

4:00am and the day begins. A hot shower followed by a piping hot cup of coffee, a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for the boys, and then a three and a half hour drive down to the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries campus in Baxley, Georgia.

This is how every other Sunday morning begins for Pastor Charles Rehberg.

He enters the campus chapel the same way every time, turning on the lights, cutting on the air-conditioner or heat, and then preparing to share the gospel with eager young men.

The kids and staff alike call him Pastor Charles around campus. He is always greeted with warm smiles and excited shouts from the kids during the service, saying, “Amen, Brother Charles!” The service is lively with interactive questions that keep the boys involved. Worship in song is led by some of the young men on campus that enjoy singing. The whole chapel is electric with the Holy Spirit.

"All these kids will cross their own Jordan River one day and go home," Charles explained with a smile. "It's my job to see that they are not afraid and put one foot in front of the other, and to know that they have a great partner: the Holy Spirit that they can ask to come into their life."

Not every Sunday has been the same for Pastor Charles. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he actually got involved as the official pastor at Baxley. In the beginning, Charles got started years ago with the Caring Hearts Sunday School Class in Thomaston, Georgia. The ladies encouraged him to help cook hamburgers for kids on Saturdays at the campus.

Afterwards, he got involved coming to campus to do Cowboy Church. His church would bring horses for the kids to ride and had lunch afterward to fellowship together. Later, Charles then participated in bringing presents for children on Christmas.

During one Cowboy Church event, Charles listened to God’s call to be a pastor for the Baxley Campus. He explains, with a big smile on his face, that he was standing right outside the chapel when he was encouraged by a few GBCH&FM staff members to be the pastor.

"I didn't know anything to say but yes," Charles said. "I decided to give up my Sunday school class and come be with the kids and get ordained."

Pastor Charles explains that starting his journey of pastoring at Baxley turned out to be a natural blessing because God was involved from the very beginning. He’s never had to worry about the messages or anything because God continues to provide for him.

“Starting out, I realized a lot of the young men didn’t read well, which I could identify with because I was the same way when I was younger,” Charles said. “Luckily, with the help of ladies at my church, we discovered these Action Bibles that incorporated lots of pictures that help tell the story of Jesus."

"So we decided to provide all the children with these Bibles to help them learn."

After gathering interest and planting small seeds in his teachings with the Action Bibles, the boys became interested in the Bible that Pastor Charles was using, a Life Application King James Bible.

“The boys wanted Bibles like mine to grow their knowledge and lay the foundation for the right decisions to be made in their lives,” Charles explained. “I want these kids to have something they can use when they leave us as a guideline they can always follow.”

Since Charles began pioneering the initiative to help these young men find Jesus, there have been countless professions of faith at the Baxley campus.

“Pastor Charles is such a vital piece of the puzzle here in Baxley,” Michael Shumans, Baxley Campus Administrator says. “His willingness to serve and the encouragement he brings to campus is truly making a difference in these boys’ lives.”

It is evident that he has a God-given passion to share the love of Christ with children and wants nothing more than to be an encourager and supporter to everyone he comes in contact with.

“It is important for me to encourage others. I am just in the field of life, sewing seeds, watering, and planting. God is the one that makes it grow.”

Charles’ main goal is to share Jesus with these young men, but he also was very passionate in wanting others to get involved in working with the Children’s Home.

“These kids need love 365 days a year…not just once or twice a year. We need to make a permanent commitment to be there for them,” Charles explained. “Sometimes it’s tough on my family, but if it’s Christmas, Easter, or no matter the occasion and it is my time to be here…I am here. People often ask me, ‘Why don’t you call and cancel?’ If God wants to cancel, then it will be, but as for me, I will be there until He does.”

Working with volunteer groups, churches, and staff, Pastor Charles has made a lasting impact on the Baxley campus and he explains that all that success is because of God.

“These kids put the footprints of their lives on my heart…I do this because I love them,” Charles said tearfully. “Footprints will always be there, even after I retire. If I follow Joshua, though, who the Lord didn’t let retire until he was 110, I got another 40 years left in me.”

If you're interested in serving with us, we'd love to talk with you about our opportunities!
Learn how you can get involved or contact us today: hello@gbchfm.org // 770-463-3800!

Exercising a Dream - Ja'Quan

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

2018 Graduate

Ja'Quan treasures the time he gets to wrestle with his team, is focused on staying mentally and physically healthy, and helping people in any way that he can. Since coming to our Baxley Campus, Ja'Quan has learned to lean on Jesus and let Him direct his path.

"My life has changed so much since coming to GBCH&FM," said Ja'Quan. "I've learned to keep my head up, heart open, and mind clear to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be."

After graduating in May, Ja'Quan is going into the Army and has plans to become a police officer after he serves his country.

"I've always dreamed of being in the military and serving my country," said Ja'Quan. "I've grown stronger in my faith, health, and mind; and I know I can make a difference in others' lives because of it."

Ja'Quan attributes his success to God's grace and the consistent support and encouragement of the staff he has gotten to know on campus.

"I am putting God first from here on out on anything that I do," Ja'Quan said. "Because of this program and the staff that have been so good to me, that will never change."

We ask that you continue to pray for Ja'Quan as he serves our country.

"We're a Family Now"

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The Nebergalls' story of faith and commitment

“He’ll tell you there was dust in his eyes, but he was definitely emotional about not aging out in a group home. He was ready to find placement.”

Years had passed since Jade and Daniel Nebergall were ready to start their family. Though being foster parents was always in their mind, they initially tried having kids biologically. But after two years without results, they began pondering whether they should seek medical counsel or pursue something else altogether.

“We didn’t go through any kind of treatments. We just thought, What’s the point in doing that when it appears that may not be God’s will for us? Let’s look at other avenues,” Daniel recalls.

Jade and Daniel grew up in households where not only were both of their parents together, a dynamic that was becoming more and more rare, but Daniel’s parents were also interested in being foster parents. Though it did not come to life with his parents, the desire had been instilled in Daniel ever since.

After thinking about and praying over their situation, they felt Jesus was leading them to foster. They wanted to get acclimated to the system before diving straight into foster, so they signed on as being sponsors for foster kids, where they could host a child one weekend each month.

They faithfully committed to their roles and served in them for two years, but felt they were being called to more.

“We thought we were ready to do something kind of a little further, a bigger step. That’s where we moved towards the idea of fostering long-term as opposed to a little bit here and there,” Jade explains.

One of the children who stayed with the Nebergalls during their time as sponsors was Travis. Travis first met Jade and Daniel when he was 14-years-old. Now, Travis was 16 and preparing for permanent placement with a different family, and the Nebergalls were preparing to move into long-term fostering. But, in January, Travis’s placement fell through. So the Nebergalls stepped up.

“We started the process not sure if it was even possible,” Daniel explains. “We didn’t want to tell him ahead of time what we were doing because we didn’t want to get his hopes up again. He had had a failed placement already that didn’t work out. So we didn’t want to be someone who disappointed him again. A lot of foster kids end up getting disappointed a lot and we didn’t want that to happen.”

Knowing that all the paperwork and all the requirements to become foster parents was a process that was very lengthy and drawn-out, Jade and Daniel worked on an accelerated plan with Bright Foster Care, a ministry of Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes. By this point, Travis had been enrolled then transferred from well over a dozen schools already, so their primary goal was being able to avoid another transfer and have Travis placed before the school year began.

But the Nebergalls soon realized that while their ambitious timeline would keep Travis from having to transfer schools, they would have to expedite the process by another one to two months so Travis could play football for his school, something that was incredibly important to him.

They adjusted their goal and went at it in full force.

“We finished the stuff that we could on the accelerated plan as fast as we could so that we would have him by the summer,” Daniel says.

He and Jade filled out months worth of forms, completed trainings and tests, waited to get replies from state agencies, and everything else they could to get Travis placed in time.

As summer grew closer and their ideal timeline to have Travis placed became shorter, the Nebergalls received the news: they were licensed and approved. Travis would be placed with them, and in time to play on his school’s football team.

“We made it through the process actually quite quickly at six months,” Jade says. “We started in January, had the court date in February, and by June, he lived with us.”

“Without Georgia Baptist, I’m not sure this really would’ve happened,” Daniel added.

To give Travis a space of his own, volunteers signed up with Bright to give Travis’ new bedroom a makeover that showed his personality and interests. The project was completed in a total of two days during which his walls and some furniture pieces were painted, and memorabilia of his favorite football team was hung around the room, all to make the space tailored for him.

When Jade and Daniel reflect back on the start of their journey and see where they are at now with their family, they realize God had set them on a path to foster teenagers.

“You skip the diaper phase. Obviously, that’s really nice!” Daniel jokes. “Teens get a bad rap. ‘Oh, they’re so moody, they’re so much of a problem.’ And obviously, we were all there and we all had issues with that. But life hits you hard at that age, and when there’s not a stable environment to be in, how can you expect to be stable later in life?”

“We get this kid who already has his foundation set. He’s got holes and cracks in it, but we’re here to help fill those and hopefully provide guidance on how to live your life going forward,” Jade elaborates. “And then there’s that moment when you’ve been teaching him something and teaching him something, and they get it. It’s not like a little kid going potty, this is real life. This is him understanding that school is important, that who you establish yourself with is important. And when he gets those concepts, it’s something that takes your breath away and you want to cry a little bit because he finally gets it.”

"He's not a weekend visitor anymore. He actually lives here now," Daniel says.

"He's a family member now."

To learn more about our foster program, Bright, and how you can get involved, click here.

Let It Shine - Children's Home Day 2018

Sun, 13 May 2018 19:34:23 GMT

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven." -Matthew 5:16

Today, there are roughly 13,000 children in the foster care system in Georgia. There are mothers in your community struggling with homelessness and overcoming domestic violence. There are children being pushed into human trafficking daily. Right now, there are families and children in need of light during their darkest hour.

Every day at Georgia Baptist Children's Homes, we help children and families who are navigating darkness find their spark through HIS light. In 2017, we helped 1,215 children and their families find a glimmer of hope through a variety of innovative programs and ministries designed to bring spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.

This is no easy task because these children and families we serve today often come to us without even the slightest glimmer of hope. Instead, they come with heavy emotional and physical scars. Many arrive defiant, traumatized, and angry at the world and everyone in it. There is no light at the end of the tunnel in their eyes. And who can blame them? How would any of us feel if we had been forced to live on the streets, a homeless shelter, in the back of an old car, or in just another failed placement through the system?

YOU can make a difference in joining us in igniting hope in the lives of children and families who have walked in darkness. We ask that you make this a matter of prayer in supporting our ministry financially and joining us in shining HIS light of hope on those in need.