Written by David Melber, BCH Chief Executive Officer
I recently had the privilege of sharing a message during the dedication of a new cross on our Thomasville campus, a cross handcrafted from timbers preserved from the original Mitchell Cottage. That moment became more than a dedication ceremony. It became a reminder of who we are, why we exist, and what must remain at the center of this ministry for generations to come.
For 141 years, this ministry has stood as a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Across seasons of hardship, cultural change, and tremendous growth, Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH) has continued to care for vulnerable children and families while proclaiming the hope of Christ. If you walk our campuses or hear the stories of those impacted through the years, you quickly realize that God’s hand has sustained this ministry through every generation.
Yet during the dedication, one truth stood above everything else: the cross must remain at the center.
The cross is both a symbol of suffering and a symbol of victory. It represents sacrifice, rejection, and death, but also forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, and eternal life. At the cross, Jesus Christ willingly gave Himself so that sinners could be reconciled to a holy God. And today we do not celebrate a Savior still hanging on a cross. We celebrate a risen Savior whose empty tomb changed human history forever.
Throughout the message, I reflected on passages from 1 Peter 2 and John 12, where Scripture reminds us that following Christ involves surrender, sacrifice, and daily dependence upon Him. Jesus Himself declared, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” That principle continues to shape Christian ministry today. God often brings life through surrender, humility, and obedience.
That truth directly impacts the mission of Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina. As we seek to serve children and families across North Carolina, the center of our ministry cannot simply be our programs, our reputation, or even our long history. Those things matter, but they are not enough.
A children’s home without the cross is just an institution. A counseling ministry without the cross is simply therapy. A foster care ministry without the cross becomes only social work.
Those things are valuable and necessary, but they cannot heal the deepest wounds of the human heart. They cannot rescue someone from sin. They cannot reconcile families to God. Only Jesus Christ can do that. This is why the Gospel must remain central to everything we do.
Today, North Carolina has more than 11,000 children in foster care. Families across our communities are struggling with brokenness, instability, addiction, mental health challenges, and generational hardship. The needs can feel overwhelming. Yet I believe this is precisely the moment for the Church to step forward with both truth and compassion.
At BCH, we are praying for more churches to become engaged in this mission. We want to equip pastors, foster parents, volunteers, small group leaders, and church members to better understand the realities many children and families face and to respond with Gospel-centered care and practical support. We want churches to become places where hurting people experience safety, connection, discipleship, restoration, and hope in Christ.
One of the most encouraging parts of this vision is recognizing that the ministry cannot remain confined to BCH’s locations alone. While BCH currently serves across numerous locations with hundreds of dedicated staff members, the future of ministry must increasingly involve local churches and believers stepping into their own communities to care for vulnerable children and struggling families. Imagine thousands of churches across North Carolina equipped and engaged in this work. Imagine foster parents being raised up, church members prepared to walk with hurting families, and communities transformed through the power of the Gospel.
Most importantly, imagine children and families not only finding support and stability, but coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Imagine lives transformed eternally through the power of the Gospel. Imagine generations changed because someone chose to step into brokenness and faithfully point others to Christ.
During the dedication, I also reflected on the story from 2 Kings 6, where Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant to see the heavenly army surrounding them. It served as a reminder that while ministry often feels difficult and overwhelming, we are never operating alone. God is at work in ways we cannot always see, and He calls His people not to rely on human strength, but on His power and faithfulness.
The call of the cross also challenges each of us personally. Before it ever changes ministries or organizations, it changes hearts. The Christian life is a daily surrender of self—dying to pride, comfort, recognition, and control so that Christ may be seen more clearly through us. For those serving children and families, this means loving sacrificially, persevering faithfully, and continuing to proclaim the hope of Jesus even in difficult circumstances.
As I stood before that cross built from the old timbers of Mitchell Cottage, I was struck by the beauty of redemption woven into its story. Wood that once formed part of a children’s cottage now stands as a visible declaration of the Gospel. In many ways, that reflects what God continues to do every day. He takes brokenness and transforms it for His glory.
My prayer for Baptist Children’s Homes is simple: that we would never drift from the cross. We want every meeting, every ministry effort, every counseling session, every foster care placement, and every act of service to continue pointing people to Jesus Christ. And that generations from now, people will still be able to say that BCH remained faithful to the Gospel and committed to seeing children and families encounter the hope, redemption, and eternal life found only in Christ.
