Sunday mornings at Frizzell-Higdon Cottage are busy. Will and Betty Porter wrangle eight boys—dressing for church, eating breakfast, and loading into the van for a short drive from Broyhill Home in Clyde to picturesque Dellwood Baptist Church nestled along Hall Drive in Waynesville. Will parks with the arriving cars, some with other children holding Bibles in hands, ready for Sunday school and worship. After Betty’s final inspection, she sends the boys off with the other children.
Later, the boys enter the sanctuary and are welcomed with hugs. Members pause to greet them, asking about their week. They are indistinguishable from the other children. It is exactly what Lead Pastor Bobby Rogers wants: “They are just part of the Dellwood children.”
Betty rounds up her brood, and they sit on two pews midway back from the pulpit and communion table. She directs the youngest to sit by her, and the others take their places on the pew in front. Will, a deacon of the church, joins them before the service begins.
“Dellwood Baptist Church is our home church,” Betty says. “The boys consider it their church.”
A little more than a decade ago, the church agreed to host the cottage, welcoming the boys and the cottage parents to worship with them. Pastor Rogers and church members have seen it as an opportunity to nurture the boys and help them grow in their love for the Lord.
“Broyhill Home is special to us,” Pastor Rogers says. “We are honored to invest our hearts into these boys’ lives.”
Pastor Rogers feels the boys need normal. The teens attend youth Bible study on Wednesday nights, attend events like Winterfest, go on trips, have summer camp experiences, and do missions. Dellwood’s young adult group, led by Associate Pastor Shawn Porter (Will and Betty’s son), throws parties and cookouts for the cottage. Every year, the group provides a Christmas party with gifts from each boy’s wish list.
“We believe they deserve our best effort,” Pastor Rogers says. “We see our job is to love them and give them our all.”
Rogers and church members assert it is easy to love the boys. It is hard to see them leave, feeling a part of their hearts go with each one.
“While they are at Broyhill Home, you think about them, pray for them, and become attached,” Pastor Rogers says. “When they leave, your work isn’t over—you pray even harder. You pray for the life before them, believing God will continue to care for them.”
Some of the boys have never been in church. They have questions. Things go slowly. They attend with the group and watch. It is never forced. Church members are respectful and loving. As their trust grows, the walls come down. “God has His way,” Betty says.
The service nears the end. The preaching is over. Everyone stands as music plays. Pastor Bobby invites anyone who is feeling God leading to step forward. Betty notices one of her boys is noticeably moved. She and Will have sensed God working in his life. Tears are running down his cheeks. He looks at Betty, and she slowly nods. He steps forward, takes the pastor’s hand, and gives his heart to the Lord.
“I’m thankful anytime one of the boys is saved,” Pastor Rogers says. “When they trust enough to step forward—to make that move—it takes courage. They are laying down a lot of baggage.”
The boys are part of Dellwood Baptist Church and loved by its members. The church calls them their own, declares God’s love, and is a true picture of the gospel. The church grounds them in a community of believers, affirming the boys. They know that when a boy gives his heart to Jesus, it can never be taken away. A boy takes Jesus with him no matter where he goes. It changes his life for eternity. It is God’s way.
Written by Jim Edminson, Editor of Charity & Children