By Jay Boyd | Chief Advancement Officer
Several years ago, while serving at Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries, I visited the home of a longtime supporter. His family had supported the ministry for three generations. His grandparents had been donors, and he had continued that tradition for many years, still giving at age 82. He had even included the ministry in his estate plan.
I had gone simply to thank him and get to know him better. During our conversation, he asked a question I wasn’t expecting.
“Does my giving help offset the costs of the kids who cannot afford the care they need at the children’s homes?” he asked. “And are there scholarships available for families who can’t afford it?”
I remember being surprised. Here was someone who had supported the ministry for decades, yet didn’t fully understand how his generosity made the ministry possible.
I explained that for many of the children we served, there simply wasn’t a parent or relative who could afford to provide for their care. Instead, I told him, it was because of people like him that the ministry could say “yes” to children who needed compassionate care and a safe place to call home.
Who pays for the BCH ministry
BCH is sustained by a community of people, churches, foundations, businesses and other ministry partners. Funding received through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, along with other public sources, helps defray a portion of the costs associated with providing care and services to vulnerable children and families. While these resources are vital, they represent only a fraction of what it takes to carry out the mission of BCH.
We are also deeply grateful for the support we receive through the Cooperative Program and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina as well as churches throughout the state. That partnership is an important part of our history and ministry. Yet it represents only a portion of the resources required to carry out the work entrusted to us.
The larger story is that the generosity of people and churches makes this ministry possible.
The freedom to say “yes”
And what does that generosity make possible? It gives us the freedom to say “yes.”
- Yes when a child needs a safe and loving home with a Christian foster family.
- Yes when a child needs an adoptive family, or when a family is ready to open its home.
- Yes when a birth mother makes the selfless decision to place her child for adoption.
- Yes when siblings need to remain together.
- Yes when a child arrives significantly behind in school and needs tutoring, counseling or other support to catch up.
- Yes when a family needs help pursuing restoration and reunification, even when that process takes months or years.
- And yes to caring for the whole child, meeting physical, emotional and spiritual needs while sharing the hope of Jesus Christ.
A gift isn’t simply helping us pay a bill. It empowers us, foster families and adoptive families to say “yes” to a child or family in the midst of life’s storms.
Generosity’s generational impact
Last month, I sat in the home of a man who, through our conversation, reminded me just how far that generosity can reach.
He lived at BCH from the time he was eight until he was sixteen. Now 80 years old, he reflected on what the ministry had meant for his life.
He told me that BCH didn’t simply save his life.
It transformed his family tree.
His grandchildren are growing up in a very different home than the one he experienced as a child.
Think about that. Someone’s generosity helped create a place where an eight-year-old boy could find care, stability, love and hope in Jesus’ name. Decades later, that investment is still bearing fruit in generations that didn’t even exist when the original gift was given.
Generosity goes beyond today
That’s the mystery and beauty of generosity.
We often think our gifts address today’s needs. And they do. But sometimes they reach much farther than we will ever see.
A gift can help a child today. It can strengthen a family tomorrow. And sometimes, by God’s grace, it can change generations.
God transforms generosity into lasting legacy
As we approach the end of the year, I hope we will remember that generosity is about more than meeting a deadline or receiving a tax benefit. It is an opportunity to ask what God has entrusted to us and how He might be inviting us to use it.
We may never know the full story of what our gifts accomplish.
But we can be faithful with what God has entrusted to us. And perhaps, decades from now, someone will look back and say what I heard that day:
“It didn’t just change my life. It changed my family tree.”
That is more than a gift. That is generosity becoming ministry.
Saying yes for the next child
This is my invitation: Will you prayerfully consider how God may be leading you, with what He has entrusted you, to invest in the life of a vulnerable child? Here are opportunities when your generosity can make a difference:
- Make a gift at bchfamily.org/give. Every gift is matched from November 1, 2026 — January 15, 2027!
- Begin a recurring, monthly gift to help children and families experience the hope of the gospel each month of the year.
- Consider BCH in your estate plans. We are happy to be a guide in this process. Contact giving@bchfamily.org.
Questions about giving to BCH
How is BCH funded?
BCH is sustained by a community of people, churches, foundations, businesses and other ministry partners. Funding received through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and other public sources helps defray a portion of the cost of care. The Cooperative Program, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and churches across the state are also an important part. Together these still represent only a fraction of what it takes to carry out the mission.
What does my gift actually pay for?
Generosity gives BCH the freedom to say yes. Yes when a child needs a safe and loving home with a Christian foster family. Yes when a child needs an adoptive family. Yes when siblings need to remain together. Yes when a child arrives behind in school and needs tutoring or counseling. And yes when a family needs help pursuing restoration and reunification, even when that process takes months or years.
Is my gift matched?
Yes. Every gift is matched from November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027.
Can I give monthly?
Yes. A recurring monthly gift helps children and families experience the hope of the gospel every month of the year. You can set one up at bchfamily.org/give.
How do I include BCH in my estate plans?
We are happy to be a guide in that process. Contact giving@bchfamily.org and our Advancement team will walk through the options with you.
How can my church give to BCH?
Many churches give through the Annual Offering each fall, alongside other North Carolina Baptists. Our for churches page has resources for planning a Week of Prayer and leading your congregation in generosity.
