From Time to Time Part 4

By JASON CURRY
President, TBHC

​From Orphan Care to Family Preservation
Some shifts happen quietly. Others reshape who we are. For more than a century, God has used ministries like ours to stand in the gap for children, but the way we stand in that gap has changed dramatically. If you lived a hundred years ago, you would see rows of beds in large brick orphanages and hear the echo of institutional hallways—because that was considered the best way to care for vulnerable children.
 
Today, you’re far more likely to see a caseworker sitting at a kitchen table, helping a struggling mom stabilize her home so her children never have to leave it. This is the story of how orphan care evolved into foster care models that reflect a growing understanding of the benefits of family preservation.                                                                                                                                                                   
 
Then: Orphanages as the Primary Model of Care
In the early 1900s, institutional orphanages were common and widely accepted. Following the Civil War, their numbers grew dramatically, providing structure, education, and basic care for children in crisis. By 1910, more than 1,000 such institutions existed in the United States, with more than 100,000 children living in them.
 
Even then, many of the children in orphanages were not truly “orphans” at all. Many had at least one living parent who simply could not provide care due to poverty, illness or instability. These early systems responded to crisis after it occurred, but they often lacked the ability to address the root causes that destabilized families in the first place.
 
By the mid-20th century, research made clear that institutional settings, despite good intentions, often hindered children’s emotional, cognitive and social development. With growing understanding of child development, the nation began turning toward family-based solutions.
 
Now: Family Preservation as the Frontline of Care
Today, child welfare rests on a conviction both Scripture and science affirm: Children thrive in families! Reformers and child development specialists recognized that consistent caregivers and nurturing environments are essential for healthy development. This understanding fueled a shift toward foster care, kinship care and most critically—services that strengthen families before a crisis tears them apart.
 
Family preservation reflects a growing commitment to protecting children by supporting parents early and intentionally. When families receive timely help (counseling, practical resources, accountability and encouragement) children are safer, homes grow healthier and the need for removal decreases. Modern child welfare research continues to affirm this truth: children do best when their families are supported, stabilized and strengthened whenever safely possible. That is the heart of family preservation.
 
Why Family Preservation Matters Today
April is recognized nationally as Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time that invites us to look beyond broken moments and consider how children can be protected before harm occurs. At its core, prevention is not a campaign, it is a posture. It is the daily, faithful work of strengthening families so abuse and neglect are less likely to take root.
Family preservation is more than a program strategy; it is a statement of hope. It says:
 

• We believe in God’s design for families.
• We believe parents can overcome challenges with the right support.
• We believe children deserve to grow up in safety, dignity, and belonging whenever possible.

 
“God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6). Not in institutions. Not in isolation. In families.
God’s heart for children is not only placement, but protection. Not only rescue, but restoration. Strengthening families before crisis escalates is one of the most meaningful ways we participate in that redemptive work.
 
Honoring 115 Years: Faithful Yesterday, Faithful Today
Our ministry’s 115-year journey mirrors the broader story of child welfare in America.
In our earliest days, we did what most ministries did—providing residential care because it was the best model available at the time. We cared deeply for children who needed safety, stability, and hope. Today, we embrace a fuller vision of the gospel’s call by supporting children of trauma through our foster and adoptive care programs. What has changed is not our concern for children in crisis, but our understanding of how best to support them so that trauma does not define their story. Through every shift, one thing has remained constant: we exist to glorify God by caring for children. And the last 115 years has only deepened that calling.
 
A Call to Pray, Give, and Share
As we reflect this April on the calling to protect children and strengthen families, I invite you to:

• Pray for families under pressure, and for children whose safety depends on timely support.
• Give so prevention, family strengthening and placement services can continue to grow.
• Share our story with someone who needs to know that abuse and neglect are not inevitable, and that hope often begins with help.

Next month, I will share another installment in my From Time to Time series, running through September as we celebrate 115 years of ministry. We may not be the ministry you think we are; we are so much more.

Orphanages of the past

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Memorials & Honorariums

An Expression of Everlasting Love 
Many of our friends choose to honor or remember a family member, a friend or an associate with a gift for the children of TBHC. Texas Baptist Hope for Children, in turn, notifies the appropriate person. Listed in bold letters are those honored or remembered from Mar. 1 to Mar. 31, 2026.
 
ENDOWMENTS
Myra Stokes: Bill Stokes, Georgetown

HONORARIUMS
Suzanne Blood: Weldon & Lana Sparks
Charles Harrell’s Birthday: Charles & Charlotte Johnson
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MEMORIALS
Jason Bonner: Weldon & Lana Sparks
David Boyd: Fay Baker
Richard Dowden: Charles & Charlotte Johnson
Cecil Downey: Carlie Downey
Richard French: James & Micah Krauskopf
Cecil George: Katherine Miller & Darrell Miller
John Gibbs: Jimmy & Carla Shipp
Geraldine Gorman: Jimmy & Carla Shipp
Gene Graves: James & Micah Krauskopf
Paul Hackler: Joanna Noggle, Dana Wiggins, Corinne McAllister
Phillip Lybrand: Mr. & Mrs. McCuistion
Cindy Pratt: Mr. & Mrs. McCuistion
Linda Richardson: Weldon & Lana Sparks
Sophia & Jett: Tiphany Hood
Becky Youngblood: Weldon & Lana Sparks

​Scan to learn
about
Blue Sunday
​April 26

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