Seeking Sanctuary: Mount Pleasant residents give children hope, guidance
One year ago Deborah Richard was kept awake by the sound of gun shots and gangs scuffling in a neighborhood full of violence in Park Hill, New York.
“You can’t sleep at night,” said Richard, 12. “All gangs do is shoot people.”
In September of 2009, she discovered an escape from her undesirable surroundings.
Baptist Children’s Home, a non-profit home for children in troubled circumstances, has housed more than 1000 individuals in Indiana, Michigan, India, Southeast Asia and Liberia.
Richard wanted to be a part of BCH to better her life and decisions.
“I wasn’t really listening to my mom, so I chose to come to (BCH),” she said.
Tori, 36, and Rob, 36, McConnell, of Mount Pleasant, are just two of several house parent ministries that care and guide children in need of assistance.
The Baptist Children’s Home of Mount Pleasant, 1715 E. Bellows St., currently houses eight children along with the McConnell’s daughters, Alexis, 11, Bailley, 10, Cammie, 9, and Desiree, 7.
The home is run solely on church and individual donations.
Although the children choose to leave their household due to troubled circumstances, they still have the desire to return home, Tori said.
“Our goal is to reunite the children with their family if at all possible,” she said.
Doing God’s work
Before becoming involved with BCH, Rob held a job at a prison.
“It was good money,” Tori said. “(But) there was no satisfaction from the job.”
About six years ago, Tori and Rob filled in as Youth Leaders at Trinity Baptist Church of Alma. During their time as leaders, a presentation about Baptist Children’s Home was made, and both Tori and Rob instantly knew it was what they wanted to do.
“That was just what we were looking for,” Rob said.
The McConnells sold their home in Stanton and headed to Mount Pleasant in August of 2005 to begin their journey doing God’s work, Tori said.
Since then, a total of 23 children have been in the Mount Pleasant home.
“(We) try to get the whole broad spectrum of the physical, spiritual, and emotional well being of the child,” Tori said. “(We’re also) teaching them how important physical fitness is.”
Rob and Tori are members of the Mount Pleasant Striders and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the BCH of Mount Pleasant runs as a family.
Every night around 8:30 p.m., the children gather with Tori and Rob to pray, discuss the bible and apply biblical situations to everyday life situations.
“For the most part, the children who come are receptive to hear the plans that God has for them,” Tori said.
On Sundays, the family walks to the First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, 1802 E. High St.
“I feel good about this family because it’s a Christian home,” Richard said. “We play games and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together.”
The children also are expected to sign a statement of good faith to help guide them to their goals.
“Some of the children leave because they don’t follow by what they said they would,” she said.
Alexis, one of the McConnell’s daughters does not like the fact that the children come and go in their home.
“You get attached to them, and then they have to go away,” she said.
But it is worth the opportunity to help the kids, Rob said.
“The kids want to be here, they want to change,” he said.
