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About MBCH
Corporate Structure Corporate StructureThe corporate structure of MBCH consists of: 1. Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. This corporation provides the basic administrative services of the MBCH family of corporations: business management, human resources, public relations. 2. MBCH Children and Family Ministries. This corporation provides the services and programs of the Children’s Home. 3. MBCH Foundation. This corporation owns and manages the agency’s endowment and raises funds to meet the ever-growing financial needs of this ministry. 4. MBCH Properties. This corporation owns, manages and develops the campuses and other facilities used by the Children’s Home for program services. 5. MBCH Professional Development Institute. This corporation provides training for MBCH staff and other child care professionals.
Each of these
corporations has its own Charter and Board of Trustees. Board
Membership is listed under the “Leadership” button on each
corporation’s section of this website.
View a brief General Information Video about MBCH. Missouri Baptist Children’s Home was founded upon a dream of Mrs. Joseph B. Thompson in 1882. Mrs. Thompson saw a vital need in the rapidly developing city of St. Louis, for a place to house orphaned children and infants when they had no place to go. A member of the Ladies’ Sewing Society of the Second Baptist Church, Mrs. Thompson presented her idea for a “Baptist Orphan Asylum” to that organization. In June of 1882 the ladies began working on a fundraising festival. This later evolved into the annual Strawberry Festival which celebrated its 109th year in June 2000. After three long years of struggle with finances, leadership roles, and overall interest in the project, the Baptist Orphan’s Home opened its doors to five orphans on April 1, 1886, at 2651 Morgan Street in St. Louis. The Home housed orphaned children as well as children of unwed mothers, children whose families could not provide for them, and abandoned children. The first administrative staff developed for the Home consisted solely of women, with the administrator referred to as a Matron. There were four basic committees created to handle the operation of the Home: administration, purchasing, education and wardrobe. The Home moved from the rented house on Morgan Street to a house at 1906 Lafayette Avenue which the Home purchased in 1887. In 1896, due to a destructive cyclone, the Orphan’s Home was forced to rebuild the facility. This resulted in an enlarged building where the Home would remain for the next 10 years.
The year 1937 provided for a significant first in the Home’s history when men were elected to serve on the Board of Managers. Shortly thereafter, the first copy of the Home’s newsletter, the Messenger, was printed, and it was obvious that times were changing. In 1938, the Agency was renamed Missouri Baptist Children's Home, and Mr. R.H. Nolte was chosen to be the first male superintendent. Mr. Nolte served as both a supervisor and fund-raiser for the next five years. After a 59-year history in which the Home was primarily governed by the Board of Managers, the winter of 1945 ushered in Edgar E. Blake who was selected to be the next superintendent. Dr. Blake would serve in this capacity for the next 30 years in which many changes would be made, and the Board of Mangers would begin to relinquish some of their absolute authority. The Board of Trustees, elected by the Missouri Baptist Convention, now exercises oversight responsibility for the Children’s Home. Dr. Blake retired from the Home in December of 1974. Following his term the Home suffered several years of turmoil and rapid staff turnover. It was during this period that Mr. Howard Meyer and Mr. Allen Harrelson both served as administrators. During the summer of 1980, Mr. Raymond R. “Bob” Kenison, a Development Officer, was elected to serve as the interim administrator. In October of that year, the Board appointed Bob Kenison as the permanent administrator. Mr. Kenison continues to hold that position today. Under Mr. Kenison’s leadership, the Children’s Home has grown and developed its services to meet the changing societal conditions. New programs were created and the Home grew from the single campus in suburban St. Louis to locations across the State of Missouri. In addition to the Main Campus located in Bridgeton, the Children’s Home now provides services at the Byrne Campus in Peculiar, the Hutchens Campus in Mt. Vernon, the Dalton Campus in Lamar and the McMikle Campus in East Prairie. The Home is licensed to house 154 children across the state at any one time. A traditional Residential Program, Pillsbury Crisis Care Center, Crisis Pregnancy Program, Mothers with Children Program, Transitional Living Program, Counseling Services, Alternatives to Abortion Services, Therapeutic Foster Care and Foster/Adoptive Program are all services provided by the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. In total, the Children’s Home provides services for more than 6,500 children, youth and families annually. Although
the name has changed to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home and the
programs have changed and expanded to fit changing times and
situations, the organization continues to base its motivation on Mrs.
Thompson's dream – providing a caring and loving place for children in
need with no place to go. Mission Statement Missouri Baptist Children’s Home
is committed to serving God by responding to the needs of children,
youth and families to make a lasting difference in their lives. Values StatementBelieving that God ordained the family as the primary institution for nurture, growth and support of children, our services reflect the belief that “family works.” We will therefore strive to find and/or establish families that work for those we serve. We will utilize our resources to equip families to be the best families they can be. At Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, we believe that we are called to minister to the hurting children, youth and families of our world. Therefore, we will provide an atmosphere of hope and faith as we model our walk with Christ in all personal and professional relationships. We believe that this ministry demands that we integrate the highest professional standards and practices with our Christian belief system, thereby providing the very best of care for our clients. The goal of the
services provided by Missouri Baptist Children’s Home is to create the
opportunity for each client to achieve his or her potential, while
moving from an external to an internal locus of control, thus becoming
self-sufficient, functional members of society. As a Christian agency,
Missouri Baptist Children’s Home supports the belief that no person
can achieve his or her potential or function at his or her best
without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Accreditations, Memberships & AffiliationsMissouri Baptist Children’s Home is: A Ministry of the Missouri Baptist Convention. A member of the Missouri Coalition for Children’s Agencies A member of the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families A member of the National Alliance for Children and Families A member of the Child Care Executives of Southern Baptists A member of the National Association of Christian
Child and Family Agencies 2006 MBCH Annual Report Download the
complete 2006 MBCH Annual Report.
This report will provide the President's Letter, revenue and expense
data for 2006, a breakdown of the services provided by MBCH Children
and Family Ministries by program, the demographics of the children
served in residential and crisis pregnancy programs and reports from
the MBCH Professional Development Institute, MBCH Properties and the
MBCH Foundation. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to
open this report. |
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