Volunteering to be the hands and feet of God at the Murrow Indian Children’s Home
VALLEY FORGE, PA (09/23/2024)—A longtime ministry partner of American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS), the Murrow Indian Children’s Home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is a place where Native American children from across that state can thrive under tribal custody.
Murrow Home was established in Atoka, Oklahoma, in 1885 by the Rev. Joseph Samuel Murrow, a Baptist missionary, and his wife to provide care for Indigenous children who were either orphaned or, for a variety of reasons, unable to receive regular family care. Organizations that later became ABHMS assumed control over the home and relocated it close to the Bacone College campus in Muskogee in 1919. It continues to operate in that location today, fulfilling its mission to “provide a safe, nurturing environment, spiritual foundation, and cultural experiences to Native American children.”
Currently, Murrow Home cares for children between 3 and 18 years old. However, there is a transitional program that provides an opportunity for those who turn 18 to reside in one of the cottages associated with Murrow Home for up to three years.
According to Executive Director Betty Martin, the main challenges for the institution lie in funding, staffing, and groundskeeping. The nonprofit is supported by ABHMS, private donations, annual contributions of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation, as well as occasional contributions from other Native American tribes. To assist in funding the transitioning program, the home opened the Soaring Eagle gift shop on its premises.
First Baptist Church of Olathe, Kansas, has partnered with ABHMS to send a team of volunteers who will assist with building repairs. The volunteers intend to do landscaping, painting, plumbing, and carpentry and also deliver technical/IT assistance.
“We will accomplish these goals by working together for the glory of God. We have members with a variety of different skill sets prepared to assist in any way they can,” said Paul Wood, a lay leader who has visited Murrow Home on numerous missions.
“For over a century, Murrow Indian Children’s Home and ABHMS have partnered to maintain a safe and supportive environment for hundreds of Native children. Murrow Indian Children’s Home strives to exemplify the vision of Rev. Murrow; ABHMS continues to support its mission to support Native children,” said Rev. Ben Sullivan, ABHMS’ national coordinator for Native American Ministries.
“The volunteer efforts that ABHMS coordinates have four purposes in mind: to deepen faith with Jesus Christ; to strengthen connections within teams; to expand cultural understanding; and to accomplish healing and meaningful work, all while serving as the presence of Jesus Christ alongside others. This is discipleship in action. ABHMS strives for volunteers to embrace the title of ‘passionary’ persons who are doing extraordinary things that change lives in the name of Jesus Christ,” said the Rev Lisa Harris Lee, director of ABHMS’ Healing & Transforming Communities unit.
To learn more about and participate in ABHMS’ short-term mission efforts, please contact Harris Lee at lisa.harris-lee@abhms.org.
