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“I’ll carry the Tabernacle Children’s Home in my heart until the day I die,” said James Spurck, a children’s home graduate who lived there for nine years. “Tabernacle is part of the fabric of my life today - socially, physically, and spiritually,” he added.
Spurck, now 39, works as a graphics design/web development and printing professional in Greenville and also serves as the part-time layout editor of The Times Examiner. He elaborated: “What I inherited from my years at Tabernacle is what I am today. I am in church, living for the Lord and serving Him. I have a Christian home and family and a happy, fulfilling life.”
James and his sister were brought to the children’s home from the Washington, D.C. area by their single Mom when he was 9. He commented, “I certainly had some ups and downs, but I came to appreciate Pastor Harold Sightler so much, because he always had a special interest in us children in the home. And I came to love and appreciate our home director at that time, Mr. Duane Whittemore, also. He was a wonderful father figure to us.”
Spurck is just one of the hundreds of success stories of Tabernacle Children’s Home alumni. Since the Tabernacle Baptist Church and former Pastor, the late Dr. Harold B. Sightler, began this special church outreach in 1962 as a ministry to children of broken homes and disfunctional families, hundreds of children have been helped and are living productive lives today.
“It has been so gratifying to see the Lord work in the children’s lives,” commented present Tabernacle Baptist Church Pastor, Dr. Melvin Aiken. “We have had some failures,” he continued, “but we thank the Lord that the majority of the children who have come through the home are doing well, and the ministry has certainly proven to be worthwhile.”
No one has kept track of the number of children who have lived in the home throughout its 45 years of service, but for many years more than 100 children were there at one time. In recent years, however, the children have usually numbered 30-40 at one time, because of more restrictive regulations.
All the services of the home are free of charge to the parents and families. They include not only lodging and food in its spacious building across the street from the church, but also schooling from pre-school through high school in the church operated Tabernacle Christian Schools. Add to that free medical and dental care. Activities and outings are also carried out at no cost to the children. And of course, the care is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It is important to remember that the children’s home is a church ministry, Pastor Aiken reminded. So while the home provides all those needs, “the most important part of the children’s care to us is their spiritual development,” he stressed. “We want the children to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, and to commit their lives to live for Him and to serve Him.” He added, “We are grateful to the Lord that we have seen such results in the majority of the children.”
Dr. Aiken quotes from the Scriptures to describe the children’s home ministry and its Biblical basis. He calls it a ministry of “pure religion.” James 1:27 states: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Interestingly, the church also maintains a 12-unit apartment complex for widows who do not have resources to care for themselves.
A young man who “graduated” from the children’s home just two years ago at age 18, the age at which all children are required to phase out, is a special current example of God’s working through this ministry. He is Dustin Munden, who came to the home at age 12.
Dustin was living with his grandmother in North Carolina, and was constantly causing trouble both at home and at school with his unruly friends. He never saw or knew his father, and his mother was in prison at that time. Since his grandmother couldn’t control him, she brought him to the children’s home here in Greenville.
“My life was changed by coming to the home,” Dustin declared. “If I had not come here, I would not have been saved.” He added: “I appreciate so much the Guerrants and the staff and all that they have done for me. They have helped me to mature as a person, to learn to control myself and my anger. They have really helped me to grow up, to respect other people, and to enjoy life.” Dustin recently completed his freshman year at North Greenville University.
Jeff Guerrant is the present Director of the home. He and his wife Debbie have served as houseparents since 2000. Jeff verified: “The Lord has really worked in Dustin’s life. He is now such a fine young man. He successfully completed high school, is now faithfully attending church, and is living for the Lord.”
Guerrant went on to say, “It seems like the devil is always trying to harm our work in some way. But when we see these wonderful transformations, it is so encouraging.” He added: “This is God’s ministry, and we look to Him to do His work in the children’s hearts and lives. It is a very hard ministry, but it is also a very rewarding ministry.”
Continuing, Guerrant stressed: “We try to do all we can to help the children individually. We don’t think about running a children’s home or operating an institution. We focus on helping each child with his or her own specific needs and development. Most of them come to us from difficult circumstances, and they need a lot of personal attention and help. We think of ourselves as substitute parents, and we try to treat each child as our own.”
The Director also stressed that the children’s home is a church ministry, so it is a Bible based ministry. All the children are taught the Scriptures and memorize Bible verses. They all study the Bible in classes at the Tabernacle Christian School and attend the services of the Tabernacle Baptist Church.
“We try to teach the children by our example, also,” Guerrant said, “so we have to live a good testimony before them, for the Lord’s sake.” He added, “We hope and pray that each child will remember the lessons and verses they have learned in their future lives.”
Many churches around the Southeast contribute to the operational support of this Tabernacle Baptist Church ministry. After former Pastor Dr. Harold Sightler started the home ministry, he solicited the help of other churches during his preaching visits. Several area businesses and individuals also contribute regularly. But the majority of the budget is provided monthly by the sponsoring Tabernacle Baptist Church. The cost for all expenses, including education and medical expenses, runs about $1,000 per child per month, Pastor Aiken explained. And the people of the church are pleased to provide it.
For many years, groups of children from the home have visited supporting churches, singing for their helpful friends and sharing testimonies of what God has done for them. “They are always a blessing to these churches,” Guerrant declared. “The kids get a chance to meet other people, and it’s a great opportunity for them, also.” One church in Tennessee invites the entire current children’s home family to visit with them each summer for several days of fun and recreational activities. Some churches at times provide the children with clothing and/or toys.
Guerrant commented, “We constantly ask ourselves if we are doing a good job, if we are helping the children all we can, if we are accomplishing what God wants us to accomplish in the lives of these children.” He concluded, “Then we think of hundreds of people who are praying for us and for the children, and supporting us, and we know without a doubt that God is with us, that He is always helping us, and that He is doing His work in the heart and life of each child.”
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