The mission of Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries (CMCM) is to restore the faith, family and future of our children and families, and the brightest future they can have is one with Jesus at the center of their lives. The heart and soul of CMCM is that our children and families know Jesus and draw closer to Him.
The children who come to Connie Maxwell are in the midst of the most painful and confusing times of their lives through no fault of their own. Out of that comes a lack of hope, trust and faith. We work to restore their faith in family, themselves and God and all He can do to make their hopes, dreams and aspirations for their future achievable.
During the summer, eight CMCM children and one mom in the Family Care program surrendered their lives to Christ and were baptized.
“God is at work, not just in the children, but all over campus.” – Ed Gidewall
Ed Gidewall, Senior Pastor at Connie Maxwell Baptist Church (CMBC), shared, “God is at work, not just in the children of Connie Maxwell, but all over campus.”
Our Village
As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. Throughout the year, children are poured into by their cottage parents, relationships with staff members, cottage conversations created by Gidewall and time spent at multiple church service opportunities at CMBC.
Stacy Higginbotham, a cottage parent to elementary school boys, was there when two boys decided to follow Jesus.
Higginbotham shared about Aaron’s transformation after coming to know Jesus and how grateful she was to be part of it. “Anything he could learn, he wanted to learn. You could tell he was hungry for it and wanted to understand more. And then you could see a change in his personality and outward actions. You don’t always get to see the fruits of your labor. You pour into children, plant those seeds, and sometimes you never get to watch it grow. You continue to water it. But it was exciting to be able to be part of that with him and to be able to share with everyone else about what happened.”
After the boys committed to follow Jesus, Alex Morrison, Associate Pastor of Worship and Discipleship at CMBC, met individually to answer questions and discuss the next step of professing their faith through baptism.
“After our students make a profession of faith and get baptized, we’ve begun a process of discipleship with them. We meet with the kids weekly for eight weeks, going through some major topics. We do this hoping they can grow in their faith, not just while on campus, but as they leave here one day,” Morrison shared.
Connie Maxwell Baptist Church serves as both the CMCM campus and community church. Children at the Greenwood campus attend the church, where they interact weekly with Sunday school teachers, pastors, cottage parents and CMCM staff.
Gidewall is passionate about teaching the gospel to the kids at Connie Maxwell. “We teach the kids that there is a Creator who loves them dearly. He has made them, and He has a purpose for their lives. There are many things out of their control that have happened to them. Connie Maxwell is a place where they can come and understand who God is, who they are and how they fit into His purpose,” said Gidewall.
On Sunday evenings, the children participate in cottage conversations with their cottages. These conversations discuss what they learned that morning at church, allowing students to engage with the message.
“Through the cottage conversations, our cottage parents have been able to further disciple. They’ve been able to talk to them about the things of God, and some of them have even had the opportunity to lead the students to Jesus,” Gidewall shared.
Leading students to Jesus is the heart and soul of Connie Maxwell.
Danny Nicholson, President of CMCM, exclaims, “Building the kingdom of God—that’s what’s most important at Connie Maxwell. It’s what Connie Maxwell is all about. It’s why we exist.”
Our Decade of Dreams Campaign is a 10-year plan centered on the spiritual formation of Connie Maxwell children. CMCM aims to offer healing and hope to every child, not only by providing a roof over their head, loving cottage parents and therapeutic services, but ultimately through the Savior of the world.
President Nicholson noted the generational impact that takes place when people give and pray for Connie Maxwell children. “Generations of families have been impacted by Connie Maxwell sharing Jesus with children and their families. So when you give, not only are you giving to a child right now to transform their life and the love of Christ, but you’re affecting generations of families to know the love of Jesus.”
When Connie Maxwell children are rooted in their faith and find their purpose in the One who created them, they become catalysts for hope and healing, impacting generations to come for the glory of God.
“When they understand their purpose and how they fit into God’s Kingdom. Not only will they live differently than the lives they came from, but they will change the world around them,” stated Gidewall.
If you’re interested in making an eternal impact in the lives of Connie Maxwell children and families through a donation to the ministry, please visit conniemaxwell.com/give.
