In a world where so many things are temporary, longevity is scarce; appliances, products, and jobs are intended only to last a few years and then be gone. This makes long-standing steadfastness all the more valuable, and this quality, though rare, shines bright in people like Steve Shiflet, Executive Vice President at Connie Maxwell, who has been serving this ministry for more than 38 years.
Shiflet, the recipient of this year’s “Will You Come to Me in My Dreams” Endowment Award, has decades of faithful service to the Lord and the children we serve behind him. Connie Maxwell and many children and families are now changed for the better because of his work.
Reflecting on this, President Danny Nicholson says, “The ‘Will You Come to Me in My Dreams’ Endowment Award is very personal to Debra and me. When we came in 2017, we established an endowment fund to honor the ‘holy moment’ when God called us to this tender ministry and to honor and remember our parents. We could not be more thrilled for Steve Shiflet to be chosen to represent this award and for Connie Maxwell as a whole. He is what Connie Maxwell is all about!”
Thinking back on his path to Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries (CMCM), Shiflet credits God with crafting a course uniquely tailored to his gifts and desires. He says he “had no idea” what he wanted to do growing up, but he discovered a love for serving children, especially those from hard places, through a children’s program at his church. As his church sought to bring in vulnerable children and share the love of Christ with them, Shiflet became a Sunday school teacher, where he quickly developed a passion for seeing children heal and grow as they experienced the love and care of the Lord and His people. At the same time, Shiflet took an accounting class in high school and found he also had another passion- the rational, sensible nature of math and numbers, which led him to complete an accounting degree in college.
He never dreamed that God would one day fulfill both a love for serving children and a passion for accounting in one role, but in 1983, he saw a job opening for CMCM. Shiflet applied, was accepted to the job, and soon began a career that would last a lifetime. While he loved the accounting work, Shiflet also wanted to start forming relationships with the children who called Connie Maxwell home.
Shiflet recalled how he was single when he began working at CMCM, and this afforded him extra time beyond work hours to invest in the children and the ministry work. For a time, Shiflet also worked part- time at the gym – in addition to working full-time as an accountant – so he could devote himself more to direct contact care for the children. He also began attending Connie Maxwell Baptist Church, effectively rooting his entire life at CMCM.
Shiflet recalls some people jokingly saying that since he spent all his time at CMCM as a single man, he wasn’t ever going to find a wife, but little did they know that God had a plan for that too.
After working for a time, Shiflet began dating an alumnus of CMCM, and Steve and Renee Shiflet were married on March 30, 1991.They became cottage parents in 1996, and together, Steve and Renee both poured their lives out for the children at CMCM. It was also in 1996 that their son Christopher was born, and later on, the Shiflets would become licensed foster parents and adopted two daughters.
Thinking back over his years here, Shiflet speaks most often of how God has providentially led and provided for CMCM and how it has been evident that the Lord has blessed the work of this ministry. He mentions past presidents as evidence that God provides what CMCM needs at precisely the right time, from the business and relational know-how of Ben Davis to the energy and forward thinking of current President Danny Nicholson.
“God provides that person, for that position, that we need for that time in the life of CMCM,” Shiflet remarks; “even looking back in history, God moved in the saints that built Connie Maxwell, doing the right thing at the right time.” He also shared how CMCM has remained remarkably consistent with its mission of serving children, seeing them heal, and directing them toward Jesus.
Despite many opportunities to sway from its original purpose over 130 years of existence, Shiflet is proud to be among those who have helped CMCM remain and thrive in serving children and giving them a place to grow and know the Lord. Now looking forward, Shiflet is excited to see the direction the ministry is going: while anchoring in the past and remaining true to its mission, CMCM is embarking on new roads as it seeks to help children heal from past wounds and trauma in even more profound ways, using the latest science, research, and psychological healing models to implement programs and practices that lead children in healing at the deepest possible levels.
As Shiflet now approaches retirement, he knows that CMCM is in good hands and going in a beautiful direction, still reliant on the provision and protection of God and committed to being a leader in providing world-class care to vulnerable children from hard places.
When asked what he thinks of spending his entire career in one place, Shiflet clarifies that he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s not just a job. It’s so much more,” he says. He feels deeply contented knowing God orchestrated his life and work here. Shiflet talks of how there were children he and Renee served in the cottage who still call him “Daddy Steve.” Reflecting on this, he says, “It doesn’t get any better than that – to know you had an effect on a child’s life.”
Shiflet also points to his wife Renee as a steady fixture over his time at CMCM, who became a nurse after her time as a cottage parent. But even in another career, her heart was still with the work of the ministry, and Shiflet recalls how she was at every event, always supporting him and right there beside him the whole time as he continued his work at CMCM.
Unfortunately, in 2017, Renee was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after a three-year battle. Yet still, Shiflet points to how God moved and used the passing of his beloved wife to spur him on in the work God has called him to do. He experienced deep community and support from fellow employees and his intimacy with the Lord grew beyond what he had ever known as he prayed for his wife’s healing.
Even though God did not give Renee earthly healing, Shiflet says, “He provided heavenly healing… she’ll never get sick again… she gained it all.” Shiflet says that he became more compassionate, prayerful, and empathetic because of God’s faithfulness shown to him through Renee and her battle with cancer as the Church and God himself drew near to comfort his grief. Because of this, even in her passing, Renee was still helping him be a better man and serve the Lord more faithfully.
Thinking about what’s next, Shiflet wants to pour into others, passing on what he has learned and watching those coming after him “take it and run.” Shiflet is also planning on sticking around when he retires, doing volunteer work with organizing and digitizing the many paper files accumulated over 130 years of existence, hopefully making an accurate, easily accessible digital historical record of CMCM’s history.
Beyond this, Shiflet states that he wants to continue becoming more like Jesus and living by the principle of “More of Him, and less of me.”
