Christian Education

A week or so ago Debbie Pardue told me that there were Thornwell Turkeys on my desk in the church office. When I saw them a childhood memory came rushing back to me. I remember filling up Thornwell Tom the Turkey banks when I was a kid. The children and youth I went to church with took great pride in filling as many turkey banks as we could. As a child the point for me was to fill up the turkey bank because the other kids were doing it. I didn’t know what Thornwell was. That changed when my youth group started to participate in the Presbyterian Youth Days each Fall at Presbyterian College my freshman year of high school. The first year we went to PC for Youth Day our Minister made arrangements for us to stay at Thornwell for the weekend. To be very honest I was expecting Thornwell to be like the orphanage on the movie Annie and boy was I mistaken. Thornwell became one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Presbyterian College. As a student at PC, I became involved in the volunteer program between PC and Thornwell as a Big Sister to one of the cottages for middle school children. For two years I worked at Thornwell’s Child Development Center in the 2-year-old classroom. After graduating from PC Thornwell became a special place in my heart again when I worked at Westminster Presbyterian. Perry Hamilton was a member of Westminster, and he was a proud Thornwell graduate from the 40s. Every time he would see me he would tell to me about his times at Thornwell. He began living there when he was orphaned at six years of age. He received his high school diploma and went directly across the street to be a student at Presbyterian College and ultimately received a college degree, all from the graciousness of Thornwell.

Thornwell’s history begins right after the Civil War. Presbyterian Minister, Williams Plumer Jacobs, of First Presbyterian Church in Clinton, SC felt the call to open an orphanage. The story is that a young boy heard about what Reverend Jacobs’ was doing and the boy gave him a half dollar and said “this is to help build your orphanage”. In 1875 the doors to Thornwell opened to 10 orphaned children.

Thornwell currently serves to prevent child abuse and neglect, build up and reunite families, and support healthy communities in the name of Jesus Christ. They offer a Christ-centered continuum of care featuring programs for teen moms, infants, toddlers, preschool children, young kids, teenagers, young adults, and families

So, what is the point of the Thornwell’s Tom the Turkey you ask? November is Thornwell Emphasis Month and for as long as I can remember Thornwell has asked congregations to use the Turkey Banks to help the ministry of Thornwell. This year’s theme is Lighting the Way to Jesus. Help me this November by filling up a Thornwell Turkey or two and returning them to Providence. A little goes a long way just like the young boy’s 50 cents did in 1870. Empty Turkey Banks can be picked up from the church office.

To learn more about Thornwell and the ministry there visit https://thornwell.org/

Blessing to you and your family,

Rosie Robinson