Houseparenting…
The Practice of Pure Religion from James 1:27
Children’s Homes Inc.’s (CHI’s) family-style Experiential Learning Academy (ELA) has an immediate opening for a Christian husband and wife team to serve as HOUSEPARENTS.
Married couples committed to ministry who are graduates of Bible institutes, preacher schools, Christian colleges and universities often become preachers, youth and family ministers, missionaries etc. There is another option that also includes a paid ministry position for not just the Christian man, but also the Christian woman…Houseparenting!
Congregations of the churches of Christ across the United States support various children’s homes. Most are funded by a combination of funds from the government, churches and individuals. Government funding often interferes with the spiritual mission of Christian children’s homes…but not at Children’s Homes, Inc.
CHI is a family-style children’s home with an academy fully-funded by Christians and churches of Christ, not the government. CHI started as a ministry of the 7th and Mueller Church of Christ in 1955. Today, the shepherds of this church still make up the governing board of the ministry and continue to provide oversite. CHI continues as a ministry of the church of Christ with spiritual and financial support from roughly 400 congregations, 17,000 individual donors and a small endowment.
CHI’s ELA is located in Paragould, Ark., on a combined 380 picturesque acres on beautiful Crowley’s Ridge in Northeast Arkansas. CHI is twenty minutes from Jonesboro Ark., two hours from Little Rock Ark,. an hour and a half from Memphis Tenn., and four hours from Saint Louis, Mo.
MISSION and ENVIRONMENT
CHI is a ministry that:
• Practices the principles of James 1:27 by lifting the burdens of orphans missing one or both parents;
• Apprentices youth to become resilient followers of Jesus Christ;
• Teaches youth how to live with and trust a traditional family environment;
• Allows natural and simulated experiences to teach youth how to function at a higher level and accept discomfort
as a normal occurrence of real life;
• Trains youth how to hold themselves accountable when only God is watching;
• Shows youth by example and instruction how to self-regulate; and
• Decreases the negative impact past trauma has on their present day lives.
Students live in one of eight single Family Homes (FHs) lead by a husband and wife team. Each houseparent couple serves up to six youth of the same gender grades six through eleven (ages eleven through seventeen). Each family home has separate 900 to 1,200 sq. ft. private living quarters for houseparent families. The family homes are 3,500 to 3,700 sq. ft. of total living space.
SALARY, BENEFITS AND SAVINGS
Houseparent couples earn a base gross salary of $60,000 annually. Gross salary increases are possible based on prior houseparenting experience. Houseparent couples receive 12 weeks off annually. The husband serves in the family home, as well as away from it in another role at CHI from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. M-F. Lunch is up to an hour a day. The total gross cash salary, benefit package, plus savings totals $119,232.84 annually. A breakdown of the latter is sent upon request.
EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
Prospective couples should be:
• Active member of the church of Christ;
• Married a minimum of two years;
• High school graduates or equivalent;
• Twenty-four years or older;
• Free of no red flags from background checks;
• In possession of a current valid driver’s license;
• American citizens or possess a Permanent
Resident Card or Green Card;
• Fluent in English;
• Open-minded and willing to learn;
• Team players; and
• Able to collect three positive non-relative references.
If you are interested in learning more about houseparenting
and the practice of pure religion, contact
Paul Schandevel at pauls@childrenshomes.org.
You can also text or call 870.236.0682 anytime.
s
5515 Walcott Road • Paragould, AR 72450
(870) 239-4031 • www.childrenshomes.org