Church of God Orphanage, Cleveland (1920)

On December 17, 1920, the first orphanage founded by the Church of God opened in Cleveland, Tennessee. In an era marked by poverty, illness, and the lingering wounds of war, many children were left without stable homes or daily care. The opening of this orphanage signaled a deliberate Christian response to suffering: not merely to lament need, but to meet it with organized compassion, prayer, and steady labor.

A.J. Tomlinson and a Prayerful Vision

Pioneer A. J. Tomlinson is closely associated with the orphanage’s beginnings, as his burden for vulnerable children grew through prayer and persistent action. He and other leaders urged believers to hold together two commitments—preaching the gospel and practicing mercy—trusting God to provide as needs arose. Scripture often cited in such work was taken as a plain directive: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and undefiled is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). The orphanage became a tangible answer to that command, shaped by conviction rather than convenience.

A Home of Compassion and Order

The Cleveland orphanage aimed to offer more than beds and meals. Supporters sought a Christ-centered home where children would be taught to pray, to work honestly, and to live with discipline and hope. Such institutions depended on sacrificial giving—food, clothing, coal, repairs, and countless unseen tasks—often supplied by ordinary church members who served quietly and faithfully. Their heroism was rarely public, yet it was real: steadfast obedience, generous hands, and hearts willing to bear another’s burden.

Practical Mercy as Gospel Witness

The orphanage’s opening testified that Christian faith is meant to be lived. Those who served believed that care for the forgotten reflects the heart of Christ: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40). In Cleveland, Tennessee, that conviction took institutional form—a ministry built through prayer, maintained through sacrifice, and offered as a daily witness that love does not remain in words, but becomes a home.