Buckner International is celebrating 140 years of serving children, strengthening families, and inspiring happiness in the lives of seniors.
On April 4, 1879, Dr. Robert Cooke “Father” Buckner founded Buckner Orphans Home in Dallas after seeing the needs of hurting and orphaned children in post-Civil War Texas. In the first years, Buckner Orphans Home was filled with children left parentless due to disease and hardship. By 1885, the population of the home swelled to 350.
Today, the ministry is a Christ-centered organization that delivers redemptive ministry to the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life.
According to the ministry, it was Father Buckner’s deep compassion for the hopeless and helpless that served as the driving force behind his work. He constantly looked for innovative ways to deliver social ministries, including those to elders, combining his theological beliefs with a progressive social conscience.
“We gathered as a staff to reflect upon how God has called people together beginning with R.C. Buckner,” reported John Hall, Buckner’s associate director of public relations, on the day of the ministry’s 140th anniversary. “They are driven by passion, are Christ-like and have a servant spirit. That formula leads to transformed lives.”
According to Hall, God has used Buckner to transform the lives of those the ministry serves, but it’s also radically changed the lives of those who serve.
“All of us our closer to God by serving in his name,” Hall reported. “We have built relationships with others that will last a lifetime. And we are carrying forth a legacy of caring that will continue to ripple through generations of people.”
Hall concluded his report saying that the first 140 years have been” tremendous” and the ministry “can’t wait to see what God has in store for Buckner in the next 140!”
