Where It All Began

When a young woman purchased a small home in Hot Springs, Arkansas, as a place to care for orphaned children, she was simply following the call God had placed in her heart. Today, Hillcrest Children’s Home, under the umbrella of COMPACT Family Services, has provided compassionate ministry to children and families for 82 years and counting.

The house, now central to 52 acres of property encompassing 24 additional buildings, has found new life as a historical prayer walk experience and a prayer retreat center for pastors and leaders seeking to add or expand ministry to children in need and foster families.

The ministry began in the heart of 13-year-old Gladys Hinson, who was inspired by the work of Lillian Trasher to someday open an orphan care ministry. During her college years, Hinson believed the work would be in China; but when that idea was derailed by the 1941 Pearl Harbor disaster, she felt God turning her heart toward orphans in America.

Hinson began praying about where to plant the ministry, while having conversations with Assemblies of God leaders including E. S. Williams, J.R. Flower, and several districts. After getting approval for a national ministry, she found a two-bedroom house in Hot Springs, Arkansas—the city in which the AG was founded—and on September 22, 1944, the National Children’s Home of the Assemblies of God opened, eventually taking the name Hillcrest Children’s Home and later becoming part of COMPACT (Compassionate/Action) Ministries. The ministry was featured in a 1945 Pentecostal Evangel article, leading to additional visibility and support.

Hinson took in 17 children the first year, starting with three young boys who had witnessed a horrific tragedy involving both of their parents. A local church made the connection with Hinson; and years later, the father met Christ through prison ministry and was eventually released and able to rebuild contact with his sons.

One of Hillcrest’s most amazing early stories recently came full circle with the dedication of the renovated Hinson House.

One of those first young brothers, Milton Davis, was three years old when he arrived at the children’s home. A couple of years later, as a five-year-old, it was his turn to pick up a milk delivery from the front porch steps when he heard a cry coming from a box and opened it to find a newborn baby girl. Carrying the box to Hinson, young Milton helped tend to the baby, and together they decided to name her Sharon Rose, after the “Rose of Sharon” mentioned in the Bible. Initially taking Hinson as a last name, Sharon was later adopted by a children’s home staff member, but the other details were lost to time as Hinson, sadly, passed away in 1949.

Sixty-four years later, Milton Davis was able to return to Hillcrest Children’s Home and share the story of finding Sharon and helping name her; but he did not know her whereabouts. Within the last year, however, Sharon’s daughter, Sheila Temple, had begun researching details of her mother’s early years, knowing only that she had been abandoned at an orphanage in Hot Springs, Arkansas, before being adopted by a staff member who later married and moved to Louisiana. The research led to a visit, and on May 23, 2026, as the renovated house was rededicated to ministry, Sharon Rose celebrated her 80th birthday as guest of honor on the same front porch where she had been abandoned as an infant.

“She was so happy to be there, seeing the house and pictures,” said Temple of the visit. “What a miracle—the fact that strangers let God use them to love and nurture my mother is never out of my mind. We are so thankful for everyone that had a hand in saving her life.”

The dedication and final stages of renovation were coordinated by Lance Nelson, who serves as foster care director at COMPACT.

“It was amazing to be on that porch and realize that the history of Assemblies of God child welfare ministry started in this house,” shares Nelson.

He credits earlier leadership with doing some updating over the years so the house had good basics to work with, and is thankful for Speed the Light and BGMC, as well as partner churches across the United States, who helped make funding possible for the remaining projects and décor. Those same groups also helped fund recently-added transitional housing for 18- to 21-year-olds aging out of the child welfare system.  

The Hinson House now serves as a walk-through prayer experience, with commemorative placards and prayer cards at stations throughout. One prayer station focuses on prayer for kids in the foster system waiting for adoption placement. Another prayer point, near a view of the campus chapel, is for more churches to step up, not only with financial support but by encouraging and supporting foster families. Toward that end, the house will also serve as a retreat location for pastors wanting to spend time learning more about such ministry and praying about how their church should get involved.

Former COMPACT Director Jay Mooney, now serving as ministries and resources officer for the Assemblies of God, offered the dedicatory prayer at the celebration. He shares that it was a moving experience to watch kids currently residing at Hillcrest Home as they reacted to Sharon Rose’s story.

“It’s such an inspirational story of thanksgiving and hope,” says Mooney. “Kids were able to hear her testimony and realize they, too, have a future!”

During Mooney’s tenure at COMPACT, an old oak tree at the Hinson House was badly split due to age and weathering. Mooney reached out to a Missouri pastor who is a certified arborist, and “Dan the Tree Man” was able to repair the tree using bolts and cables, saying, “The roots are still healthy.” The tree is still standing, and the story has inspired a children’s book called “The Promise Tree,” a reminder that kids who arrive badly broken can be put back together with God’s help.

Both Mooney and current Executive Director Alan Bixler shared that a highlight of serving at COMPACT is meeting adults who come back to visit as they realize what an important part the ministry played in their lives.

“This is a national opportunity,” says Bixler of the ongoing need in the U.S. due to rising numbers of broken families. He has worked to expand partnerships with other national faith-based agencies and appropriate legal agencies, including setting goals for family reunification. He is grateful for the work of chaplains and missionaries in the foster care space, which number over 40.

The Hinson House is being referred to as a home missions initiative, pulling from the early name of U.S. Missions and reflecting the fact that foster families are, indeed, families on mission. Bixler and Nelson hope to see the house become a place for pastors and other visitors to grasp that mission.

Cynthia J Thomas

Cynthia J. Thomas worked for Assemblies of God U.S. Missions for six years before becoming primary caregiver for her father, a World War II veteran. She has served as a counselor for victims of domestic violence and women facing crisis pregnancies. Cindy and her husband, Phil, a schoolteacher, volunteer in youth outreach and have three adult children and one granddaughter.