Hidden Heroes

I thank the Lord for the Hidden Heroes in all of our lives. You know, the people that the world considered ordinary, yet they had a profound impact upon your life. I think of all the ministers of the past who impacted my life without very much public fanfare for their roles in ministry. I think of men like Gordon Shirley, Zeno Smith, Leldon Nave, Donald Beard, Amos Sanford, John Ramsey, and John Thomas along with dozens of others I pastored who were such great helpers to me throughout the years. When I was thinking about this blog I recalled a story that I had read many years ago about a Hidden Hero who, even after her death in 1992, is still touching lives today.

Clara McBride Hale, founder of Hale House, a nationally recognized facility for the care of addicted children, was born on April 1, 1905 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Hale was a child, her father died, forcing her mother to take in lodgers to support her four children.  After graduating from high school, Clara McBride married Thomas Hale and moved to New York City. Together they had two children, Nathan and Lorraine, and adopted Kenneth. Thomas died, leaving Hale to support her family as a domestic helper.  

While raising her children in Harlem, Hale developed a deep sympathy for abandoned and neglected children.  In the 1940s, she began providing short-term and long-term care for community children in her home. She also found permanent homes for homeless children and taught parents essential parenting skills. In 1960, she became a licensed foster parent, providing care for hundreds of children in her home. Hale’s success as a foster parent earned her the affectionate nickname of “Mother Hale.”

In 1969, at the age of 64, Hale became the foster parent of an infant addicted to cocaine.  She responded to needs of other children with this affliction by founding a groundbreaking foster care program in Harlem, Hale House. The respite care program also provided training to drug-addicted mothers on how to improve the health of their chemically dependent babies. Hale's unique program required mothers to live in Hale House with their children and attend a drug rehabilitation program. In the 1980s, Hale expanded Hale House services to include care for infants stricken with HIV and those who had lost parents to AIDS.

By 1991, Hale House cared for approximately 1,000 infants and toddlers. During her distinguished career, Hale received numerous honors and awards for her community service. She received an honorary doctorate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and public service awards from the National Mother’s Day Committee and the Truman Award for Public Service. In 1985, during his State of the Union Address, President Ronald Reagan referred to Hale as an “American hero” for her commitment to at-risk children. Mother Hale never asked for recognition or world acclaim, she just did what was right. She saw a need she could fill and did so without much attention for many years.

I would like to give a special thanks to those who care for a special needs child, an orphaned child, or an elderly person who cannot take care of themselves. You may not ever receive special recognition, even in your later years, for the job you do, but God is keeping the record. Thanks to all the men and women of the faith that have sacrificed through the years to keep the light of the Gospel burning brightly. Thanks to every church member who has faithfully done more than their share without much recognition. It is because of these Hidden Heroes the blessings of God continue even today.

I am very fortunate to have a Hidden Hero living in my home. My wife, Becky, along with her friend, Glenda McAbee, ministers to the elderly in the nursing homes 2 to 3 times a month. Even though she's not a pastor's wife any longer, she still takes little crosses with a special poem inside to the local hospital and distributes them to every patient and their family who will receive them. She also encourages people with cards that she mails out everywhere several times a week. That's the kind of ministry of a Hidden Hero. It's one that doesn't always get public recognition, but the heavenly one will come one day.

Thank God for all the Hidden Heroes. Our families, our nation, and our churches would be hurting without your selfless acts. God bless each and everyone of you. And guess what? You just might be a Hidden Hero to somebody you least expect!