When students arrive at college, they probably don’t expect to find new families, but members of College Baptist Church have “adopted” more than 100 students this fall, a record number since the start of the program.
“Being a part of an adopted family through College Baptist has been one of the biggest blessings in my time at Hillsdale,” senior Ingrid Dornbirer said. “The Maxwells are intentional about checking in, leaving me unexpected gifts, praying for me and inviting me and my adopted siblings over to their house. Their home has become such a safe space for me. I can’t imagine my Hillsdale experience without the support of the Hillsdale community through the adopt-a-student program.”
The adopt-a-college-student program has been a part of College Baptist’s outreach for decades, according to Rachel Cuthbert, head of the program and wife to pastor Ben Cuthbert.
“The Adopt a Student Program is a more intentional way to connect College Baptist families with students that intend to make CBC their home church while at Hillsdale College,” Cuthbert said. “It matches families and students, but what the program looks like specifically can differ depending on families and students’ schedules and interests.”
This year brought a record number of students and families into the program: 118 students were adopted into 39 different families. In comparison, four years ago, about 70 or 80 students were adopted, Cuthbert said. To account for the increased interest, some families have adopted multiple students.
“We have some families that take on one or two students, but this year we have a couple families with eight or nine,” Cuthbert said. “Every year, I stress about having just the right number of family spots for all the students interested, and every year it works out by God’s grace.”
The adopt-a-student-program can be whatever the family and students make it, Cuthbert said. Many families have their college students over for meals or drop off care packages. Hillsdale students also support their younger adopted siblings by babysitting, playing together, or attending sports competitions and theater shows.
“We’ve developed a couple traditions that we try to do every year,” Cuthbert said. “We always have our students over for dinner and pumpkin carving in the fall. We try to have them over right before Christmas break, for the Superbowl, and we always open our home for anyone who is around for Easter.”
While the program technically only lasts through college, the relationships it creates often last for years afterward. Cuthbert described the joy of attending weddings of their adopted students and even becoming “adopted grandparents.”
Some students who remained in Hillsdale have assumed the role of parents adopting college students.
“We currently have families and individuals adopting students in our church who were adopted at one point when they were students at Hillsdale,” Cuthbert said. “I know a lot of lifelong friendships and relationships that have developed through this program.”
Brock Lutz, director of health services at Hillsdale College and an elder at College Baptist, said the program has greatly blessed his family over the years.
“We have loved over the years serving as adopted families for students,” Lutz said. “We feel it is a very important part of being able to serve the college and its students and have been privileged to know many students in that capacity. Many of them we still keep in contact with from over a decade ago.”
While the program is oriented to support students in college, the support often circles back for the families, Cuthbert said.
“This past year, I’ve gotten to watch how an adopted family stepped up in a big way for a student going through a challenging time and how a group of adopted students stepped up to serve a family who was going through significant health challenges,” Cuthbert said.
Lutz said he has seen the impact his adoptive students have had on his own children.
“They have benefited from having adopted big brothers and big sisters over the years, and that has had a deep impact on their lives and their faith,” Lutz said. “We are so grateful for that.”
For many students, leaving home for the first time, missing family and especially younger siblings can be hard to adjust to. Often, fitting into a new family is a comfort in that change, and the kids love it.
“Our kids love having college students around,” Cuthbert said. “They’re incredible Christ-like role models for our kids. We get to see and catch up with them week by week and they are a joy to be around.”
With the growth in the program, more and more students are inheriting not only adopted younger siblings, but fellow student-siblings who they may not have met otherwise.
Freshman Lucy Hicks now shares the same adopted family at College Baptist as Dornbirer.
Hicks said the program has helped her through her freshman year.
“I think the adopt-a-student program gets college students involved in the life of the church and the community,” Hicks said. “They get to learn from older folks and they have a family away from home. It really benefits the students and it also gives a sense of commitment to a church for the students.
Hick’s adopted parents have been a great role model, she said.
“I have been really blessed by the Maxwell’s through prayer and meals! It’s been helpful in my transition to have parental figures here if I need it and to have younger siblings to invest in.”
