Tony McCall Speaks to Men's Group

 
Tony McCall

  “Every man wants to get to the end of his life and feel he has accomplished something,” said Tony McCall, owner of McCall’s Painting & Home Design, speaking at the Sat., Dec. 2, 2023, Brotherhood breakfast at Faith Temple (FT), Taylors, SC. 

Men gathered in Fleming Hall for an 8:30 a.m. meal cooked by Tony’s wife, Cindy. Tony, who serves as a FT deacon and Sunday school teacher, spoke about his and Cindy’s foster care work during the years 1999-2006.

“Foster care” allows a minor to be placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a ‘foster parent,’ or with a family member approved by the state, Wikipedia says.

“We all have a purpose. I’m sort of a nervous person,” said Tony, an energetic worker who accepted the Lord after he was a married adult. “I try to remember who I was without Christ.” 

The McCalls have 2 natural daughters, Crystal and April. Their son, Michael, lived 2 weeks and died on Dec. 7, 1988. Their daughters were about 10-12 years old when Cindy felt interested in foster care. Cindy’s mother had lived about 2 years at Tabernacle Children’s Home before graduating from high school. The McCalls concentrated on “sibling groups,”working with about 20 children over the years. DSS allowed only 8 people per household, including parents.

“It was a calling on my wife at first,” Tony said. “I had a burning desire to go the extra mile. Taking children into your home is a big deal. I knew God’s hand was on this, though we had a lot of pushback. We took classes to begin doing foster care… learning things to say and not say. I heard God say, ‘Put the love first.’” (Tony remembered that he himself was adopted into God’s family, he said.

“Some kids came to us with pretty much nothing. Some cried for their mommies and daddies at night. As we showed love, I saw a change in the children. It wasn’t all fun and games. Kids can test you. It was hard on our marriage. There was a lot of heartache in this.”

Some children left the McCall’s house to return to their old homes or relatives’ homes. 

“Some kids went out of our home, crying, wanting to stay with us… They were going to homes that weren’t stable,” Tony said. 

The McCalls added to their 2 daughters by adopting 3 children: Tony (who goes by “Scott’), Danielle, and Dustin.

Tony says he is excited about FT’s Extending Grace Ministries that he leads. “The God of the Bible is a God of purpose,” he says. “I’m going to stay focused on God.”

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