By Mandy Corbin
Director of Marketing
MOUNT VERNON— On, Sunday, Nov. 6, Brewton-Parker College President Dr. Steve Echols led a team of faculty and staff to Waycross to celebrate the donation of the Crawford Street Baptist Church facility to the college. The partnership agreement will allow for the development of an education program located at Crawford Street Baptist Church where students will have the opportunity to take classes in the area of Christian studies and earn a certificate of completion in the program. Students may also opt to turn those completed courses into earned college credit at Brewton-Parker.
“We are grateful to Crawford Street Baptist Church for establishing this new partnership with Brewton-Parker College,” stated Echols. “The gracious donation of their wonderful facility gives BPC a great location to connect with the entire region for ministry education and opportunities for our students to serve. We also look forward to working with other churches and the Piedmont-Okefenokee Baptist Association in doing all that we can to reach this key area for Christ. Crawford Street Baptist Church has been a beacon of light for many years. We appreciate the vision of Pastor Larry Ray and the congregation to continue to find ways to minister in years ahead.”
Dr. Billy Puckett, BPC Assistant Professor of Theology, who preached on Nov. 6, is excited about the new venture. “Included in the mission of Brewton-Parker College is the desire to serve the Church through the application of Biblically-centered truth in a community of shared Christian values. Through our new partnership with Crawford Street Baptist and the cooperative effort of our Georgia Baptist partners, we will be better equipped to accomplish our mission and serve South Georgia.” Puckett delivered a message of resurrection and hope, proclaiming the ability of God to regenerate lives and ministries and accomplish a new work at Crawford Street Baptist Church. “Dr. David Wilson and Voices of Truth blessed all in attendance with their extraordinary excellence in worship,” Puckett added. “Reverend Larry Ray, pastor of Crawford Street, and the congregation at Crawford Street were gracious hosts, blessing all with their gift of hospitality. Pastor Ray commented, ‘We’re so grateful for our partnership with Brewton-Parker College for the perpetuation of the ministry at Crawford Street Baptist and for the spread of the gospel through these diverse ministries.’”
“This is without a doubt, a stroke of vision and an abiding trust in the ministry of Brewton-Parker College expressed by Crawford Street Baptist Church,” stated Freddie Smith, Pastor of Sweat Memorial Baptist Church of Waycross and Brewton-Parker Board of Trustees Member. “Established in 1933, the church has come to a time of needing to find God’s direction for the over $1 million facility. This is exciting for BPC and for this wonderful fellowship of believers in Waycross.”