See VIDEO of football clinic
More on the MURAL
Releases from CBF national, Arkansas Baptist College
and the Lake Providence Banner Democrat
Spring Conference 2009 Lake Providence
 
Part Conference, Part Community Outreach
Together for Hope:
Turning Towards Life
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
 
Football clinic bridges divides in Louisiana community
By Carla Wynn Davis, CBF Communications
In early May in Lake Providence, La., two high school football teams met on the football field not to compete but to help make each other better.
The local private high school, Briarfield Academy, is on one side of the community and the public high school, Lake Providence Senior High School, is on the other. And as locals tell it, they don’t get together much.
That’s what made this football clinic, held in conjunction with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana’s spring meeting, all the more significant. Though there are no CBF partnering congregations in Lake Providence or East Carroll Parish, the Fellowship has had a presence in the area for several years. Together for Hope, the Fellowship’s national rural poverty initiative, ministers in 20 of the poorest areas in the United States, and East Carroll Parish is one.
Former LSU and Baltimore Colts Star Bert Jones instructs quarterbacks.
Together for Hope uses an assets-based approach to community ministry, building off what a community does well, existing resources and dreams for the future. Ministries like the football clinic, which drew approximately 50 teenagers, help unite the community in order to build relationships and learn from one another, with the ultimate goal of working together to improve the community and reduce poverty.
“The camp was a good example of tapping people’s interests, skills and abilities,” said Jeremy Lewis, the Fellowship’s program manager for Together for Hope. “It’s welcoming to the community and lays a foundation for future relationships.”
 
The camp was led by Fitz Hill, president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, Ark., and a former football coach at the University of Arkansas and San Jose State University. After the clinic, the local football teams ate and worshipped together at a community rally, where Hill spoke about courage, comfort zones, getting to know neighbors and strength that comes through unity.
 
At the end of Hill’s address, CBF of Louisiana announced that it would fund a scholarship to send a Lake Providence student to Arkansas Baptist College, with which CBF of Arkansas has a ministry partnership. A committee made up of local community members will soon be formed to select what Reid Doster, CBF of Louisiana’s coordinator, hopes will be the first of many students to receive a scholarship to the college.
 
In addition to the football clinic and community rally, CBF of Louisiana hosted a variety of community activities including a carnival, cookout, painting a mural and more.
“Through this [weekend] event I felt we extended some bridges of understanding. We’re not trying to present ourselves as people with all the answers. We’re just doing our part along with a lot of other people,” said Doster. “Every time we go to Lake Providence we deepen trust and strengthen friendships.”
 
More ministry events are planned later this summer. Approximately 200 teenagers will serve in the parish through a “Mission Serve” project July 12-18. At the end of the summer, CBF of Louisiana will host its annual back-to-school event, which provides backpacks and school supplies to school-aged children in East Carroll and nearby Tensas Parish.
From Arkansas Baptist College:
Buffaloes Unify Lake Providence
The Buffaloes football coaching staff reached out and touched a
community, a community experiencing a great divide. It was said by a
person observing the clinic from the sidelines that this was the first
time in Lake Providence that a town was unified by an event such as
the football clinic for two high school football programs. Briarfield
Academy is the private high school in Lake Providence. Lake
Providence High School is the other high school in the small town.
The two schools are divided by railroad tracks. You get the picture
that I am trying to paint. But all of that history was put to rest on
Friday. Briarfield Academy crossed the tracks and came over to work
out with Lake Providence High School in what is hoped to be the 1st
Annual ABC Buffaloes Football Fundamentals Camp.
A few weeks ago, Coach Richard Wilson and his staff agreed to take on
the challenge of building unity through a football clinic for both
teams. It was indeed a success. For two hours the teams came
together to work on football fundamentals. If you didn't know any
differently, you would have thought that this was at least the fifth
practice because it was well organized and the young men worked very
well together. Sports has a way of bringing different people
together. NFL great quarterback, Bert Jones worked with the
quarterbacks and also talked to the student-athletes about working
hard in the off season.
This event was organized by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of
Louisiana in partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of
Arkansas. Last year, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas
relocated their state headquarters from west Little Rock to the campus
of Arkansas Baptist College.
After the football clinic, the teams ate and worshipped together at
Lake Providence High School. President of ABC, Fitz Hill spoke to the
teams and several members of the community in the school's auditorium
about being courageous and stepping outside your comfort zone inside
your local community. He stressed getting to know your neighbors,
explaining that strength is in unity not individualism.
 
At the conclusion of the community rally, the Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship of Louisiana announced that they will start an annual
scholarship for one student from Lake Providence to attend ABC. It
was truly a blessed day for everyone involved.
From the Lake Providence Banner Democrat:
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana Holds Conference
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana held its annual conference in Lake Providence the weekend of May 1 - May 2, 2009.
As part of this conference, a joint football clinic was held on Friday afternoon at Lake Providence High School for LPHS and Briarfield Academy varsity football players. The clinic was led by Dr. Fitz Hill and Coach Richard Wilson (his staff and players) from Arkansas Baptist College with help from Bert Jones and Jeremy Lewis, a former University of Georgia player. Sonny Nason, LPHS’s football coach and his helpers (Rob Perry, Leo Hawkins, Calvin Thomas, and Damien Brown), and Ben Durham and Kyle Powers, Briarfield Academy’s football coaches also helped.
The East Carroll Sheriff’s Department donated and cooked hamburgers for the players (and members of the conference) after practice. Then a rally was held, where Dr. Fitz Hill spoke on courage. Danny Terral’s No Name Band and the East Carroll Baptist Choir Association also performed.
 
The conference held meetings at Providence Church on Saturday morning. Then a free fun fest and Book Buddies event was held on Byerley House property
 
Kate Murphy, an artist from Pineville who is a member of the Fellowship, designed and directed a mural painting on the side of Jong’s #1. Area students from Northside, LP Junior High, and Briarfield were asked by their teachers to draw either their favorite thing about LP, a symbol for LP, or how they would like to see LP change.
These drawings were collected and mailed to the artist, who incorporated the ideas into a mural. The side of Jong’s was primed on Friday afternoon, then the image was projected on the wall on Friday night and penciled in. Actual painting was done all day Saturday. Go by and see what you think!
We would like to thank the following people:
For allowing us to paint a mural on their property – Leland and Lillian Jong
Donating paint – Audrey Batton, Mark Brown, Edna Gattle, Harvey Howington, Sara Beth Howard, Make A Difference Day Committee, Sharon Knight, Major and Donna Winters;
Giving us a good price on the paint and being very helpful – East Carroll Lumber Yard
Scaffolding – Pete Peterson;
Preparing hamburger fixings – Donna Winters;
Drawings - Students at LPJH, Northside, and Briarfield
Loaning ladders – Gene Edmondson, Harvey Howington, Jim Thom, Oscar and Barbara Nelson;
Supplying water and donuts for painters – Leland and Lillian Jong;
Directing and collecting drawings from the students – Annie Powell, Michelle Smith Shepherd, Janice Harris, Cherie Thornhill, Rachel Frith;
Drawing and painting – Aryn Brown, Shelbi Brown, Gayle Condrey, Becca Curtis, Kelley Ann Flint, Jane Fox, Edna Gattle, Sara Beth Howard, Tucker Howard, Gaiten Howard, Harvey Howington, Kyle Kelley, Frances Kelley, Daphne Kelly, Jeremy Lewis, Jason Matlack, Phyllis Matlack, Kate Murphy, Barbara Nelson, Ben Newell, Lincoln Powell, Brooks Parker, Sister Bernie Barrett, Sister Constance Hummel, Drew Philpot, Betty Reed, Shannon Rutherford, Donna Winters, and several children that we did not know!
Planning committee – Kyle Kelly, Tom Gattle, Neil Martin, Glenn Dixon, Sister Bernie, Sister Constance, Sister Phyllis, Sonny Nason, Ben Durham, Ronney Jo Webb.
Fellowship Spring Conference Guests
Speakers: Dr. Fitz Hill, President of Arkansas Baptist College, former Division 1
Head Football Coach, and former All American receiver at Ouachita U
led community football clinic and spoke at community wide rally
Dr. Hal Bass, Dean of School of Social Sciences, Ouachita University,
National Moderator for the Fellowship, spoke on:
"Why the Fellowship? Investing Now and Promise for the Future”
Dr. Wade Arnold, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northwestern
State University, spoke on “Forgiveness: Biblical and Psychological
Perspectives”
Mrs. Anita Snell, Fellowship Missional Church Specialist, spoke
on "Being the Missional Church”
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