A Baptist church in Thomasville held an “educational summit” March 28 to help local students finish the school year strong.
About 50 children and 150 of their family members attended the event at Greenwood Baptist Church. The congregation partnered with First Missionary Baptist Church, a black congregation about a mile from Greenwood.
Mike Ferguson, the pastor at Greenwood, said the summit was successful.
“It was a really good day,” he said. “I was thankful for the way things turned out.”
Teachers tutored students to help them prepare for end-of-grade tests. Other teachers met with parents to tell them how to help their children get ready for the tests.
“The main thrust was to help them finish the year strong,” Ferguson said. “We invited them to show we care.”
Representatives from local schools and community colleges talked with high school students about requirements for graduation and for attending college. Exhibit booths focused on areas such as job training and teen pregnancy awareness.
White, black and Hispanic children attended the summit, according to Ferguson. Translators were there to help the Hispanic children.
“We tried to reach out to different groups,” he said.
Ferguson said he was pleased with the partnership with First Missionary Baptist Church.
“It’s really neat how the Lord worked it all out,” he said. “It’s good for our church to be stretched and know we’re not the only believers in the area.”
Ferguson said the churches might work together on other projects. A similar event might be held just before the next school year starts, he said.
“We both have the same desire to reach our community,” he said.