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The Covington Christian Women’s Job Corps held its fifth graduation at the First Baptist Church in Andalusia on Friday, Jan. 10. Pictured are, from left, (front) mentor Charlotte Hawkins, graduate Sandy Jones holding her grandchild, graduate Sagen Brousseau, graduate Kerry Bark, graduate Haley Strickland, site co-coordinator Judy Phillips; (back) mentor Michelle Sutton, mentor Janet Brantley, mentor PhilAnn Stewart, mentor Karen Sund, mentor Heather Seay, and mentor Ashley Tyson. Not pictured are site co-coordinator Shirley Smith, mentor Glenda Colburn, mentor Lainie Hilburn, and mentor Amber Vierling. (PHOTOS BY ZACK MAIO)

Kerry Bark, right, is presented with her certificate of graduation from CCWJC site co-coordinator Judy Phillips.

Sagen Brousseau, right, is presented with her certificate of graduation from CCWJC site co-coordinator Judy Phillips.

Sandy Jones, right, is presented with her certificate of graduation from CCWJC site co-coordinator Judy Phillips.

Haley Strickland, right, is presented with her certificate of graduation from CCWJC site co-coordinator Judy Phillips.

The Covington Christian Women’s Job Corps held their fifth graduation ceremony with four ladies completing the program at the First Baptist Church in Andalusia on Friday, Jan. 10.

Graduates from the fifth session are Kerry Bark of Andalusia, Sagen Brousseau of Andalusia formerly Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Sandy Jones of Samson, and Haley Strickland of Andalusia.

“We are very proud of these four ladies for completing the program. They have each come a long way since they first began with us. We are proud and love all of them and will stay in touch with them as they get into the real world. It was very exciting to see this group so eager to work towards achieving their future goals,” Site Co-Coordinators Judy Phillips and Shirley Smith said.

The fifth class began on August 8, 2024, and their last session was on Jan. 9, 2025. The fifth session completed a Bible study titled “Women of the Bible” and a parenting class known as “Christ-Centered Parenting.”

Mentors spent one-on-one time with their students and worked with them to set goals during the session. Former director of Sav-a-Life Sandy Robbins led a group exploration. Life skills taught by community experts in the fifth session included preparing a resume, dressing appropriately for a job, and balancing a checkbook.

The fifth class took two field trips during their session. The first trip was to the local Walmart where they shopped for clothes in preparation for an anticipated job interview. The second trip was to the Andalusia Public Library to explore and learn about the resources available there.

Mentors for the fifth class were Janet Brantley, Glenda Colburn, Charlotte Hawkins, Lainie Hilburn, Heather Seay, PhilAnn Stewart, Karen Sund, Michelle Sutton, Ashley Tyson, and Amber Vierling. Debbie Bracewell served as the guest speaker at the graduation ceremony. Jessica Baxter, who serves as the women’s director at Crossover Ministry, also addressed the graduates with words of encouragement.

Each of the four graduates reflected on their time with the program and shared their future plans.

“CCWJC showed me how to be a better parent to my son through Christ. I am grateful to have received the love and support for all the people there. I will be getting my high school diploma and be a part of my family’s life,” Bark said.

“I took from the CCWJC program the ability to understand how to budget. Even though I’m not a parent, I learned how to have a Christ-like relationship with a child. I am grateful of this experience because everyone was so loving and honestly like a big family. They all gave me encouragement to keep pushing forward. I will be achieving my goal of getting my high school diploma at 24 years old and will soon be going to college,” Brousseau said.

“Being in the CCWJC program showed me to keep my eyes on God. The experience showed me there are good people out there who love you even through your dark times. All of the CCWJC ladies were so nice and loved all four of us. I will be working for Crossover, so I can help other ladies like they helped me,” Jones said.

“I took away a lot of things from the program and a passion for the future. This experience gave me the knowledge of real life experience and how to handle it. I am grateful because I have never had that much love poured out to me. It’s something I will never forget. I am currently enrolled at LBW Community College working towards getting my degree in Medical Billing and Coding,” Strickland said.

The purpose of Christian Women’s Job Corps, a compassionate ministry of the National Woman’s Missionary Union and Covington Baptist Association, is to provide a Christian context in which women in need are equipped for life. The CWJC’s purpose is fulfilled when a woman has basic life skills necessary for sufficiency, which include substantial employment, adequate income, housing, transportation, childcare, and medical care.

Since April 15, 2022, CWJC has met every Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Christian Service Center in Andalusia. The organization currently shares a room with the food distribution ministry and is included in the CBA’s annual budget. Several volunteers within the community helped to coordinate lunches and other activities for the fifth session.

Phillips and Smith are currently seeking volunteers and mentors for the sixth session, which is scheduled to begin in April.

“We need your help in the way of prayer warriors for these young ladies, mentors, and folks who will provide a meal each Friday for the group. Mentoring requires about an hour of training, so we can set you up for that as well. You can contribute financially to the cost of meals or groups of folks like your Sunday school class, or WMU group can provide meals as a group. I can’t say enough about the many volunteers who have already stepped up to the plate to be mentors, pray for us, provide a meal for us, or make a financial donation to CCWJC. Thank you very much,” Phillips said.

Those interested in volunteering with the Covington CWJC should contact Phillips at jujaphillips@gmail.com or 850-228- 5020 and Smith at shirley213214@gmail.com or 334-488-4715.

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