Covington Christian Women’s Job Corps in Andalusia provides job and life skills training in a Christian environment to help equip and encourage women in need of a new life in Jesus — spiritually, physically, economically and socially.
The first Bible study and parenting class were held April 8, 2022, an effort spanning more than 25 years from inspiration to fruition.
National Woman’s Missionary Union began developing CWJC in 1994 as a method of women helping women address the needs of those in poverty. In 1998, Covington CWJC co-coordinator Judy Phillips, who volunteered with the Christian Service Center in Andalusia, learned of the ministry and wanted to help develop a local site.
With the encouragement of Neal Wyatt, then-Covington Baptist Association director of missions, Phillips was trained to coordinate a local CWJC. But the site didn’t immediately come together.
Sparked by a testimony
Current Alabama WMU President Shirley Smith learned about CWJC through Missions Mosaic magazine and her involvement as a church and associational WMU leader. Some 10 years before retirement from her job as an accountant, Smith heard a testimony about CWJC at the annual Alabama WMU Connect (formerly Equip) conference. She felt the need to look seriously at beginning a local CWJC site.
In 2018, Pat Ingram, Alabama WMU missions and ministry consultant, met with Smith and current Covington Association DOM Otis Corbitt to discuss CWJC.
Around that time, Phillips learned that Crossover Ministry, a local residency program for men and women recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, needed help providing parenting classes for women.
“My wheels began to turn,” Phillips recalled. “The women’s supervisor for the Crossover Ministry [and I discussed] how we could meet that need. In the meantime, Shirley Smith and I had begun conversations about CWJC. I shared my earlier story with her and the conversation with the women’s supervisor. Shirley, the newly elected [Alabama] WMU state president, took the ‘bull by the horns’ and she and I began to get certified [as coordinators].”
After assessing local needs and available resources, the two agreed that helping Crossover Ministry was a place to begin. The COVID-19 pandemic created delays, Smith said, but she and Phillips attended the first ever CWJC online training in 2020.
Enlist and train
Next Smith and Phillips set about enlisting and training mentors with the goal of providing volunteers to meet one-on-one each Friday to listen to and pray specifically for the mentees, provide encouragement, help them set realistic goals and review progress with goals for accountability and encouragement.
“Our mentors have been committed and dedicated from the start,” Phillips noted. “We are blessed to have these ladies join us each week to meet with the participants and encourage them to set goals and to complete the program.”
Covington CWJC currently operates out of the newly renovated Christian Service Center space with some 14 volunteers who are mentors and/or advisory board members. Numerous individuals, Sunday School classes and missions groups have come alongside to support the work in prayer and help provide services, Phillips said.
“We partner with the Crossover Ministry to provide a Bible study and parenting class for its clients,” she noted. “Crossover partners with our local community college to provide GED and other classes for the participants.
“Because we are under the umbrella of the Covington Baptist Association, we are included in its budget and newsletter updates and connected with the local churches in our association. Several Sunday School classes and individuals have provided lunch for us on a weekly basis.”
‘God at work’
Co-coordinators Smith and Phillips have witnessed God at work in the lives of the women involved in Covington CWJC.
“Bible study never fails to impact the lives of those who hear, read or study the Word,” Phillips declared. “We’ve seen attitudes change and [the] overall outlook on their future change.
“One of the participants works at a local restaurant and her supervisor is in my Sunday School class. She has told me how [the participant’s] language, attitude and even her work habits have improved. Bible study, prayers and mentoring are what have made the difference.”
CWJC includes a covenant relationship, Smith noted. Signed by volunteers and participants, the covenant outlines the commitments they make with CWJC and each other.
Mentors and the advisory board have begun to evaluate the program to review what is working well and find opportunities for improvement, Smith said. They plan to continue working through Crossover and hope to expand services to other women in the area by conducting a job fair and offering a range of life skills classes, including family budgeting, career choices, preparing resumes, interview preparation, menu planning/cooking and banking.
The first Covington CWJC class is scheduled to graduate August 26.
Individuals and groups can help by volunteering as mentors or providing meals, treat bags, paper products, journals or devotion books, and backpacks with basic supplies.
To learn more about CWJC visit alabamawmu.org/cwjcsites or contact Alabama WMU at 334-613-2226.
Share with others: