Fall 2024 Newsletter by Central Baptist College

President TERRY KIMBROW

By Mason Crymes, Leadership Scholar

From a student to a president, Central Baptist College President Terry Kimbrow has had a profound impact on the college over the past thirty-one years, serving in many roles and making great changes and strides forward on behalf of the College and her mission. After getting saved in his mid-twenties under the ministry of Dr. Martin Jameson (now assistant professor of Bible at CBC), Kimbrow surrendered to the ministry at age 29. After this, he was encouraged by Jameson to further his education. Jameson also invited him to visit CBC. “That was in June, and in July of that same year, I quit my job as store manager. With no job and no firm plans on how to provide for my wife and three young children, we moved to Conway so that I could pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry,” Kimbrow said.

Despite a full class schedule and working full time, Kimbrow still did his best to preach as much as possible. “When I was in college,” he said, “it was Dr. Slayton who kept a list of preachers. Sometimes they called them ‘preacher boys,’ who were willing to go anywhere and preach anytime with sometimes very little notice. I made sure my name was on that list . . . I traveled most weekends usually getting up in the wee hours of Sunday morning because I could not

afford to stay in a hotel ” His ministry outside of CBC ultimately culminated in a job offer at a local BMA church “The greatest highlight of that part of my ministry was being called as the associate pastor (I think it started as assistant to the pastor) of Antioch Baptist Church in Conway,” he said After serving at Antioch for three and a half years, Kimbrow found himself back at CBC as an employee

“I got a call from Charles Attebery, then President of Central Baptist College He was looking for a chief development officer, and he felt like my business background and my ministry experience, though limited, was a good combination I prayed about it and decided to send him my résumé I was granted an interview and soon thereafter was offered a position as Vice President for Institutional Advancement As has been the case on almost every position where I have served, I felt very underqualified but extremely humbled that I would be considered,” Kimbrow said

Under the direction of President Attebery, Kimbrow learned how to fundraise and received training in alumni relations and public relations, attending many workshops and seminars along the way. “By this time,” he said, “I knew that I was a lifelong learner.” After serving for some time as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Kimbrow was encouraged by many to apply for president Even though he thought it was crazy, he submitted his application, and after a long interview process, he was selected by the search committee under the many stipulations including that he would be required to get his master’s degree

“I took a double class load at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, half online and the other half driving to Russellville several times a week,” he said, “I graduated 18 months later with a master’s degree in College Student Personnel Administration On December 26, 2004,

President Attebery ended his tenure at CBC, and I began my journey as the 9th President.”

During his time as VP for Institutional Advancement and as President, Kimbrow led in many capital fundraising campaigns for CBC. Some of his earlier accomplishments were the construction of the Ratliff Bell Tower and the completion of the Judy Gabbard Science Center which included successfully applying for and receiving the Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant of $1.9 million.

“We received that after three attempts,” he said, “The first grant was 100 pages, the second one had to be narrowed to 85, and the third was required to be a maximum of 50 pages. However, all the grant applications had to accomplish the same objectives. It was one of the most difficult undertakings of my life. Receiving the grant put us a decade ahead or more on launching four bachelor’s degrees and building a state-of-the-art science center.”

All these fundraising campaigns led to Kimbrow’s biggest project in 2011: Vision 2020. “The largest contribution to CBC at that time had been a $900,000 gift to pay off the long-term debt,” Kimbrow said. “Vision 2020 would require at least $5 million just to build the first of ten projects.” Because of the daunting number, Kimbrow decided to get the entire campus involved. Before long, students, faculty, staff, and the board were all diligently praying, and in the end, God blessed the school abundantly.

The goal was ultimately raised from $5 million to $21 million to build a new academic building, library, and residence hall. “The three projects were completed one right after the other: David T. Watkins Academic Building (August 2012), Story Library (December 2013), and Dickson Hall (August 2014). The new buildings totally transformed not only the look but the essence of what Central Baptist College campus is today,” Kimbrow said. In addition to these projects, the science center, and the Ratliff Bell Tower, some of Kimbrow’s greatest accomplishments include seeing enrollment grow to over 850, dramatically increasing the number of academic offerings at the four-year level, adding the teacher education program, and offering free counseling and health services to all students.

Despite all these great changes and accomplishments on campus, Kimbrow’s favorite part of the past 31 years has been seeing the change and accomplishments in the individual lives of students. “I love seeing students where they are when they first walk in the door in their first semester and then seeing the work God has done in their lives when they walk across that stage to receive their diploma. The transformation in some is not so drastic, but there are those you never forget—those are the ones who you know you’ve made a difference in their lives,” Kimbrow said. “I’m thinking of specific people right now who God is using in amazing and mighty ways, and it all started when they enrolled at Central Baptist College. That is by far my favorite part of being at CBC.”

As he prepares for the future and moves towards his retirement in May 2025, there is one thing he wants people to know. “There are so many things we can do better, and I am excited to see someone come in with a new vision, renewed energy, and abilities to do far beyond what I could ever accomplish. I want people to know that there is not a better place on earth to send your student,” Kimbrow said. “I am praying that more parents and students will choose CBC. We need a college like Central Baptist College now more than ever.”

A Letter to TK

PresidentKimbrowhasmadeanincredibleimpacton manypeopleovertheyears Ifyouareoneofthosepeople, youcansendaletterorcardtohim Tomailaletteror card,senditto:

Becca Hanry Student Profile

By Grace Vandergriff, Advancement Student Intern

Rebecca Hanry grew up in North Little Rock and lived in the same neighborhood her entire life She graduated from Maumelle Charter High School in May 2021 When thinking about life after high school, Hanry said she has always preferred attending schools with a smaller classroom size where the teachers could personally connect with her She found out about Central Baptist College through searching “small colleges in Arkansas ” “CBC was the first school to pull up, and I was immediately interested in the community aspect of the campus,” said Hanry She decided to attend Central Baptist College because “When I first toured CBC campus, I immediately felt welcomed, loved, and at home I loved the community aspect of campus and how your classmates and even some of your teachers became like family to you I just felt a pull to CBC and knew that this is where I needed to be,” Hanry said

Central Baptist College even ended up being the place where she came to the Lord She struggled with “bad anxiety about school and friendships [which led to] having panic attacks, bouts of depression, and just feeling numb” in high school When she got to CBC everything changed “The day of the MUD Run it had gotten to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore, I felt like I was about to be completely crushed by everything that was going on,” she said She talked to fellow student Autumn Herring, and she realized she did not know the Lord, that is when she fully accepted Christ into her heart

During her time at CBC, Hanry has been heavily involved. She was on SOS, which has been the highlight of her year the past three years. She has also loved participating in events like Fall Hay Day, Harvest Party, and Hall Wars. Hanry said, “The best week of the year is MUD Week, but in very close second comes Hall Wars.” She has loved how Hall Wars gives her a chance to build relationships with the girls on her floor while having a lot of fun. Hanry started working in the CBC business office in the summer of 2023. She knew she needed to get a part-time job, and when she talked to Professor Heather Solano, she was able to work out an opportunity to work in the business office as the Accounts Payable Clerk

Hanry wants prospective students interested in coming to Central Baptist College to know that “CBC is a wonderful community atmosphere for meeting new friends and creating life-long relationship ere and see the love and care the teachers and staff have for you You are exposed to Christ and His teach the staff and faculty truly care about your relationship with the Lord CBC is a place where you can learn mor through others, and experience your own relationship with Him ”

On a Mission: Sharing the Hope of Christ

By Duffy Guyton, Director of Church Relations

The Lord is moving in the lives of current CBC students, and their passion to take the Gospel throughout the world is evident. In the last few years, many students have participated in multiple international mission trips. The love for the lost and the desire to take the eternal truth of the Gospel to people in other countries is the focal point in the lives of these students. They want people to personally experience Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Lily Brister, a volleyball player and Communications major, shared “The trip to Cuba was truly one of my favorite experiences ever. Seeing God move in the lives of the people brought me overwhelming joy. I loved getting to serve in Cuba, and watch the Cuban Christians serve us in a way that looked like Jesus.”

The group of sixteen team members that consisted of CBC staff, coaches, students, and alumni partnered with Daystar Baptist Missions for a one-week trip last December ministering to the people of Havana. When the team first arrived in Cuba, it observed that times seem to stand still, since everything looked like it was back in the 1950’s. They quickly learned that Cuban people are an oppressed people who are genuinely hungry for the hope of Christ.

“My time in Cuba was a reminder of how little we truly need in order to serve the Lord whole heartedly ”

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The team worked with a local church in Havana ministering to children, parents, and other adults throughout the city in sports evangelism, personal evangelism in the local community, ministering to church members in their homes, concert ministry, ministering with the local church in teaching Bible classes, and leading the Sunday Worship service. Shelby Cuthbertson Perez who graduated in May 2019 with a Bachelors in Psychology and Counseling stated, “My time in Cuba was a reminder of how little we truly need in order to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. In a communist-driven, povertystricken country, believers were more on fire for the Lord than I have ever seen. It motivated me to see my life a little differently and made me ask myself, ‘If all that I had was taken away from me, would I still be faithfully serving?’ Everyday I strive to answer that question with a strong and confident ‘yes.’”

The severe poverty was everywhere, but the eternal lostness was overwhelming. This expedited the team’s evangelistic purpose. As the team shared one-on-one with many, there were other opportunities to preach Gospel messages to children, their parents, and family members.

The pastor was in awe of many souls admitting their sinfulness and their willingness to surrender their lives to Christ. The fields were ripe unto harvest. Landon Hitchcock, a baseball player and Business major said “sharing the gospel with people that had never heard the name of Jesus before was amazing. We were able to use baseball as a tool to show God’s love.”

Trey Bailey, President of Daystar Missions, said, “The group was amazing, and the Lord worked in amazing ways. We saw much fruit from these daily home visits in the community surrounding the church. Many of the students were athletes, so it was natural for us to use their abilities as a platform to share the Gospel. We did multiple baseball clinics as well as playing games of basketball, volleyball, and baseball. We saw many children and parents pray to receive Christ at the sporting events, and our local pastors were there each time to follow up and connect with anyone who got saved.” Please pray that the Lord will continue “to fan into flame” His purpose and passion in CBC students, faculty, staff and alumni to continue ministering to the many people around the world.

-2019 Graduate, Shelby Cuthbertson Perez

Jeremiah Dodson Alumni Profile

By Mason Crymes, Leadership Scholar

In the fall semester of 2019, Central Baptist College began offering two Music Education degrees: a Bachelor in Music Education—Vocal and a Bachelor in Music Education—Instrumental. Since the creation of these degrees, CBC has seen many students begin one of the programs, and three students have graduated with one of the degrees. Given the department’s success, we decided to check in on Jeremiah Dodson, the first student to graduate from the program.

After initially beginning his college education at the University of Central Arkansas, Jeremiah transferred to CBC in the fall of 2019. “My college career was a little different than most,” Jeremiah said. “It took me longer than most to get my degree, but it was worth it in the long run.” Jeremiah enjoyed CBC and the intimate classroom setting it offered, and he decided to continue his education here until graduating in December 2023.

“I loved the fact that the classes are small enough to be able to spend one-on-one time with professors to get the help I needed and build relationships with them,” he said. “The program helped me be more relatable to students in my teaching and gave me the knowledge and experience needed to be an effective band teacher.”

Throughout his time here, Jeremiah had a few activities that stand out now as his favorites. “Chapel was one of the highlights of my week,” he said. “I also really loved being able to travel with the music department on Fine Arts tours to recruit students. Those trips were always fun and productive. The people at CBC were also great students and professors both.”

Recently, Jeremiah has taken a position as Assistant Band Director at Searcy Public Schools teaching band for grades 7-12 and Music Theory for grades 9-12.“I love that it is all about music and band. The kids have really taken a liking to me, and I feel like I’m really able to help the students refine their musical abilities as well as help them in life in general,” he said. “Getting to help guide students and support them is an incredible honor.”

To prospective students who are interested in attending CBC, Jeremiah offered some advice.“I’d say go for it!” he said. “CBC has a good music department, and it is very personable. You will learn a lot if you apply yourself and ask lots of questions. The education professors are all wonderful and care deeply about you.”

Jeremiah went on to offer advice to CBC students who are currently in the music education program. “Keep going! I know it is very difficult at times, and you are probably overwhelmed already, but I promise it is worth it,” he said. “Teaching is a joy, even when it’s not. Being in music is a joy all the time. I promise you it is worth it.”

Academic Excellence

ByMasonCrymes,LeadershipScholar

Central Baptist College strives for academic excellence in our education programs. As a result, we take great pride in our faculty members who help make this excellence possible. Recently, one of our professors, Mathematics Instructor Amber Strain, redesigned her classroom format to help make learning more effective, and we are excited to share this change and its benefits.

After noticing that some of her students were struggling with the material and that it was difficult to cover her entire lecture in a limited class time, Ms. Strain was inspired to change her classes to a flipped classroom style. Now, instead of offering in-class lectures, she posts videos that cover the material of each lecture for students to watch outside class. As a result, class time is opened for students to gain practice and to get help as they work through problems. “This is advantageous because this is where students struggle, and this way, I am available to assist them,” Ms. Strain says. She initially made the change in Spring of 2020 between her class’s second and third test. The average test scores increased by sixteen percent from test two to test three making a strong case for the effectiveness of the new format. “This was also fortuitous because shortly after we were forced to adopt remote learning as everyone went into quarantine,” she says.

Ms. Strain came to CBC in the fall of 2017 after receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Arkansas. Her bachelor’s degree is in applied mathematics and economics with specialization in international trade, and her master’s degree is in mathematics education She arrived with plenty of teaching experience She served as a graduate teacher at UCA while completing her master’s degree, worked in UCA’s tutoring lab, worked at a private tutoring business called Mathnasium, and taught and tutored at Pulaski Technical College and at ASUBeebe

At CBC, Ms. Strain has made many positive changes in our mathematics classes among which are the following: changing trigonometry and statistics to the XYZ textbook, eliminating Beginning Algebra making Intermediate Algebra the only developmental course required for College Algebra, converting to a corequisite model of intermediate algebra, and changing to a flipped classroom style.

We are very thankful for Ms. Strain and her positive impact on our campus, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside her and see her hard work and positivity pay off.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Retires

Men’s Basketball

By Erik Holth, Sports Information Director

When basketball practice began on September 16, Central Baptist College men’s basketball looked to build on their most successful season in program history. Last year, the Mustangs made it all the way to the NAIA National Quarterfinals where they were eliminated after a magical run. Head Coach Sam Kohnke entered the 24-25 season with a record of 64-32 after beginning his time at the helm in fall 2020. “Last year was incredibly special for us,” said Kohnke. “Going 28-7, winning the AMC regular season and tournament championships and making a run to the NAIA Quarterfinals is a testament to the character, work ethic and toughness of our team. We had a great group of men who also happened to be exceptional basketball players. Our focus was on improving every day and staying grounded through the highs and lows of a long season. We were on the verge of a national championship last season, and the only way to replicate and surpass last season’s success is by doubling down on our process-oriented approach and maintaining a growth mindset. I love where our culture is right now, and the sky’s the limit for this program in the upcoming season.”

Coach Kohnke’s squad returned nine players from last season, including All-Conference selections Jonas Carlisle, Sage Borbon (who was also AMC Tournament MVP), Devin Foster, SaVaughn Smith, and All-AMC Tournament Team selection Wade Williams. Be sure to come out to A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse to watch the exciting season unfold!

Jan.7Tues.7:30PM vs Crowley's Ridge (AR)

Jan.11Sat3:00PM vs Hannibal-Langrange (MO) YOUTH GROUP

Feb.1Sat.3:00PM vs Missouri Baptist HOmecoming

Feb. 8 Sat. 3:00PM vs Harris-Stowe (MO)

Feb.13Thurs.7:30PM vs Williams Baptist

Feb.20Thurs.7:30PM vs Columbia

Transforming Lives Through Scholarships LegacyLeaders

By Dr. Jeremy

Langley, Executive Vice President

Many factors influence a student’s college choice, and cost is often at the top of the list. Central Baptist College works diligently to keep tuition and fees low, but a private, Christian higher education costs more than similar degree programs at state-subsidized universities. Because of the generosity of alumni and friends, CBC has been able to offset tuition expenses with scholarships. In fact, 100 percent of students enrolled at CBC benefited from an institutional scholarship during the Fall 2024 semester.

Each of these students will leave CBC with more than a higher education. While on campus, they are invested in by faculty and staff, build relationships with peers that last a lifetime, are challenged to grow deeper in their faith, and many hear the Gospel for the first time – all because someone made their education possible with a scholarship.

We need your help so more students can receive the life-transforming experience of a Christ-centered college education. Not everyone can make a significant gift to endow a scholarship, but through Legacy Leaders, everyone can make a small, monthly gift that makes a big impact.

For as little as $10 per month, your gift will combine with those other Legacy Leaders to provide scholarships to current and future students. Please do not wait. Join Legacy Leaders today by visiting cbc.edu/legacyleaders.