CAMDEN — The Ouachita County Ministerial alliance held its monthly meeting Saturday at Koinonia of Grace Church and discussed several upcoming projects. Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood was a special guest at the event, and he spoke to the group about the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department website.
Norwood talked about laws and stated that some people may not know about it, but there are some laws that have changed over the years.. He talked about how it is illegal for a driver to use the inside lane of a four-way highway unless they are passing another vehicle, and said that a lot of people drive in the inside lane thinking that it is legal. He added that it is also a good idea to check ouachitacountysheriff.org to keep up with child seat-belt laws.
The sheriff said that he is thankful that the ministerial alliance invited him to the meeting, and said that he couldn’t stay long but wanted to emphasized that his door is always open for any questions or services.
“We are here for you,” Norwood said. “We are here to serve this community. And if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know.”
The attendees then enjoyed a continental breakfast before getting into the bulk of the meeting.
Erin Kaye of First Presbyterian Church informed the ministers that The Hub will be starting a “Getting Ahead” program around spring. She explained that it will be for 12-15 people in poverty whose names are submitted to the Christian Health Center, and that the Rev. Julian Lott has been trained as the leader. The people who are selected will be paid to attend the weekly courses that will discuss ways to get out of poverty. Kaye said that the details are still being ironed out and the courses will last anywhere from 10-16 weeks.
“We discovered that not one big program is going to get everybody out of poverty at one time,” Kaye explained. “It will be more effective to do 12-15 people at a time.”
Matheney applauded the program and said that he is happy that these types of things can be brought to the ministerial alliance so the group can stay involved. He reflected on his time serving as the president of the Union County Ministerial Alliance in the 90’s, and he talked about how it was hard to get the area’s ministers together.
“People are hearing about what we are doing in Camden,” Matheney said. “I’m thankful to everyone for allowing me to serve in this capacity. If we are divided and not working together, we will be bigger targets and less effective. We are getting involved, and understanding that we can make a difference.”
The group also discussed the importance of mentoring area youth and supporting one another.
Other topics considered during the meeting included:
• Hospice training from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Feb. 25. Anyone interested in the program can call Donnie Betts at 836-6055 for more details.
• Civil Rights history seminars at Zion Hill Baptist Church at noon on Saturdays.
• Unity Banquet at 4 p.m. at Temple Church of God in Christ.
• Looking at scholarship applications in March for area students.