Baptist and Reflector
Pastor Cliff Marion of First Baptist Church, Covington, baptizes a new believer who is a student at Tipton Baptist Academy.
COVINGTON — For their final chapel service of the year, Tipton Christian Academy had 15 students, from grades 3-8, baptized in the newly renovated lake baptistery at First Baptist Church, Covington, on a sunny, warm May afternoon where hundreds of their classmates and family members were in attendance.
Most of the students prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior during school, whether it be during a chapel service or class.
Tipton Christian Academy (TCA) is a ministry of First Baptist that began in 1979 as a preschool ministry, said pastor Cliff Marion.
He related that in 2008, the church saw a void of Christian education in the area, and the church voted to start a school, adding one grade per year.
Nearly 100 percent of the facilities at FBC Covington are now used six days a week, as TCA meets in the church facilities, he noted.
“God blessed the church and school with a generous financial gift three years ago that allowed them to build an upper school campus on the church property,” the pastor said.
Today, TCA has an enrollment of 400 students in grades prekindergarten through 12th grade. On May 21, the academy celebrated their third graduating class.
First Baptist and TCA work closely with each other every day, Marion said.
“The church has seen tremendous growth from families who attended the school first, and many members of the church also send their children to TCA,” Marion said. “It’s a partnership that takes work and diligent planning, but we are starting to reap the benefits of what was sown years ago.” B&R
