FBCZ.org
first baptist church, zachary, la

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--When 19-year-old NASCAR driver Adam Petty died after spinning out and hitting a wall during practice at the New Hampshire International Speedway in 2000, he died with a dream. He wanted to build a camp in his home state of North Carolina for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.
      He had no idea when he climbed in his car that day that his dream was closer to being realized than he could have imagined.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP)–Many people spend their time babysitting friends and family to earn extra money and because they enjoy being around kids. Few make as big of an impact on the kids as Charleston Southern volleyball player Amy Nokes.
      The impact, however, goes both ways.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (BP)--Tournament MVP Emily Berger pounded 18 kills with four blocks to lead the Cedarville Lady Jackets to a three-set sweep over Dallas Baptist to claim the National Christian College Athletic Association Championship Dec. 6.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)--The Samford Student-Athlete Advisory Committee worked together to give back to the community this year. SAAC chose to raise money for the local Angel Tree Project and raised over $1,000.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (BP)–Carson-Newman men’s basketball coach Dale Clayton recorded his 300th career victory, and the Eagles got South Atlantic Conference play started on the right foot with an 81-72 victory over Lincoln Memorial at Holt Fieldhouse Dec. 6.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. (BP)--Not in 50 years had Friday night lights burned so brightly for East Prairie (Mo.) High School. When the East Prairie Eagles defeated archrival Charleston 46-21 on Oct. 17, it was their first victory in Charleston in a half-century.
      The first words East Prairie coach Jason Aycock heard were from his pastor, Jon Archie, who yelled, "This is exactly what happens when your coach gets saved."
      Aycock lifted his hands into the air and praised God for the win. The stadium grew quiet. Down on the field, players had dropped to their knees in prayer.

KANSAS CITY (BP)—In the world of NASCAR, an open garage in the infield of a racetrack is transformed into a weekly chapel service on Sunday mornings with a microphone, a guitar, a set of speakers and about a hundred fold up chairs.
      Other than the tool boxes and various other instruments that NASCAR teams use, the setting looks and feels a lot like any other worship service.
      It’s probably shorter, but such is life in NASCAR — a world in which drivers are sought after by fans and media alike in one of the longest seasons in professional sports that runs from February until November. But firmly planted in the middle of this fast-paced culture is the ministry of Motor Racing Outreach which has become a constant that drivers and their teams can depend on.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP)– Thanks to the support of the Charleston Southern football coaching staff and team, Rory Killeen, father of senior defensive lineman Jake Killeen, was able to watch his son play in his final game for Charleston Southern Nov. 22.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)--The Frazee triplets from the Liberty University women's basketball team were featured in a Dec. 2 USA Today story.

DALLAS (BP)--Dallas Baptist University junior Bryan Baumann was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week for his play during the week of November 24-30.

SEATTLE (BP)--It was a September day in 2002, and Shaun Alexander was dialed in.
      Then a running back for the Seattle Seahawks, Alexander scored his first touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings from 2 yards out on Seattle’s first drive of the game. On the Seahawks’ next possession, Alexander rumbled 20 yards for another touchdown.
      And he was just getting warmed up.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)--Liberty University quarterback Brock Smith admits he was taken aback the first time Ben Shipps approached him.
      Shipps, a prospective student, walked up to Smith in his Liberty University dorm last year and asked who he needed to talk to about trying out for the football team.
      Smith looked at Shipps and noticed he had had a wisp of flesh and bone for a left arm, and a right arm that ended at the elbow.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Mac Brunson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, praises Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in a story at GatorSports.com.

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (BP)-- Tournament MVP Chris Beals tossed in 22 points as the NAIA Division II No. 7 Cedarville held off Taylor, 68-59, to win the 31st annual Cedarville Invitational championship game Nov. 22.

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--The No. 1 Union University Lady Bulldogs improved to 9-0 on the season with a 97-61 over No. 6 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University Nov. 22.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Jim Zorn has always been a little … different.
      He once skinned a coyote. Not just any coyote, mind you – a roadkill coyote he picked off the road near his old Lake Washington home in Seattle. How, you ask, did he know how to skin it? Because, he’ll tell you, he used to work on cadavers in his college human anatomy class.
      Duh.

PLANO, Texas (BP)–He’s shared his story of redemption with some of the culture’s most influential sports outlets such as ESPN and Sports Illustrated, and at one of the greatest sports platforms in the world — the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
      And on a recent weekday afternoon, Josh Hamilton spoke to nearly 5,000 at Prestonwood Baptist Church about his “All-American” life growing up, about his ascent into professional baseball and descent into the dark world of drug addiction, and about God’s saving grace and mercy.

MURRAY, Ky. (BP)--Murray State student-athlete Danero Thomas enters his junior season with the Racer basketball team after having a life-changing experience over the summer with Athletes in Action.
      From late May to early June, Thomas was part of an AIA collegiate basketball team that toured parts of Africa, including Senegal, Mali and Guinea. His trip was filled with community service, Bible study and basketball.

LINCOLN, Neb. (BP)--Nebraksa running back Roy Helu talks about how he became a Christian and some of the issues with which he struggles in an article on Husker Extra.

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Matt Neaville scored 24 points as Union University upset second-ranked Robert Morris College 103-100 in overtime Nov. 8 in a homecoming win for the Bulldogs.