BY AUDREY KENT
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA —
The Rev. Clifford Jones of Opelika, senior pastor of Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church, was recently named one of the most influential men of Alabama by the Tuskegee United Women’s League.
According to Jones, The Tuskegee United Women’s League sent a letter notifying him that he had been nominated for the title by a member of the leadership team. He said he believes he was selected due to his community presence, work and activity in The Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church.
Jones runs several programs that spread statewide.
Jones said some programs include housing, educational and after-school programs.
“We built a 48-housing subdivision in Opelika with three to four bedrooms for affordable housing opportunities for families,” Jones said. “We also have developed a pre-K program that educates up to 36 kids with an after-school program and a three to five, two to three-year-old program, as part of child development programming. They can come to participate in a STEM program where they are challenged and have an opportunity to complete their own work. We provide a full meal for them so that when they get home, parents will not have to try to wrestle with homework [and dinner].
“We also have certified teachers from retired teachers and students from Auburn University, who are coming to help these kids prepare for their education process. We also do a summer education enrichment program where we run about 40 kids each year at a summer camp in the Family Life Center at the church. So those kids have a lot of activities that they are doing; they go on field trips.
“They do a lot of educational activities and continue to work on math, science and technology education. Also, we have a black history component where our kids learn more about African-American history. We do a lot of other activities that people have picked up on and heard about, which made it an opportunity for them to nominate me as a distinguished man of Alabama.”
According to Jones, he received an award plaque recognizing what he has contributed to his church and community, and it is currently displayed on his desk.
“It’s good to be recognized for the work and the effort that you put in to try to impact the lives of others, and for someone outside of my immediate circle to recognize what is being done and someone who was willing to include me with other state leaders such as leaders across legislature, government entities and attorneys across the state of Alabama, it felt good to be nominated for this recognition,” Jones said.
According to Jones, the church provides a strong spiritual foundation for the community, and he said he feels called upon by the Word of God to contribute to the community.
“We talk about all the successes we’ve had, and we talk about our failures,” Jones said. “But we also give people an opportunity to know, especially church and community leaders, that they too can impact their community if they are willing to step out in faith and do the hard work for their community. We are excited to be a part of that.”
