On Sunday, UBC voted to call Reverend Tanya Parks as the Minister of Children and Retirees. After serving over eight years on the mission field in Slovakia with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Parks will relocate with her family to Baton Rouge in July. In Slovakia, Tanya and Jon, her husband, worked alongside the Roma people, teaching English, working with children, supporting local churches, developing long-term engagement, and community development. She has previously served as a youth minister, preschool teacher, and music teacher. She has a Bachelor of Music from Samford University and a Master of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond (BTSR). Tayna will take over after an extraordinary tenure of Deb McElgin. She will work alongside children and their families, as well as retirees. In reflecting on her upcoming work with children, Tanya said, "I believe that children should be an integral part of the church fellowship. I want their parents to be encouraged and feel like they (and their children) are not just welcome in our midst, but that we are better for having them among us." "I look forward to helping strengthen and build on what is already being done to support community among the retirees of UBC, both within themselves as well as within the larger church community," said Parks. "From what I see, the church is already doing great things in the area of retirees, and I’m excited about helping grow this initiative." Please join us in celebrating the affirmation of this calling and praying for what is in store for UBC through the leadership of Rev. Parks.