There’s not many hearts and minds in the Petal community that Brad Eubank doesn’t touch – whether that’s in his main capacity as lead pastor at Petal First Baptist Church or at the Petal School District, the Petal Fire Department, Hope Clinic and many others.
For those efforts Eubank recently was named the Petal Education Foundation’s 2022 Champion of the Year, a recognition given annually to Petal School District residents to recognize efforts made to better the Friendly City.
“I was just completely blown away, honestly; I was speechless,” Eubank said. “When they told me (about it), I really just wished our whole church could be recognized, because that’s really what it’s all about.
“It’s not about me; honestly, that’s the truth. It’s about the Lord and what he’s done, and the opportunities we’ve been given to impact our community are just a true blessing. We’re grateful, and I was completely humbled and blown away. I don’t really feel worthy of it – I feel like somebody else deserves it more than I do, that’s for sure.”
One of Eubank’s signature achievements is First Bridge, a nonprofit organization which, through the church, puts on local mission efforts for the community. That includes the annual health and resource fair, which provides free uniforms, backpacks, food and health resources to families in the Petal School District.
Eubank also spearheaded Woven Ministry, which is an adoptive/foster care ministry.
He has been appointed to the Mississippi Governor’s Faith Based Advisory Council and serves as the chaplain of the Petal Fire Department. Eubank also is a member of Petal Excel By 5, a Little League baseball coach and UpWard Basketball coach, and is a member of the Shared Decision Council for Petal Primary School and the Petal School District.
He is the founding board member and president of Hope Clinic in Mississippi and Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center, and currently is an advisory board member. He is a Big Brother/Panther Partner for students at Petal Primary School and a member of Racial Reconciliation Team in Petal.
Eubank is the chairman for the Mississippi Baptist Sex Abuse Response Team and SBC Abuse Response Implementation Task Force.
Eubank graduated from Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication from Baylor University. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School in 2000.
He is married to his wife Rebecca and has three children: William, Matthew and Emma.
“I believe it’s the Lord’s call for us to do our very best to make an impact in the lives of people,” Eubank said. “My heart’s desire is to impact the lives of people, to see their lives transform. That’s the hope, is to engage them with the Gospel and with the resources that would help them know that we really, genuinely care and that we want to make a difference in their life and help them in any way that we possibly can.
“I want to leave a legacy of faithfulness to our church family, to my own kids, to other people that would be encouraged and challenged to do the same. And there are other people doing the same things – we’re not the only one doing it, that’s for sure. One of the things we talked about when I came (to the church) 10 years ago was, we want our church to be a place where if our door is closed, our community would know, and I really feel like we’re on that trajectory to making an impact.”
As part of the Champion of the Year award, Eubank will be honored during the annual homecoming parade, which will take place October 13. In addition, he will be presented with a plaque the next night during halftime of the Petal homecoming football game.
“I really wish I could bring my whole church out there, because I just get to represent them and what they’ve done, and the sacrifices that they’ve made, and the investment that they’ve made into our community,” Eubank said. “They’ve followed, they’ve served, and they’ve said, ‘hey, we want to make an impact too.’
“So I really, honestly wish I could bring my whole church family out there, and those that have been involved in First Bridge, because there’s folks outside of our church that are involved in First Bridge. Really, this is a community award, in my honest opinion, because it’s just been bringing resources together, to cooperate together to make an impact in our community. I wish it wouldn't be just me.”
