Evergreen Baptist Church Tobacco Awareness Program

In July 2007, Eddie and Carolyn Yarbrough (co-pastors at Evergreen Baptist Church) launched a public awareness and health promotions campaign: the Tobacco Awareness Program (TAP). Funded by the Minority Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO) at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, TAP has aggressively raised community awareness at EBC and in the Union County Community. Partners such as TOUCH, Union County Health Department, Arkansas Faith in Action, El Dorado School District, and Arkansas Pride Youth Programs have collaborated with TAP to increase the overall momentum to save lives in Union County.

According to the TRDRP (Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, http://www.trdrp.org), tobacco-related diseases cause approximately 45, 000 deaths each year among African Americans nationwide. Working with African American churches provides a culturally appropriate and spiritually based approach to tobacco control. There is some research regarding church-based smoking cessation programs, but no descriptive data on the role of the African American Christian church in promoting tobacco-free norm change within the church and greater community.

EBCTAP hopes to inspire other African American churches and other community institutions to have written policy and promote a tobacco-free lifestyle for its’ members and the greater community. These efforts are designed to motivate tobacco users to quit smoking, chewing, and/or dipping and reduce tobacco-related illnesses, deaths, and disparities.

Evergreen Baptist Church serves as a corner stone in Union County to "save" our residents - from various ills. We invite you to join us!!!

P.S. Stay tuned to our blog to hear about upcoming events, successes, outcomes, invitations, etc.