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Taking drastic measures
From staff reports
The Weekly Post
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Published December 17, 2009
For their efforts in meeting a lofty goal, Fyffe High students got to see Paul Long, pastor of Antioch Baptist, get his head shaved. And a few students got to participate in the shaving Monday.
"This all boiled out of a movement that God started in the church," Long said. "One Sunday awhile back, we were talking about reaching out to the community. That Tuesday, I spoke to the Fyffe SWAT (Students With a Testimony) and I asked Mrs. (Sarah) Simpson how many cans of food she thought we could get donated for needy families.
"She said probably around 400, so we set a goal of 1,000 cans and if that was met, they could shave my head."
The students not only met the goal but shattered it, with 1,970 cans collected. They were sent to the Fort Payne Salvation Army for distribution in DeKalb County.
"We have a charity drive of some sort every year," Simpson said. "We've had some that included the entire school but this year, I wanted to see just how much the high school kids could do.
"Next year, we'll have to set the goal higher, I guess."
Simpson is the Fyffe Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America sponsor.
The cans were collected between Nov. 24 and Dec. 10.
"A week before the deadline, I wasn't sure we were going to meet the goal," Simpson said. "Then they started pouring in."
Monday, three groups — students who donated 40 or more cans, leaders of the SWAT drive teams, and the drivers who took the cans to Fort Payne — were invited onto the stage to participate in the haircuts.
"I think the church members were looking forward to this more than the kids were," Long said. "Some of them wanted to know if a straight razor was allowed and I said, 'No, a buzz cut is enough.' And some wanted me to allow them to shave my goatee, too. I said no to that, also."
Betsy Townsel, Long's regular hair stylist, was on hand to finish the job the students — and Simpson —started.
"I wasn't going to go out with just them doing it," he said. "I had to have professional backup."
Mark Owens, one of Long's parishioners, was on hand to get a video record of the event.
"It'll be on Utube before long," Owens said. "And I want to tell everyone to come to Antioch Sunday and bring their sunglasses."
Long is a 1995 graduate of Fyffe and did the Internet radio broadcast of Fyffe games for WQSB this football season.
He wants to pass on the church website — www.antiochfellowship.com — to everyone.
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