Howard Payne University alumna Brandi Parrish was recently named by Texas Baptists as one of nine recipients of the Baptist Educators Serving Texans (B.E.S.T.) Award for 2024. HPU President Dr. Cory Hines presented Parrish with the award during a worship service at her church, Pursuit Church in Kilgore, on Sunday, October 13.

The B.E.S.T. Award is coordinated by the Office of Cooperative Program Ministry and annually recognizes Christian educators who live out their faith among their students and their alma maters. The award recipients are alumni who represent one of the nine Texas Baptist universities, serve in faculty or administrative roles in the Texas public school system and are members of a church supportive of Texas Baptists.

Parrish teaches high school English in Kilgore, Texas, and leads the student ministry at Pursuit Church. During her time at HPU, God gave her a passion for outreach and service, which is foundational for her life in ministry. She graduated from HPU in 1996.

“Brandi is so deserving of this recognition for her commitment to education and ministry,” said Dr. Hines. “She is an outstanding alumna and we, at HPU, are proud to see her service recognized in this way.”

Parrish and her husband, Kelly, who is a 1997 graduate of HPU, have four children: Zachary, Noah, Joshua and Anna Faith. Their son, Joshua, is currently a freshman at HPU. The Parrishes returned to Texas in 2022 after serving as church planters in Colorado with the North American Mission Board. They planted four churches while serving there and recently launched Pursuit Church in Kilgore.

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