Governor Announces January Face of Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced the second installment of Faces of Arkansas, a monthly series highlighting Arkansans whose portraits and stories are displayed at the entrance to the Governor's office as a reminder of who the Governor and her team serve every day: the people of Arkansas. The series was launched to keep the focus of public service rooted in the individuals and communities that make the state what it is.

Each month, a different Arkansan is featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video, with their framed photo hanging inside the Capitol. Selections are based on individuals who make Arkansas function - whether by serving as the heartbeat of their local communities, overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams, or playing an essential role in their industry.

This installment features Michael Kornegay of El Dorado, whose work reminds us that some of the biggest connections often begin in the smallest places.

Connections Pastor Michael Kornegay at El Dorado First Assembly. Photo credit: Will Newton.

Michael Kornegay - Small Towns, Big Connections

In small towns, connection doesn't require effort; it requires attention. You learn names quickly. You don't disappear easily. Community isn't something you schedule; it happens whether you're ready or not.

Michael Kornegay understands this kind of pace. As Connections Pastor at El Dorado First Assembly, his role is about noticing who's there: who just walked up, who might need a hand, who's looking for a way in.

That instinct is central to the 10:33 Initiative, a statewide pilot program launched by Governor Sanders in October to unite government agencies, community partners, and local churches. Union County is one of three pilot counties selected for the initiative's first year, alongside Pulaski and Pope counties. For Kornegay and El Dorado First Assembly, the work feels like a continuation of what they've always done: showing up, working alongside people, and meeting long-term needs.

Kornegay didn't plan on becoming a pastor. He studied photography and videography, preparing for a career behind the camera. But in 2013, just before finishing his bachelor's degree at Southern Arkansas University, he felt a calling toward ministry without clear instructions.

"I felt like the Lord wanted me to go into ministry," Kornegay said. "And my first thought was, how do you do that without a ministry degree?"
When he brought that feeling to his pastor at the time, the response surprised him. He was told not to do it. Ministry, he was warned, is hard. People don't come to pastors when life is smooth; they come when there's crisis and chaos.

Rather than rushing into something he wasn't prepared for, Kornegay waited. Seven years passed before he stepped into ministry, a stretch he now realizes was preparation. That clarity arrived in March of 2020, the same day the world shut down.

Everything changed at once. Churches moved online overnight. Community became fragile. Connection had to be intentional. Kornegay's media background became unexpectedly useful.

Today, his work is rooted in helping people find their place, often from the day they walk through the church doors. He builds systems so no one gets lost in the crowd, then points them toward life groups, where faith and community are practiced beyond church pews.

"We'll never be able to pastor everyone," Kornegay said. "That happens in small groups, people doing life together."

That same model of relationship-driven care sits at the heart of the 10:33 Initiative, which uses Restore Hope's HopeHub, a collaborative case-management and data-sharing platform active in 19 Arkansas counties. Through HopeHub, individuals connect with a community advocate who mobilizes faith and community partners to address immediate needs while building long-term stability in housing, healthcare, and employment, then are guided to Arkansas LAUNCH for job opportunities, training, and career support.

Pastor Daniel Egger of El Dorado First Assembly describes this work as deeply rooted in faith, a core mission of the church. For Kornegay, the initiative reflects a belief he's lived out locally and globally: connection changes lives. Through relationships formed organically, he has traveled from South Arkansas to South Africa and parts of Asia, walking alongside church leaders and helping new believers grow into roles they didn't yet feel ready for.

Each trip began with conversation, a relationship, an open door. In one instance, a connection led overseas, unknowingly fulfilling a vision prayed over long before the opportunity appeared. El Dorado, in this way, becomes more than a dot on the map. It functions as a hub, where resources, relationships, and people move outward into South Arkansas and beyond, big connections rooted in a small place.

Kornegay doesn't describe these opportunities as goals he pursued. He talks about them as doors that opened. For him, the guiding philosophy is simple: availability. "The light's always green until it's red," he said. "If it fits the mission, we say yes."

When opportunities arise, whether through the 10:33 Initiative, a local partnership, or a conversation across the world, the mission doesn't shift with scale or geography. It's about making God known, pointing people toward faith, and taking responsibility for each opportunity.

Rooted in his own Arkansas story, Kornegay was raised in Hot Springs and shaped by years in Magnolia, where he fell in love with small-town life - how everyone feels like family.

In a small Arkansas town with global reach, Michael Kornegay has learned that the biggest connections often begin with a simple willingness to say yes.

Connections Pastor Michael Kornegay at El Dorado First Assembly. Photo credit: Will Newton.

Connections Pastor Michael Kornegay at El Dorado First Assembly. Photo credit: Will Newton.

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