I have been part of the First Baptist Center Star staff since 2005. My wife, Dara, and I are from Killen and graduated from Brooks High School. We have one son, Rylan. I graduated with a Bachelor of Religion from Liberty University in 2008. I am currently working on my Masters of Divinity in Biblical Studies through Liberty Theological Seminary. I served as Youth Pastor prior to being called as an Associate Pastor in January 2008. My responsibilities include educational ministries and outreach.

My story is built around my faith in Jesus and my family. I grew up in Collinsville, MS, where I attended a church based daycare. Growing up, I was in church all of my life. Through these years my family and I got involved with horses and I competed at the local and state levels. I was also very active in the 4-H program, where I learned much that helped me be who I am today. I had an early religious experience and was baptized, but as time progressed, I knew I remained unchanged. I was a good person yet headed on the road to hell.

I thought by filling my life with religious activities God would accept me into heaven. I was teaching a Sunday school class and serving as the Associate Pastor of worship at my home church when we had a revival. God hit me hard through the week and I realized that I needed a real relationship with Jesus. I gave my heart to Him and I have never been the same. God has blessed me beyond measure and I owe everything to Him.

For the past 13 years, I have been so blessed to serve some great churches. Along this journey God has blessed me with my wife, Misty, who happens to be my very best friend. She is an awesome mom to our daughter and is a huge encouragement to me.

In August 2008, God called us here to First Baptist Center Star. It was hard leaving our families in Mississippi, yet we have seen the Lord at work in an incredible way. We have been greatly blessed with so many new friends who are like family to us. Serving Jesus in this church has been amazing. Our desire is to make a great impact for the kingdom of God here by reaching the lost for Christ and helping other believers grow in their journey with the Lord.

My upbringing would take you back to a little place called Waynesboro, MS. There, I gave my life to Christ as a teenager in a little country church during a Wednesday night prayer service. I never dreamed that God would call me to become a pastor. While attending college, I met my sweet wife, Judi. We have been married for 30 years and are so blessed to be serving the Lord together. We are the proud parents of 2 children and we have 2 perfect grandchildren.

I have been a pastor for over 30 years and I love preaching now as much as I ever have. It has been my joy and privilege to pastor FBCCS for over 18 years. In that time, FBCCS has been a place where God has moved and many lives have been changed. My desire as pastor is to help and encourage people find their place in His Body (The Church) and develop their gifts to serve the Lord.

Every Sunday there is a Pastor’s Reception following the Morning Worship Service. If you visit with us, please come by; I would love to meet you personally and thank you for coming to see us. Also, please let me know if there is any way we can serve you and your family.

I have worked with children in a preschool setting for the last 19 years. I am very thankful to be able to do something that I enjoy. Children are such a joy to be around. 1 John 5:1 says “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

As much as all the things above are important to me, first and center in my life is my love and desire to please my Savior Jesus Christ. Being born again from above is perpetual and eternal beginning: freshness all the time in thinking and in talking and in living, the continual surprise of the life of God.

Favorite Bible Verses: Matthew 6:21, John 14:27

If you chose to come and Worship with us, I pray you see and experience why I am so thankful and blessed to call FBCCS my home.

In every church I have been involved in, God has always placed me with children.  Children are precious gifts from God! Each one possesses a uniqueness that is so incredible.  To be able to watch them as they grow and plant the word of God in their life is just an AWESOME job and responsibility.

Jesus often taught the disciples how important children were to HIM and to the Kingdom of God.  Often I tell our wonderful Preschool volunteers that they are not workers, not baby sitters, but missionaries!  This is a mission field and we get to go there every Sunday!  Mark 9:37 says, “Anyone who welcomes a little child on MY behalf, welcomes ME.” (NLT) If children are that important to Jesus, then they should be that important to us!

It is so exciting to see how God is growing our Preschool Area!  We are also excited about the near future expanding and updating our Children’s Facilities. This will allow us to minister even more to our kids!

I encourage and invite you and your family to visit with us and I pray that you will find our Preschool Ministry to be A loving foundation Built on Christ.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

I have spent 20 years working in the transportation business doing various jobs from loading trucks at the dock to driving and making deliveries to various office functions. The past 15 years I’ve been in management and outside sales. I have the opportunity to work with people all over North Alabama as well as various cities across the United States. God has used a lot of these relationships to not only help me with my walk but also allow me to help others.

Both of our children attended Kids of the Kingdom preschool and through this ministry we were introduced to First Baptist Church Center Star. I grew up around church but didn’t take it seriously until April 2003 when God through several events put us at this church. The day that changed my life forever was during an Easter revival service. Since that time God has begun to help me make up for lost time. God has allowed me to see my entire family come to Christ since 2003 (Thank You Jesus.) I’m humbled and very undeserving of what all He has done. This church has been such a blessing to our family. I want to insure you that young people take things more serious than I did. God has instilled in me a heart to serve others. In my spare time I enjoy hunting and spending time with my family. We would love for you to join us where we can grow and serve together. We also invite any youth grades 7^th – 12^th to connect with us during our youth services and fellowship events.

Ministry Assistant
Deena White

It is so hard for me to put into words what this church means to me.  My family and I became members of FBCCS in 1998 and I was hired in March 2001 as the Administrative Secretary.   Even though there are some days I have to remind myself that I prayed for this, but I do feel like this job was and has been an answered prayer for me as well as my family.  I consider it a blessing to serve my Jesus and this church.  My prayer is that if you plan to visit or you are a member, is that you will feel the love that I have always felt by being a part of this church. 

My favorite Bible verses are:

Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

James 1:2-4 -  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.This verse is special to me because there was a time in my life I was running from God.  I feel like had I not gone through those trials, God would not have be where I am today.

 James 1:17 -Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.      

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