Deacons

Deacons at First on Fifth are our church’s primary servant leaders, offering guidance for our beloved community on matters of spiritual discernment and doing so with a collaborative spirit. Each Deacon is assigned a handful of individuals and families in our church to offer compassion, care, and help when needed. Our Deacons meet monthly after worship for lunch, prayer, and discussion.

Deacons must
  • Exhibit a Jesus-shaped way of living: one of loving God and loving neighbor as we love ourselves, all the while pursuing the present and future Kingdom of God.
  • Be sincere individuals worthy of respect, holding deep truths of faith, full of the Spirit and wisdom. (See Deacon qualities set forth in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Acts 6:3.)
  • Live out a strong commitment to First Baptist Church on Fifth’s mission, vision, values, and Confession of Identity, which says at its heart: “We are a community in the heart of the city called by Jesus to practice bold love of God and neighbor and boundless compassion for all people.”
  • Demonstrate financial support of First Baptist Church on Fifth.
  • Faithfully fulfill the responsibilities and duties as a Deacon.
  • Be a minimum of twenty-one (21) years of age and a member of First Baptist Church for two (2) years at the time of election.

*Year listed beside each name indicates the end of their term.

Deacon Officers

Chair – Sheree Jones
Vice Chair – Chris Gambill
Secretary – Carlos Mir

Active Deacons

John Baxley – 2024
Joe Bircher – 2026
Cyrus Bush – 2026
Nikki Byers – 2026
Janet Falls – 2026
Minerva Fox – 2025
Chris Gambill – 2024
Roper Halverson – 2026
Anna Harris – 2026
Joanne Henley – 2024
Linda Jones – 2026
Sheree Jones – 2025
Holly Kessler – 2025
Kelly King – 2025
Jill Knight – 2024
David Matthews – 2024
Carlos Mir – 2024
Jim Nelson – 2025
Twyla Nelson – 2024
Lynn Rhoades – 2025
Steve Smith – 2024
Pat Thompson – 2025
Susan Welch – 2026
Carol Wilkinson – 2025

Life Deacons

Dick Bagnal
John Baxley
Hoyt Beard
Benny Bowes
Linwood Davis
Ralph Messick
David Matthews
Tom Moore
Joe Newsome
Jack Shearin
David Smelcer
Mark Thompson
Walter Wiley

Officers

Church officers give leadership to the business of the church, and are elected by the congregation to serve each year.

*Year listed beside each name indicates the end of their term.

Church Officers

Moderator
Linda Jones 2025

Associate Moderator
Gary Knight 2025

Treasurer
Jim Tew 2024

Assistant Treasurer
Carol Wilkinson 2024

 

Church Clerk
Tommy Henley 2024

Associate Clerk
Marty Cook 2024

Historian
Paul McCraw

Chief Usher
Carlos Mir

Committees

Seven standing committees work each year to attend to the various ministries and missions of the church. Each committee has six members, elected by the congregation to serve either a 2- or 3-year term. Committee members must be a member of the church for a year before serving in this capacity.

*Year listed beside each name indicates the end of their term.

Finance Committee

Scott Hudgins (chair) 2025
Joani Hughes 2024
Kara Thompson 2026
David Smelcer 2024
Matt Steen 2024
Gary Knight 2026

House and Grounds Committee

Robert Parker (chair) 2025
Bo Drew 2024
Jeff Kessler 2025
Joseph Jones 2024
Mary Kaylor 2024
Jennifer Oas 2025

Nominating Committee

Leah Thompson Clark 2024
Marty Cook 2024
Janet Williams 2024
3 vacancies

Policy Committee

Art Yates (chair) 2024
Nikki Byers 2025
David Hull 2024
Steve Smith 2025
Minerva Fox 2024
Garry Whitaker 2025

Missions Committee

Linda Lewis (chair) 2024
Andrew Britt 2025
Martha Greene 2024
Richard Groves 2025
Kim Towles 2024
Linda Merchant 2025

Scholarship Committee

Sheree Jones (chair) 2024
Will Abbott 2025
Jean Batten 2024
Chris Towles 2024
Frank Frye 2025
Gordon Thompson 2025

Personnel Committee

Roper Halverson (chair) 2024
Cyrus Bush 2025
Joy Gambill 2024
Holly Kessler 2024
David Welch 2025
Terri Yates 2025

Ministry Teams

Thirteen ministry teams give leadership to the various ministries of our church. Ministry Teams are led by two co-leaders elected by the congregation, and filled by any who are interested in serving in this capacity.  Ministry team co-leaders must be members of the church, but anyone can serve on a ministry team. Teams are formed each year.

*Year listed beside each name indicates the end of their term.

Adult Ministry Team

Mary Foskett (co-leader) 2024
Linda Jones (co-leader) 2024

Bereavement Ministry Team

Beth Stainback (co-leader) 2024
Martha Teague (co-leader) 2024

Children’s Ministry Team

Wally Cox (co-leader) 2024
Kim Wilkinson (co-leader) 2024

Homebound Ministry Team

Minerva Fox (co-leader) 2024
Florence Wiley (co-leader) 2024

Hospitality/Fellowship Ministry Team

Cindi Goins (co-leader) 2024
Linda Stewart (co-leader) 2024

Music/Arts Ministry Team

Carlos Mir (co-leader) 2024
Susan Welch (co-leader) 2024

New Member Ministry Team

Sheree Jones (co-leader) 2024
Carol Wilkinson (co-leader) 2024

Outreach Ministry Team

Kate Masten (co-leader) 2024
Holly Kessler (co-leader) 2024

Worship Ministry Team

Alice Cox (co-leader) 2024
Judy Eustice (co-leader) 2024

Youth Ministry Team

Ka’thy Gore-Chappell (co-leader) 2024
Meredith Parker (co-leader) 2024

Senior Adult Ministry Team

Barbara Bedwell (co-leader) 2024
Nancy Robinson (co-leader) 2024

Church Office

Should you have any general questions about our community, please contact David Williamson, Church Administrator.

Admin@Firstonfifth.Org

336.722.2558 X1000

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