Pastor Brooks began serving as Lead Pastor of First Baptist Jesup in October 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies from Brewton-Parker College and a Master of Arts in Evangelism and Church Planting from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary.
Before joining First Baptist Jesup, he faithfully served for thirteen years as pastor and church planter of New City Church in Alma, Georgia.
Pastor Brooks is married to Allison, and together they have two daughters, Sophie and Piper. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling—especially to the beach—and discovering great food along the way. In his free time, he enjoys golf, hunting, fishing, music, reading, and cheering on his favorite Georgia and Atlanta sports teams.
Lance is from Lowndes County, Ga and has been in local church ministry for over 30 years. He loves life and seeks to get the most out of it. He has been blessed with a wonderful wife Tricia who tries hard to keep him out of trouble. They have four children that they love dearly, Sarah, Micah, Anna Grace, and Zoe. Lance graduated from Liberty University with a Master's in Religious Education. His greatest desire is to glorify the Lord and finish well.
Shelby graduated from Point University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, minoring in Biblical Studies. While in college she met and married her husband, Kyle Howell, and moved to Effingham County after graduation where she taught 2nd grade at Sand Hill Elementary for 3 years. During Shelby's third year teaching, they welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Murray, in January of 2023. In April, 2025, they welcomed another daughter, Adeline Grace.
In April of 2024, Shelby and her family moved to Ludowici. Shortly after the move, the Lord led them to First Baptist Jesup. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, going to the beach, painting, and playing tennis. Kyle and Shelby will welcome their second daughter, Adeline, in early May.
Pastor Gary is from Butts County, Georgia and has served in ministry since 2014. He graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with a concentration in Student Ministry from Truett McConnell University. He is currently working on his master’s degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Pastor Gary married his beautiful wife in 2014, and they have three wonderful children, Grayson, Aidan, and Ella. His middle son, Aidan, fought childhood Leukemia from age 3-6 and is currently in remission and doing great. Outside of pastoring, he is the Soccer Coach for Wayne Christian Academy.
Pastor Gary loves spending time with his family, going to the beach, playing basketball, soccer, and baseball. He enjoys anything BBQ, or just good food in general. He is an avid Atlanta Braves fan and enjoys University of Georgia football.
Ally Miller (Allison Pinder) began serving at FBC in April of 2021, which was a homecoming of sorts. Ally was born and raised in Jesup and was a member of FBC until she married in 2015. Being a wife to Matt, and mother to Waylon, Ally loves staying home with her boys! In her free time, she also enjoys drawing, painting, photography, music, cooking, and gardening.
She has worked as a Lead Service Receptionist at a BMW dealership in Atlanta while completing a 2-year commercial photography degree. After moving back to Jesup, she worked as a Medical Service Representative and later as a Project Assistant for the Economic Development Department at Coastal Pines Technical College. She feels serving FBC and the Wayne County community is exactly where God led her to be.
Marolyn retired from RYAM after 20 years in the Accounting Department, doing accounts payable and later moved into the Inventory Coordinator position. She was responsible for all pulp inventory on and off site. She also worked as office manager for Dr. Lex Kenerly. She also worked for Carter Dredging and L&B Industrial Cleaning, handling accounting functions there as well. She has 30 plus years experience in accounting.
Marolyn is married to Billy Cowart. She is a graduate of Wayne County High School. Together they have four children and seven grandchildren. Marolyn and Billy like to fish and travel. Their favorite place to be is on the Georgia coast. They love spending time with their children, grandchildren, and friends. They volunteer at Camp Hawkins each summer and cook for church events.
She is excited to be part of the First Baptist Church Jesup staff.