Senior Pastor

---

Thanks for visiting us! We hope this site provides a small snap-shot of who we are, and what we are about as a Church. I have had the privilege of serving as the Senior Pastor since July of 2019. Dru and I spent 10 years serving in student ministry and running an after school program. We never would have dreamed that God would call us to our home counties to do ministry.

I am originally from Forest, MS, and my wife, Dru, is from Decatur, MS. We have a daughter, Gracie. We believe that God has truly brought us back home to minister in our home counties. Our home is literally on the Scott/Newton county line. God has given me a passion for preaching His Word and for equipping people to be ministers of the Gospel. I place a high emphasis on Christ-centered marriages and families, which I believe will help us to be a healthy church.  We desire for First Baptist Church Lake to be a community church, whose doors are open to everyone. We also strive to have a global approach in our efforts to fulfill the great commission. Our church supports missionaries and takes short term trips to share the Gospel with different people groups. 

In my time as pastor here, I have found the people to be very genuine in their faith with a hunger to learn and grow in their walk with Christ. We would love to have you visit with us, and I’d be happy to answer any questions that you may have. 

I have served in student ministry for 9 years, and I now serve the Lord at FBC Lake as the Family Discipleship Pastor.  In this family pastor role, I lead the student ministry and over see the discipleship ministries of the church.  I am passionate about teaching the Word of God, family ministry, and reaching the next generation with the Gospel.  

I have been married to my wife Lalah since May of 2017.  In August of 2022, the Lord blessed Lalah and I with a beautiful red-headed daughter named Brinleigh.  My wife and I are both originally from the Newton County area.  We are excited to be back in our home area serving the Lord.  

Jeremy Gibbs has worked in worship ministry since 2002 and has served at First Lake since 2018. Passionate about leading others to know Christ and to experience His love and faithfulness, Jeremy leads the First Lake Worship Band, directs the First Lake Choir, and serves with various ministries in the church.

Both Jeremy and his wife, Alissa, are natives of nearby Morton, Mississippi, and both work in the Scott County School District. They live in Forest, Mississippi with their nine children. Their mission is to strive to lead others to know Christ and to pour into the next generation. 

 Ashley serves as our Ministry Assistant, and joined our staff in 2023. She and her husband, Jeff, have two sons, Landon and Lane.