LETTER FROM THE SENIOR MINISTER SEARCH COMMITTEE On Sunday, February 3, 2019, Dr. Paul Baxley announced his resignation after having served almost nine years as the Senior Minister at First Baptist Church (FBC), Athens, Georgia. Dr. Baxley accepted God’s call to be the Executive Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In March, the church called Dr. Joel Snider to be the Interim Minister providing leadership for the congregation and the church staff. At the same time, the congregation elected members to serve on the Senior Minister Search Committee. That committee began its work on April 7, 2019. The effort, comprised partly of meeting each Monday evening, has included organization, information gathering, interviews, expert dialogue, a “listening lunch” with the congregation and much prayer. The information gained from these sources was used to develop the Church Profile and Pastor Profile. We are grateful to our congregation and staff for the time and effort they have spent in the production of this church profile. We are also grateful for the prayers of support, confirmation and guidance for the work we have in front of us. The future at FBC is strong and the possibilities are exciting. As a committee, we look forward to meeting the person God is calling to lead us. We continue to covenant together to uphold one another in prayer and encouragement as we trust in God’s timing and God’s selection for the one who will journey with us into a future of promise and hope. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our beloved church and the community in which each one of us is nurtured in faith. We hope you will join us on the journey, listening to God’s voice at this important time in the history of First Baptist Church. In Christ, Mary Conley, Secretary Craig Ellis Leslie Gordon
Cindy Haygood, Chair Al Henderson Anna Randa
Alan Reddish, Vice-Chair Mark Sanders Jimmy Thomason