Ministry Leaders
*All children & youth ministry workers must complete a background check through protectmyministry.com
Nusury Ministry - Lawanda McGrath
Lawanda McGrath has led our Pre-School Nursery Ministry since 2009. Lawanda is a Registered Nurse and has 4 children of her own. This experience is invaluable and allows her to understand the importance of a well-organized, safe and welcoming atmosphere for the youngest of attenders. Having a quality place for children allows parents to enjoy the worship and various ministries more effectively. Lawanda is the wife of Associate Pastor Jason McGrath. They have lived and served at FBC since 2005.
Super Church Children's Ministry - Scott & Vickie Easterling
Scott Easterling has served as the leader of our Super Church Children’s Ministry since 2007. He and his wife Vicki have a heart to see children grow to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and develop a relationship with him. Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Scott and Vicki excel in communicating God’s Word to the children on a level they can grasp and see Super Church as an opportunity to teach children what it means to be a worshiper of God.
Scott has lived in the Palm Bay area since 1984 and works as the VP of Product Management at Live TV. Scott and Vicki have been married for nearly 30 years. They have three children and have been attending FBC since 1993. Scott also serves the families of our church as a deacon.
AWANA Children’s Clubs - Ken Jernigan
Ken and his wife Linda have been attending FBC since 2009 and have been leading our AWANA program since 2011. They both have been working in AWANA Clubs for many years even attending as clubbers when they were young.
Ken and Linda have a heart to see young people hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to grow in their faith. “I believe Awana is a wonderful opportunity to share the Good news of Christ with the community of children surrounding us. The Awana program provides opportunities for children to have fun and hear the Gospel on a weekly basis.”
Ken has attended the AWANA Commander College and maintains a working relationship with the regional Awana missionary, leading our church to be a key supporter along the east coast of Florida.
Ken works as a Sr. Software Engineer at Rockwell Collins. He and his wife have three children.
College & Career Ministry - Dr. Jess Yates & Bryan Stoddart
Dr. Jess Yates has been attending FBC since 2004 and has dedicated himself to serving the College & Career Ministry. Having been saved while in college Dr. Yates has a passion to see this age group flourish in their walk with Christ. “I try to make them think, not just read the Bible, but really try to understand what it is saying…I also want them the know that faith isn’t blind, and that we have solid reasons why we believe what we believe.”
Dr. Yates has a love for Scripture and is a seasoned expository teacher. He is trained in Biblical & Financial Counseling and has been involved in counseling ministry for over 25 years. He has served on the deacon board as a deacon and as chairman.
Dr. Yates has a B.S. and a D.M.D. from Florida University and is a Practicing Family Dentist. He and Bertie, his wife of nearly 40 years, happily live in Satellite Beach, FL. They have 4 children; all are married and all are believers.
Bryan Stoddart is many ways a product of the ministry of FBC. He spent much of his youth here attending and completing our youth and college age programs. He has been assisting Dr. Yates in ministering to the C&C Class since 2006.
Bryan has his Computer Engineering Degree from Florida Technical Institute and works locally at Direct Hit Systems Inc. as a Software Engineer. He uses his skills to work here at FBC in the Audio Visual and IT Ministries.
Furthermore Bryan works with the Teen Ministry as the leader of the Boys Bible Study which meets weekly. He is a skilled teacher and very knowledgeable in the Scriptures. He has also received training in biblical counseling.
Counseling Ministry - Tom Wells
Tom Wells has a passion for God’s word and spends much of his time teaching and counseling others in its truth. He is a NANC certified biblical counselor and certified in financial counseling through Crown Financial Ministries. “God’s Word teaches us that all believers are competent to counsel each other (Romans 15:14), and that it is a matter of being filled will the Holy Spirit (God’s Part) and a strong study of His Word (man’s Part) that can offer help and hope to other believers.”
Tom uses his training and wisdom in counseling to lead our Counseling Ministry which handles all the counseling needs of our attenders. He also serves as a deacon, teaches various Bible Studies, and works on the Audio Visual Committee, and is a trusted mentor to many in our congregation.
Tom has his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and works as the Sr. Engineering Manager for Advanced Technology at Harris Governmental Communication Systems here in Melbourne. Tom and his wife Susan have been married for over 25 years have been members of FBC since 1999. They have three children.
Church Treasurer - Vera Hall
Born in Jamaica, Mrs. Vera Hall has been attending FBC for over 20 years and serves our church primarily as the Church Treasurer, although she does also work as a Budget Committee Member and AWANA Leader.
Vera is a certified CPA and works at Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC. “I believe my training and experience as a CPA enables me to perform my ministry as Treasurer well as it is important that the finances of the church are handles in a God honoring and organized manner allowing the congregation to be provided with timely reporting of the financial status.”
Vera has served as Treasurer here at FBC for over 15 years and is in charge of accounting and financial activities. She has been married to her husband Noel for over 35 years and they have two children and one granddaughter.
Tabernacle of Hope Ministries - Scott & Lorraine Saxton
The Saxtons have been called to reach the lost for Christ right here in America. In February of 2000, Scott & Lorraine felt the Lord leading them to begin preparations for full time Evangelistic Ministry. They sold their successful automotive repair business, their home and their land to head for Bible College at Pensacola Christian.
They now serve the Lord through Tabernacle of Hope Ministries. “The purpose of the Tabernacle of Hope Ministry is to reach the lost for Christ through preaching tent crusades across America. We are burdened to help pastors restart or plant churches and evangelize communities alongside local fundamental Baptist churches.”
We are blessed to see the Lord use the ministry of FBC to send out the Saxtons to do the work of evangelism across our nation and encouraged to see the fruit their ministry is producing.
You can visit their ministry webpage at tohministryinc.com