Ministers


Dr. Reggie Bridges, Pastor	Dr. Les Colvin, Associate Pastor of Education & Administration
Reggie has led our church as pastor since 2005. Originally from North Mississippi, he attended Blue Mountain College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and English. He continued his studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned three degrees: a Master of Divinity, a Master of Theology, and a Doctor of Philosophy. Prior to his ministry at Zachary, Reggie served several churches in his home state. He is married to the former Leslie Neaves, and they have four children: Abigail, Hayes, Rhett & Ainsley. Reggie seeks to fulfill his purpose here at Zachary by “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13).	Les has served on staff at First Baptist since February of 2009. He is Zachary through and through, having grown up at FBC. Les has served as an education minister for twenty-seven years in LA, VA, and MS, prior to coming back home to Zachary. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana Tech University, a Master of Religious Education degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and completed his Doctor of Ministry in December of 2012 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Les and his wife, DeLisa, have been married for thirty-three years and have two daughters (and sons-in-laws), and five grandchildren. Les’ passion for ministry is to develop “mature disciples” and encourage the body of Christ in their walk with God.

John Johnson, Associate Pastor of Worship	Debbi Mashaw, Minister of Senior Adults & Recreation
John Johnson is our Associate Pastor of Worship and has served here at First Baptist since July of 2009, has a Master’s Degree in Music and Missions from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and has also studied music education at Boise State University and Louisiana State University. Before moving to Zachary, John, Leyette, Kayla and Aaron served for 8 years as International Mission Board missionaries to Porto Velho, Rondônia and also São Paulo, Brazil where John taught evangelism and church planting at the Guarulhos Baptist Seminary. He has served as music minister in Southern Baptist churches in Louisiana and Idaho since 1993. As worship leader, John seeks to magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit skillfully combining God’s Word with music.	Debbi Mashaw has been on staff at First Baptist Church since 1978. She came as Youth and Recreation Director and is now Minister of Senior Adults and Recreation. Originally from North Louisiana, she attended LSU-Shreveport and finished at LSU. She went west to Fort Worth, Texas to receive her Master’s degree in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Shad Kennedy, Minister of Students	Stanley Mearse, Minister of Children
Shad Kennedy has been on staff at our church for 3 years. He has been a youth minister for 10 years. Shad was born and raised in south Mississippi. He is a graduate of Picayune High, Pearl River Community College, and the Leavell College of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Dana, his wife of 13 years, and they have 3 children: Lexi, Landon, and Ryleigh. Shad loves the Lord, his family, and preaching the Word. He enjoys hunting, basketball, and most sports. Shad's vision for our students is that they would seek the Lord thru worship and the study of His Word, share the gospel both here and abroad, and serve the Lord with their gifts and talents.	Stanley Mearse is from Mineral Wells, Texas. He earned an Elementary Education degree from Hardin Simmons University, Abilene, TX then went on to receive his Masters of Divinity Degree from Southeastern University, Wake Forest, NC. Stanley is happily married to his "best friend and better half," Lydia. Together they have two sons. As a Children’s Pastor and a parent, Stanley feels that it is crucial we reach this generation of children with the truths of the Bible while they are young, to prepare them for the battles they are already facing in life. Think of the despair and loneliness that could be spared by coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at an early age. It is his prayer and calling to give children a safe, nurturing, and relevant environment where they will have every opportunity to learn to follow Christ