A place to belong.

Life Verse:

Ephesians 3:8 “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Testimony:

As an eight-year-old boy, at a revival meeting, I felt the convicting power of the Holy Spirit on my heart and I responded by repenting of my sins and asking Jesus to save me. During my teen and young adult years, I found myself traveling the path of the prodigal son before fully surrendering my life to the Lord in 1988. From that time forward I have sought to live a surrendered life “for His Name’s Sake” (Psalm 23:3).

Bio:

Barry and his wife Susan, who is also with us today, have been married for 34 years and have served God together faithfully through all of those years.

Barry has been blessed to serve in some great Christian organizations, including twelve years at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. He has been a sermon editor for In-Touch Ministries with Dr. Charles Stanley, and has served as a senior pastor, associate pastor, youth pastor, and most recently He was the transitional pastor at First Baptist Church Riverdale, Georgia.

Barry and Susan are parents of four adult children and they have three wonderful grandboys. They currently live in Kennesaw Georgia.

A long-time member of FBCLS, Shelia worked part time as our Children’s Ministry Coordinator for several years. She joined us full time in July of 2021. Prior to working here, Shelia served as a teacher in the Douglas County school system for 36 years. God has given her a life-long love for children and families.

Shelia is a Douglas County native. She accepted Christ as a young girl and upon graduating high school, attended Carson-Newman University receiving a degree in early childhood education. Returning home, she was offered a job at Lithia Springs Elementary which led her to this church. During her career she has taught every elementary grade with the exception of kindergarten, however she covered K while student teaching. She worked in 4 different schools in Douglas County. While working and planning her wedding to Joey, whom she met at this church, she completed her Master’s degree at the University of West Georgia. Several years later she earned a specialist degree from the same university. She and Joey have two beautiful adult daughters who are also actively serving in this church.

The thing she loves most about her job is teaching children about the love of Jesus which wasn’t always easy in the public school system. She is excited to partner with families and the church body to provide children with the opportunity to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor just as Jesus did as stated in Luke 2:52. Shelia also enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and taking walks in cool weather. She loves ABC books, redbirds, coffee, and waterfalls.

Her favorite verses are Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” and Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

To Shelia this verse is a call to action for all of us no matter our season of life or circumstances. God promises a harvest if we keep doing the right thing. It is very encouraging when she gets tired and a reminder the keep on keeping on.

Atarah Campbell grew up right here in Lithia Springs and has been a part of the FBCLS staff team since February 2019. She graduated from New Manchester high school, then studied at Truett McConnell University. She loves hanging out with students and has a passion for discipleship.

Atarah is a psychology major and though that is known, what you might not know is that her knowledge of personality tests and enneagram numbers can lead to a long conversation you didn’t realize you wanted to have!

Her favorite bible verse right now is Jude 1:24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy.”

When you visit or call the FBCLS office, Donna McMichen is the cheerful and helpful face and voice that greets you. Donna has been a part of our staff team since January 2007 and currently serves as our Ministry Assistant, directing and coordinating our office activities.

Donna grew up in a small country town in Central Florida where orange groves, riding horses and dirt roads were part of a life. She attended St. Lee College and West Georgia University, where she received a Bachelor of Music Education degree.

Donna views her position at FBCLS as not just a job, but a ministry where she is able to use her considerable creative gifts and skills to help the church reach out to our community. “Every day here is a joy!” She says. “While every day has its own challenges, and some days are better than others, it is such privilege to serve the Lord via my job. My co-workers, and the church family are huge blessings!”

When not at work, you can find Donna “feeding her creative soul” through quilting, photography, camping and making music. And if you happen to be visiting the McMichen home a little before 8:00 pm, you need to know that everything comes to a stop there during Final Jeopardy!

Donna’s favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Renee grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Bassett, Virginia. After graduating from Bassett High School, she attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She and her family moved to Georgia in the late 1990s. She has served as our Financial Secretary since October, 2018.

As our Financial Secretary, Renee coordinates many of the administrative tasks in the day to day operations of the church. In addition to her financial duties, Renee is the point person responsible for securing and implementing our security grant. She has completed a Fundamentals of Grant Management course with the Department of Homeland Security. She is currently working on becoming a Certified Church Administrator.

Renee loves being a part of the ministry of FBCLS because it allows her to support a church that is committed to loving, serving, and reaching our community. She also loves the fact that our Senior Pastor is down to earth and that the church is open to doing things differently.

If she had not moved from Oklahoma to Virginia, Renee believes she would have become a storm chaser. "I love storms and watching them" she says. Her current hobbies are a lot less dangerous... she enjoys reading and doing cross stitch!

Renee and her family are active members at McEachern Memorial United Methodist Church in Powder Springs. Her favorite Bible verse is Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Mark was born in Washington DC but was raised in Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and North Carolina. After graduating from High School in Alabama and attending Lawson State Community College, he came to Georgia in 1990 to work on the construction of the Georgia Dome. He loved the people he had come to know here and he's lived in Metro Atlanta ever since.

Mark has served as our Facility Manager since December, 2018. His favorite thing about being on the staff at FBCLS is being able to do what he loves doing– building, remodeling, and fixing things. "I love being hands on with the day to day operations of the facility," he says. "I also love working with people who love God, life, people and the church."

When not at work, Mark enjoys fishing and collecting baseball cards. He's also an avid drummer who has played since he was 15 years old and for many years played in bands in the Birmingham and Atlanta areas.

Mark's favorite Bible verse is also the shortest one in the Bible– John 11:35. It says simply "Jesus wept."

"It may be the shortest verse in the Bible but it is one of the strongest in my opinion. It shows the compassion that Jesus has for people who are suffering."

Ryley is too busy right now fixing things, but he will have a bio up soon!