What do you do to relax and refresh your soul? Though I find a great deal of joy and energy by spending time with other people, my wife is my best friend and I absolutely love being with her and giving her my undivided attention. Our favorite places to relax, read, and reflect are our back porch, walks along the riverfront, a nearby farm and the North Carolina High Country. Invitations from my children to join them for lunch or a sporting event are one of the things that I consider a high honor and compliment. I find that time with special friends, fall tailgating in Chapel Hill, and attending basketball and baseball games at UNCW empowers my spirit and that quiet walks, time on the fishing bank and hours of reading the Bible and praying provides me the peace and quiet to listen for the still voice of God that nourishes my soul. What do you appreciate most about First Baptist Church? The church is not a building or a campus of buildings but a group of people who have committed their lives to being the presence of Jesus on earth, and in our case, around Wilmington and the places we go. The love and care that First Baptist provides for each other, our neighbors, and “the strangers” (Isa. 58:6-12) is an incredible witness of the unconditional love of God. The faith, kindness, generosity, servanthood, joy, gentleness and goodness that flows from the people of this church to all those we encounter causes me to say unequivocally, “I would long to be a part of the family of First Baptist Church of Wilmington, NC even if I weren’t part of the ministerial staff.”  What are you reading right now? A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie Practicing Greatness: Seven Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders by Reggie McNeal Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg Writings of Barbara Brown Taylor & Peter Gomes What are you listening to? My wife, children and country music. Why should a person visiting this website take the next step and visit FirstBaptistChurch?  A website is a great place to get some of the facts but worshipping, connecting and serving with FirstBaptistChurch is a great way to grow in your relationship with Christ. We are a caring family of faith that is committed to becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus that welcome new people with joy and friendliness. We seek to understand and live out the teachings of Jesus thoughtfully and carefully, and believe that faith is best developed and shared within the context of a church. The celebrations and struggles of life shared enable us to grow in our relationship with God. Give us a try.     The Usual Stuff: Jim joined the church staff in July, 1990. He is a native of Fayetteville, NC. He was educated at PembrokeStateUniversity (now UNC-Pembroke), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1984) and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia (Doctor of Ministry, 2004). Jim and Lisa have been married for twenty-five years and have been blessed with a son, Jonathan (20), and daughter, Megan (17).

What do you do to relax and refresh your soul? Though I find a great deal of joy and energy by spending time with other people, my wife is my best friend and I absolutely love being with her and giving her my undivided attention. Our favorite places to relax, read, and reflect are our back porch, walks along the riverfront, a nearby farm and the North Carolina High Country. Invitations from my children to join them for lunch or a sporting event are one of the things that I consider a high honor and compliment. I find that time with special friends, fall tailgating in Chapel Hill, and attending basketball and baseball games at UNCW empowers my spirit and that quiet walks, time on the fishing bank and hours of reading the Bible and praying provides me the peace and quiet to listen for the still voice of God that nourishes my soul. What do you appreciate most about First Baptist Church? The church is not a building or a campus of buildings but a group of people who have committed their lives to being the presence of Jesus on earth, and in our case, around Wilmington and the places we go. The love and care that First Baptist provides for each other, our neighbors, and “the strangers” (Isa. 58:6-12) is an incredible witness of the unconditional love of God. The faith, kindness, generosity, servanthood, joy, gentleness and goodness that flows from the people of this church to all those we encounter causes me to say unequivocally, “I would long to be a part of the family of First Baptist Church of Wilmington, NC even if I weren’t part of the ministerial staff.”  What are you reading right now? A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie Practicing Greatness: Seven Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders by Reggie McNeal Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg Writings of Barbara Brown Taylor & Peter Gomes What are you listening to? My wife, children and country music. Why should a person visiting this website take the next step and visit FirstBaptistChurch?  A website is a great place to get some of the facts but worshipping, connecting and serving with FirstBaptistChurch is a great way to grow in your relationship with Christ. We are a caring family of faith that is committed to becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus that welcome new people with joy and friendliness. We seek to understand and live out the teachings of Jesus thoughtfully and carefully, and believe that faith is best developed and shared within the context of a church. The celebrations and struggles of life shared enable us to grow in our relationship with God. Give us a try.     The Usual Stuff: Jim joined the church staff in July, 1990. He is a native of Fayetteville, NC. He was educated at PembrokeStateUniversity (now UNC-Pembroke), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1984) and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia (Doctor of Ministry, 2004). Jim and Lisa have been married for twenty-five years and have been blessed with a son, Jonathan (20), and daughter, Megan (17).