Dr. Randy Clayton
Senior Pastor
Randy has served as the Senior Pastor of Summerville First Baptist Church since June of 2023. Throughout his 40 plus years of ministry, Randy has served in a variety of positions in the local church. He has served in churches in Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He has also served in a variety of positions on both the state and associational levels. Over the years, Randy has been on mission trips in a variety of states as well as internationally. Randy and his wife Shannon have been married 36 years and have two boys, Corey (29) and Wesley (26). Randy holds a Master of Divinity degree with a specialization in Biblical Studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry degree with specialization in Church Revitalization from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Randy is passionate about preaching the Word of God and reaching the unsaved with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, fishing, traveling with his wife, and photography.
Randy’s life verse is “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying; ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8).
Email: revran158@gmail.com
Logan Boggs
Minister of Children & Youth
Logan Boggs has served as the minister of children and youth at SFBC since July 2024. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies from Shorter University, where he was a punter for the football team for two years before receiving a deeper call to ministry and getting married. Logan’s ministry philosophy is to make disciples that can make disciples, and his greatest passion is reaching young people with the Gospel. He strives to disciple the youth and children deeply to help them know and follow Jesus. His goal is to prepare them to represent Christ and reach unbelievers in their everyday lives. When he’s not serving at the church, you can find Logan spending time with his family, playing video games, lifting weights, or cheering on his favorite sports teams. He and his wife, Hannah, have one son, Judah.
Logan’s life verse is, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20
Email: boggsjoshua42@gmail.com
Don Groce
Minister of Music
Don and Teresa Groce have been married for 47 years and have been members of Summerville First Baptist for many years. SFBC Music Ministers Fred Gunter and Hugh Canterbury had a profound influence on Don’s walk with God and his love of choral music as a teenager.
Don and Teresa have been leading church music, youth and children’s ministry in a bi-vocational role for over 40 years in churches in Dekalb, Barrow, Gwinnett and Chattooga Counties.They have led the music at Summerville First Baptist for a combined time of close to 30 years.
Teresa and Don met at Berry College on a bus to Georgia Baptist Student Union Fall Convention and were instantly drawn to each other by their mutual love of music. They have been a team from the start.
Teresa and Don finished their degrees at Jacksonville State University where she worked for the Baptist Campus Minister and they were very active in the Baptist Campus Ministry. Don majored in Chemistry and Biology with a goal of working at The Centers for Disease Control upon graduation.
Don spent the first 11 years of his career with the United States Centers for Disease Control in the Centers for Environmental Health as a Research Chemist. Don has held technical positions in the Industrial Safety and Health Field and has taught Chemical Safety in many genres nationally and internationally for the past 30 years.
Don and Teresa have been blessed with a large family. God has blessed them with their three children Brad (Kari), Natalie (Jacob) and Jared (Rachel) and nine grandchildren, Abby, Brady, Rhett, Katelyn, Jackson, Blaine, Ella, Fletcher and Griffin. All of them are faithfully serving the Lord in their churches.
Don’s roots run deep at SFBC. Don’s family has attended Summerville First Baptist for four generations beginning with Don’s grandparents, Don and Vera Groce, Don’s parents, Wayne and Mary Groce, Don and Teresa and their children Jared and Rachel and grandchildren Fletcher and Griffin.
Teresa and Don are members of the Georgia Baptist State Missions Group Sons of Jubal and Jubalheirs. They travel throughout the state and internationally on mission, proclaiming the gospel in song.
Summerville First Baptist Church’s music points people to God through worship of His Sovereign Majesty and the message of Salvation. Each Worship Experience has the goal of a multi-generational appeal featuring a blended worship style combining Traditional Hymns, Modern Praise, Southern Gospel and Scripture Set to Music.
At Summerville First Baptist, we believe as Martin Luther said“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.”
We will proclaim the Word of God through Music as long as He gives us breath!
Teresa Groce
Pianist
Teresa has served as our Church Pianist for over 15 years. She has also served as the Children’s Choir Director and Don’s assistant for the Adult Choir. Teresa and Don began their bi-vocational church ministry as the Children’s Choir directors at North Peachtree Baptist Church in Dunwoody, Georgia, where they were married, in 1978. She and Don have served in children’s, youth and music positions throughout north Georgia for over 40 years. They have also been on several state mission trips as well as a wonderful Holy Land mission trip with the Jubal Ministry group sponsored by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
Teresa and Don met 51 years ago on a Baptist Campus Ministry Fall Convention while she was a student at Berry College. After transferring to Jacksonville State, she became the Administrative Assistant to the Campus Minister of the BCM. They were very active with the BCM, singing at Ridgecrest and many churches until graduation. A love of music would draw Teresa and Don to each other and allow them to serve in churches bi-vocationally through the years.
Teresa and Don have 3 married children, Brad Groce and his wife, Kari; Natalie Williams and her husband, Jacob; and JaredGroce and his wife, Rachel. They are also blessed with 9 grandchildren: Abby, Brady, Katelyn, Jackson, Blaine, Rhett, Ella, Fletcher and Griffin.
Teresa’s life verse is “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty one, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Dr. Jay McNeal
Organist
Jay has been our Church musician/organist of Summerville First Baptist Church since May of 1994, 31 years. Jennie has taught the children’s Sunday School class and VBS for 31 years. Jay previously served as minister of music at Pennville First Baptist in Summerville, and minister of music at Parma First Baptist in Parma, Ohio (for 2 years). Jay and Jennie have been married for 53 years, since August 5, 1972. They met while in college at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., where they worked in the college cafeteria during their senior year. Jay obtained his Master of Music degree at the University of Georgia in 1974. That year the family moved to Columbus, Ohio where he finished his Ph.D. in music theory in 1979. Both of their children, Amy (49 years) and Steven (45 years) were born at O.S.U. Medical Center in Columbus, where Jennie worked as a lead medical technologist in the Chemistry Laboratory. They also have 3 grandsons. Zachary (19) was going to N.C. State, and Matthew (17) was a senior at Porter Ridge H.S. in Charlotte, N.C. Their newest grandson, Tommy, was born in 2024 and lives with his parents, Steven and Malaka, in Portland, Oregon. In his spare time, Jay is an avid reader and loves taking walks and being outside, although trips to see his children and grandchildren. Jay’s favorite book of the Bible is Psalms, and his favorite verse is: “When I am afraid I will put my trust in You.” — Psalm 56:3
Kristy Sparks
Secretary
Kristy Sparks, Church Secretary, provides administrative support and a welcoming presence at Summerville First Baptist.
Kristy graduated from Trion High School in 1999, where she currently serves on the THS Stakeholders. She earned her college diploma in Medical Office Assisting and certification in Certified Customer Service Training.
After working for Redmond Regional Medical Center for 17 years, Kristy was excited to combine her talents, organizational skills and her faith by serving at Summerville First Baptist and has now been with the church for 3 years, where she says the motto stands true: Where Love Surrounds!
Kristy resides in Alabama with her husband Eric and daughter Meila.
Her mission is simple: Growing in Faith, Serving in Love, and Living for Christ.
Kristy can be reached at the office at 706-857-1215 or summervillefirstbaptist@gmail.com.
Her office hours are Monday through Wednesday 8am-3pm.
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