1 Peter 4:8-10: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling”

 

Rev. Mary Jo Gessner, born and raised in Miami, Florida, received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Florida in 1982 and a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Seminary in 1986. Rev. Gessner began serving First Baptist Madison in 1987 as Minister of Youth, was licensed in 1990, and was ordained to the Gospel Ministry in 2007. After serving as Minister of Youth for 21 years, Rev. Gessner began serving our congregation as Minister of Pastoral Care in July of 2008. She has been active with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, has worked with Madison Hospital in the area of chaplaincy, and currently volunteers with Global Ties Alabama in the area of refugee resettlement. She and her husband, Mark Gessner, have two grown children: Jessye Gaines (married to Luke Gaines), who teaches in the Engineering Academy at Bob Jones High School, and Harris Gessner (married to Bethany Green Gessner) who is the Choral Director at James Clemens High School and the Minister of Music at Weatherly Heights Baptist in Huntsville. Mary Jo and Mark have four beautiful grandchildren; Kay, Glenne, Grant, and Sam.

Mark Gessner was raised in Port St. Lucie, Florida and grew up attending First Baptist Church of Ft. Pierce. While attending The University of Florida, Mark was active at the Baptist Campus Ministry and served two different summers as a student missionary (in Key West in 1979 and in Singapore in 1980). Mark graduated from The University of Florida in 1982 with a degree in Music Performance (French Horn) and continued his education at Southern Seminary where he received a Master’s of Church Music degree in 1986. During his time in seminary he served First Southern Baptist Church in Clarksville, IN. In 1987 Mark was hired by First Baptist Madison as the Minister of Music. Mark played Fourth Horn in the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra for thirty seasons, and continues to teach private French horn lessons to many students in the Madison City School System. He has directed such musical works with our youth choir as Godspell and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

dberg@fbcmadison.net 

 

Rev. David Berg was born in Birmingham, AL and grew up in the Hoover area. He graduated from Samford University, receiving his B.A. in Music. After recognizing his calling to ministry, he attended the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta where he received his Master of Divinity. He has served in churches in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Outside of ministry, David enjoys good coffee, playing D&D and other games with his friends, taking his dog, Coco, to the dog park, and all things Tennessee Volunteers.

 

Rev Dan Venzin was born in Detroit and has lived in Ohio, England, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas. 

He graduated from Texas A&M and obtained his Masters of Divinity from Baylor University.

He lives in Huntsville with his wife Katie and two children.