Todd and his wife Pam, were married in 1986 and together, received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in January 1987. A member of First New Testament Church for over 33 years, Todd has a heart to humbly serve the Lord and to serve His people. He has put his tremendous energy & ability to work over the years to do just that. Besides being a committed usher for the church, Todd serves on the ACTS committee as an advisor to assess and minister to the needs of the widows and orphans in the Body of Christ, and others who may be struggling. Over the years, Todd has traveled on mission trips to Mexico, Russia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Honduras, Peru, & Nebraska. He has led construction projects and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Richard leads our Facilities Ministry. He grew up in Mississippi, where he committed his life to the Lord just after high school. He began working in construction in Baton Rouge and eventually met his wife, Susan. They have been married for over 40 years, raised 2 daughters, and now have 4 grandchildren. Their entire family worships at First New Testament. Richard owns and manages his own company, Longmire Coatings, LLC, which provides industrial paint and supplies to clients all over the country. He has built several homes and has worked in general construction for many years. Richard is also on Pastor Shipp’s Board of Assistants.
He has been helping to visit our sick and care for our needy. He sings in the choir, ministers greatly in the altar and is widely known to be a caring and loving example of Christ.
Saved in August 1984, Jim has been attending First New Testament with his wife and children since 2003. He has a heart to follow Jesus and see people come to salvation and be discipled so that they live their lives for Christ. He seeks to minister in a way that will encourage people to develop a trust and faith in Jesus that will endure until the end.
Hadyn Shipp is the son to Pastor Lee And Carla Shipp. He grew up being involved in many different ministries in the church, from the worship team, the youth group, the young adults, and more. He confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a young age and has continued to serve Jesus and His body. He currently helps in ministering on the worship team as well as being involved in leadership roles in young adults and assisting the pastor. Hadyn graduated from LSU in 2016 and currently works in the finance department at a local bank.
Pam has served as the bookkeeper for First New Testament Church for 31 years. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for FNT and served as Treasurer/Secretary for many years. Pam has served the Lord and His church in various ways including children’s church teacher for 12 years and VBS crafts leader for many years as well. Currently she continues to teach children’s Sunday School as she has for the past 15 years and serves as a VBS Bible class teacher. Pam is also thankful for the opportunities to serve the Lord through Ladies Bible Study and mission trips to Honduras, Peru & Nebraska.
Pam and her husband Todd, are blessed with 3 adventurous boys, Michael, Colin, & Seth, and 1 precious daughter, Callie. By God’s grace, she has been able to homeschool all 4 children. Pam continually rejoices in her redemption through Jesus Christ.
Kevin Murphy grew up in Baton Rouge and graduated from LSU in 1982. In early 1986, he began earnestly seeking the Lord, knowing there was much more to this life than he was experiencing and that the path he was on was not the right one. God put several Christian people in his life that ministered to him and loved him. He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1986. Kevin married Sylvia (who was one of those people) in 1987 and they have two beautiful children, Kayla and Grant, who are both serving the Lord. They have been blessed to be members of FNT and serve under Pastor Shipp and this great body for over 20 years.
Billy was raised in Baton Rouge and received a Mechanical Engineering degree from Louisiana State University in May, 1984. While working in the industrial sector, Billy committed his life to the Lord in the spring of 1985. Given his musical background and following the Lord’s leading, Billy joined an international ministry playing drums for their crusade/worship team. In 1994, Billy started an Industrial Sales business, currently in operation today, which affords him the opportunity to serve through various ministries at FNT, where he began attending in 1995.
He was instrumental in the design and installation of all audio and video equipment and currently oversees it’s operation and maintenance. Billy has served in numerous ministries including the praise team, youth, young adults, college and career, missions, and is currently involved in our outreach to Hunt prison. He has been a board member since 2016.
He has been married to his wife Jane for 31 wonderful years and has three beautiful children. Billy loves both flying and all outdoor activities, but everything takes a back seat to playing with his grandkids and helping the body of Christ grow and mature
As president of the Board of Directors, Pastor Lee works with this board through the ministry and leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is his privilege to serve with the members that God has placed on this board as he makes decisions regarding church business and ministries.