Our Staff
Russ Ponder
Senior Pastor
Connect with Russ:
Russ and His wife, Kim have served at FBC Hamlin since November 2021 when Russ answered the call to be our senior pastor. Russ and his wife have two adult sons, and two grandchildren. Russ strives to serve the kingdom of God, by ministering to His church and striving to preach the word of God faithfully, each week presenting the beautiful truths found in scripture.
Paul Chandler
Youth Pastor
Connect with Russ:
Paul faithfully leads our student ministry, loves and serves the Lord with his life, and is passionate about the student ministry, the church, and the gospel. Paul and Taylor are both graduates of Howard Payne University. Prior to serving at FBC, they completed a two-year mission assignment as Pioneer Missionaries in Gracie Lempira,
Honduras. Paul believes that the best preparation our young people can have for life is teaching the truth of God’s word, the beauty and importance of the gospel, and what it means to be part of the body of Christ.
Michael Payton
Minister Of Worship and Media
Connect with Michael:
Michael has served at FBC Hamlin since moving his family here in September of 2018. He and his wife Jessica, have six children: Kimberly, Elizabeth, Ethan, Jaxon, Miranda, and Melody. Michael has served in a wide range of worship centered ministries over the past fourteen years and is passionate about writing worship songs as well. Michael’s passion is using music and anything else he can to share the truth of who our God is and what He has accomplished through His Son, Jesus. Michael seeks to exemplify and share the joy that comes with serving a loving God and to bless His people. “The music time in a service is not a time where we seek an experience, but rather, it’s a time where we seek God and reflect on His Grace, His Love, and His Majesty. If we do that, it will end up being quite the experience anyways!” Michael leads the Sunday worship musicians, and also heads up the youth praise band, the tech/media ministry, and the drama ministry. If you love to worship with others at church and want to be a part of it, even if you don’t think you have the skills, let Michael know and we will see if we can find a place for you to get involved!
Kelsey Leibert
Ministry Assistant
Kelsey has served at FBC Hamlin since mid 2024 and as an essential part of our day-to-day operations and overall mission here at FBC.