Letter from pastor greg love
Hi, I am Greg Love. I will be starting as the Pastor of First Baptist Church Navarre on 1 October 2023.
I have been pastoring for 29 years in both Tennessee and Georgia. My beloved with is Jeanne. She is a gracious and mature Jesus follower in her own right.
I have three boys, all adopted internationally. David and Joshua were born in Russia, and Michael was born in Bulgaria. The youngest two are married and have blessed us with 6 grandsons. They are a wonderful joy!
I was born a Navy brat in Virginia. We moved around the country, from Florida to Main and Virginia to Guam. I learned what it means to be an outsider and not part of the in-crowd. I get what it feels like to walk into a new church and not know anyone.
I met my wife at church in Knoxville, TN, while we were both attending the University of Tennessee. Go Vols! In fact, it was at Calvary Baptist Church where we both became Christians. For me, I had never met a Christian until I went to college. I saw some students who loved Jesus and their lives impressed me. I started going to church. I learned about things I knew nothing of. I had a desire for God, but never really learned anything about Him. I learned that Jesus is God. That He came to this earth to live a sinless live and die on the Cross. He said it was to pay for the sins of mankind. That we are all separated from God because of our sin. We can’t be good enough or even religious enough to get to
heaven. So, God chose to pay the price, Himself. Through His son Jesus. Jesus paid the price for mankind on the cross and conquered sin & death through His resurrection from the dead. Jesus was motivated by His love for you and me.
One Sunday when I had skipped church and was still laying in my dorm room bed, I told God this was not good enough. I was living a shallow existence, and was not worthy of the sacrifice He made for my sin. It was there that I surrendered to Jesus as my Savior and Lord through repentance and faith. My life radically changed! Ask me about that sometime, as I would love to share more of my story.
A year after we were married, I was commissioned into the Air Force. I loved the military life. But at my second duty station, I realized all the fun I had at church. God called me into the ministry through my desire to serve at all the times.
I enrolled in seminary and served as a part-time Youth Minister. When I graduated, I got to pastor my first church. Mercy, what a challenge. I had so much to learn. At every church God has helped me become a better pastor. Through the journey, I earned by Doctorate because I wanted to be a better pastor. I love pastoring. There is nothing else I would rather do with my life.
I thank God, He let me come to FBC Navarre. I believe we are wonderfully positioned to reach our community for Jesus. I pray He empower us to make disciples, strengthen His church, and grow His kingdom. May He be glorified in all we do!