Pastor Payne has been the pastor of First Baptist Church since April of 2004.

He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior on February 8, 1976 at the age of twelve years old. He surrendered to preach the gospel on May 25, 1985.

Before being called as the pastor of FBC, he was a missionary Wales, United Kingdom, for 10 years. Prior to serving on the mission field, Pastor Payne served in the United States Army for 12 years. While serving in the military at Ft. Benning, Georgia, Pastor Payne assisted and served under Dr. Clay McNeese for eight years.

Tragedy struck Pastor Payne's life when he lost his wife Stephanie after nearly forty years of marriage in 2023. He recently remarried Janice who was a widow of nine years. They are faithfully serving the Lord together at First Baptist.

As a teenager, Janice accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal savior on February 23, 1984. Janice was married to John Titus for nearly 28 years until the Lord called him home in 2015. She remained a widow for 9 years. Janice recently married Pastor Payne after his wife Stephanie passed away in 2023.

Together, they share five children, Pastor Payne with three Boys - Joshua, Jared, and Justin. Janice with two children, Steve and Britney. They have nine Grandchildren between the two of them.

Pastor Allen and Janice have a (new) unique ministry that they have prayed about for a few months. Both Allen and Janice have experienced the tragedy of losing their spouses - Janice of 28 years and Allen of 40 years. Through the loss of their spouses, they both have had to deal with grief and helped each other to overcome the pain and sorrow that comes with losing a spouse.

Not only the grieving process and how to deal with it, but also forgiveness and mental health issues that Christians experience.

Allen and Janice would like to come and present their story in messages, in particular a three-part series: "Mental Illness, Grief, & Forgiveness" from the Scriptures. They hope to provide insightful perspectives and helpful resources to assist individuals grappling with these issues.