Rev. Bert Breland 

bert@fbcmadison.net

Rev. Bert Breland began his role as Pastor at First Baptist Madison on April 1, 2012. 

Carrie Dickerson

Minister of Children

carrie@fbcmadison.net

Carrie Dickerson is the children’s minister at First Baptist Madison. She first began ministering here in September 2007 after having been a member for 15 years. She was officially called in April 2008. She is married to Russ Dickerson and has 3 children: Joey, Bonnie, and Jay. She loves caring for and teaching children. Children bring a fresh and exciting point of view to the studying of God’s Word. Carrie believes that active worship, Bible study, missions, and fellowship are beneficial for those of all ages in gaining an understanding of who God is, what He says in His Bible, and what His plan is. Her goal is to provide opportunities for these experiences for all children.

Mark Gessner

Minister of Music

mark@fbcmadison.net

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 has played Fourth Horn in the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra for twenty years, has taught private French horn lessons to many students in the Madison City School System, and has directed such musical works with our youth choir as Godspell, and Joseph And The Coat of Many Colors.

Rev. Mary Jo Gessner

Minister of Pastoral Care

mjgessner@fbcmadison.net

Rev. Mary Jo Gessner was born and raised in Miami, Florida and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Florida in 1982. She continued her education in Louisville, KY and served Borden Community Church in Borden, IN while working toward her Master of Divinity degree which she received in 1986 from Southern Seminary. Rev. Gessner came to First Baptist Madison in 1987 as Minister of Youth. She was licensed to the Gospel Ministry by First Baptist Madison in 1990 and was ordained to the Gospel Ministry by First Baptist Madison in 2007. She was employed by The Vine Pastoral Counseling Center from 2001 until 2005 as a Pastoral Counselor in Training, and has completed her requirements awaiting accreditation by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. After serving First Baptist Madison as Minister of Youth for 21 years, Rev. Gessner began serving our congregation as Minister of Pastoral Care in July of 2008. She and her husband, Mark Gessner, have two grown children: Jessye Gaines (married to Luke Gaines), a teacher at Bob Jones High School, and Harris, a student at Auburn University.

Diana Farrell White

Minister of Youth

diana@fbcmadison.net

Diana has been the Minister of Youth since June 2008. Diana first felt the calling into the ministry in the sixth grade. She is a 2008 graduate of the McAfee School of Theology (Mercer University) in Atlanta where she received her Master of Divinity. She is also a 2005 graduate of Samford University with a BA in Interior Design and a minor in Art. Diana is a 2001 graduate of Bob Jones High School. She previously served on the ministerial staffs at Vineville Baptist Church in Macon, GA as interim youth minister as well as the First Baptist Church of Griffin, GA as Middle School Minister. She worked with PASSPORT Youth Mission Camp in the summers of 2003 and 2004 as videographer and Bible Study/Mission Leader respectively. She lives in Madison with her husband Brian (the ultimate ministry volunteer) and her daughter Zelda! Diana has a passion for many things including painting, reading, being crafty, board games, movies and going to concerts with her husband! She rarely has time for these above activities because she spends most of her free time feeding her baby and changing her baby's diapers ( all worth it) !!!