Fred Tag, Senior Pastor
In 1982 Fred Tag accepted the Lord as his Savior and was baptized at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA. For the next twelve or so years he continued to attend several churches and grow in his faith, but it was in 1994 that he began to earnestly serve in church leadership as a Deacon. Since then, he has served in various leadership roles including Sunday School Teacher, Missions Director, AWANA Commander, and Pastor. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Pastoral Studies from Atlanta Baptist College in 2007 and was ordained a few months later in early 2008. During this time, he has also worked as a Lead Aviation Maintenance Technician for Delta Airlines. He and his wife Debbie have been married for nearly 40 years and have two grown children, a daughter and a son.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
Ruth Brown, Worship Leader
Ruth Brown felt the call to the ministry in 2021. She had been praying for God to use her and guide her to ways she could be of service to His church. She was first called as Children’s Director at Bethlehem and has now transitioned to leading music and worship. Ruth is an alumni of UGA and holds a BSED Early Childhood Education, MEd Reading Education, and EdS Early Childhood/Curriculum and Instruction. She has been the benefactor of many faithful leaders discipling her throughout her life, and felt the leading from the Lord to use her gifts, talents, and passion to serve God and others at Bethlehem. Ruth and Matthew have been married since 2015 and have three children.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6
Jason Phillips, Youth Pastor
Pastor Jason has been a youth pastor for 8 years . He graduated from Brewton- Parker College in 2019 with a Bachelors degree in Ministry. He and his wife, Laura, have been married for 10 years and have 3 girls. Jason has a passion for working with teenagers! God has given him a desire to see each teen ENLIST to Christ, EQUIPPED into Disciples, and ENGAGING them to make disciples.
Laura Lorentzen, Director of Children’s Ministry
Laura Lorentzen was raised in church. Recognizing the significance of instilling faith in their children, she and her husband began attending Bethlehem Baptist in 2022. The church quickly became their spiritual home, prompting them to become members soon after. Laura prayed for clarity on God’s purpose for her. After volunteering in the children’s ministry, she discovered her calling. Laura and Austin have been married since 2020 and have two children.