Church Staff
Pastor
Pastor John White
Pastor John White joined the staff as Pastor in January of 2003. Prior to serving First Presbyterian Church, John was Pastor at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, South Carolina.
John is a graduate of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, and of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He is married to the former Susannah Gordon of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and together they have four children and one granddaughter. John is an avid sports fan and enjoys reading, bicycling, hiking, and all kinds of outdoor activities. He also enjoys archeology and history, particularly Civil War history.
Associate Pastor
Associate Pastor for Youth, Courtney Bowen
Pastor Courtney Bowen joined the staff as Associate Pastor for Youth in January of 2020. She graduated from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2018 and served as Pastor for the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Elizabeth, IN. While in seminary, she served for three years as Student Pastor for First Presbyterian Church in Jeffersonville, IN, primarily focusing on families, young adults, youth and children. She has also worked as a Chaplain Intern in the Trauma Center at the University of Louisville Hospital. Courtney is originally from Birmingham, AL. She enjoys hiking, knitting, and is an avid reader. She and her husband, Lane, have two children.
Congregational Care
Ceil Cowles, Director of Congregational Life
Ceil Alexander Cowles joined the staff in August 2008 as the Director of Congregational Life with the primary responsibility for visitors and new members. Ceil graduated from Rhodes College and received a Masters from the University of Memphis. Ceil comes from a long-standing family history at FPC having been born to parents and grandparents who attended First Presbyterian Church. She was baptized, confirmed, and grew up at FPC. Ceil was married here in 1992 to Ty Cowles and they happily raised their 2 children at First Presbyterian.
Children’s Ministry
Anna Poole, Children’s Ministry Director
Hannah Hallman, Director of Wednesday Children’s Program
Hannah Hallman joined the staff as Director of the Wednesday Night Children’s Program in August of 2024. She is also a FPC Playschool teacher and Kindergarten teacher at Rose Hill Elementary. Hannah graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a BFA in art practices and currently is pursuing a Masters degree in education at Union University. Hannah and her husband Andrew have one daughter, Ivy Grace, who is four years old. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys crafting, cooking, making art, and spending time with her friends and family. Hannah is dedicated to loving children like Jesus as well as fostering their love for Christ and the church.
Molly Richardson, Youth Director
Molly Richardson joined the FPC Staff as the Youth Director in December 2016. Molly has a degree in Child Development from the University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Early Childhood Education from Trevecca Nazarene University and English as a Second Language from UT- Chattanooga. Molly and her husband, Wesley, have 2 children. Molly has been active with the youth for many years and loves working and watching the Holy Spirit grow in their lives.
Music Ministry
Helen Redding, Director of Music
Helen Redding retired after 30 years of teaching vocal music in public high school. She and her family have lived in Jackson since 1990. Helen began teaching at Jackson Central-Merry High School and then became the vocal music teacher at Madison Academic Magnet High School.
Helen has been an organist and musician for many churches and is now serving as Director of Music for FPC since 2015. She and her husband, Bob, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
Stan Brunner, Organist
Stan Brunner has previously served at three other churches in Jackson, most recently at First Methodist Church from 2015-2023. Prior to that, Stan was the Organist at Concordia Lutheran Church for two years and, before that, he was the Organist at Messiah Lutheran Church for about four years. Stan has also served as Organist at several other churches (including Presbyterian congregations) outside the area prior to relocating to Jackson.
Stan is originally from Indiana but moved to Cambridge, MA where he attended college at MIT and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering + computer science plus a minor in music. He also obtained his Master’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT. Stan currently works full-time at TBDN here in Jackson where he is a Senior Engineering Specialist.
Stan and his wife, Sandy (a retired school teacher), have three daughters and two grand-daughters.
Ellen McClune, Director of Preschool Children’s Choir
Ellen McClune has been the Director of Preschool Children’s Choir since 2014. She is from Maryville, Tennessee and attended Maryville College where she majored in music education. She received her Masters at UT Knoxville in Deaf Education. She has lived in Jackson and taught elementary music in the Jackson-Madison County School system for 41 years.
Jessica Hardin, Children’s Music Director
Jessica Hardin has been the lower school elementary music teacher and middle school Choir Director for the Rose Hill School in the Jackson-Madison County School System for nearly two years. She is originally from Antioch, Tennessee, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education from UT Martin.
Administrative Staff
Emily Morrow, Administrative Assistant to the Pastor
Emily Morrow graduated from MTSU in 1998 with her Bachelor of Science in Communications and Journalism. She has been a visual journalist and illustrator for most of her career, working for various newspapers, magazines and websites across the country. Emily, and her husband Josh, have been married for 22 years. They have a 12 year old son, Henry, who is in middle school at Jackson Christian. They recently moved to Jackson from Middle Tennessee. She is excited to be part of the First Presbyterian staff!
Machelle Daniel-Hall, Financial and Educational Secretary
Machelle Daniel-Hall began working at First Presbyterian Church in February 2019. She was born and raised in Chester County. Machelle has two sons, Tyler and Cody who are both attending college in Oklahoma. She enjoys playing with her two dogs, Nico and Mia. Machelle also spends her free time reading, traveling, and volunteering with her service dog (Nico). She also works on the weekends at her family’s restaurant, Snookum’s.
Mechika Taylor, Custodian
Mechika Taylor is our custodian. Mechika comes to us with considerable experience in business, commercial housekeeping, as well as a background in computer technology.
Stephanie Swims, Playschool Director
Stephanie Swims joined FPC Playschool after being a public school teacher for 30.5 years. She has taught PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st-grade students and holds a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership. Stephanie is not new to Playschool – she was a Kindergarten student at First Presbyterian and both of her children went to Playschool! Additionally, her mother, Penny McRee was a director of FPC Playschool. She has been married for 32 years, has 2 married children, and 4 precious grandchildren. As FPC Playschool enters its 50th year, Stephanie is looking forward to continuing the legacy of learning through play!
Floyd St. Clair, Facilities Maintenance Technician
Floyd St. Clair is our Facilities Maintenance Technician. Floyd comes to us from Wisconsin with a broad range of experience ranging from building maintenance to auto mechanics. He is eager to serve with a friendly smile and a cheerful attitude.