First Baptist Church of Nitro

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Our Pastor

David R. Bess began his ministry as senior pastor at First Baptist Church on September 1, 2010. He has pastored two other churches in the Kanawha Valley during his 25 year ministry, Oakwood Baptist Church and Kanawha City Baptist Church. He has also served as the pastor of churches in New Martinsville and Kingwood, West Virginia. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1985, and his Doctorate of Ministry from the same school in 2000. He is passionate about Biblical preaching, heartfelt worship, and going beyond the four walls of church buildings to reach unsaved people with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

His life verse is 2 Timothy 4:5 - "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."(NIV)

David enjoys going to the gym regularly (well, "enjoy" may not be the right word), reading Christian books, and tinkering with computers and all things techy. He loves watching sports, especially football, when one or more fans are present to savor the game. He also thoroughly enjoys spending time with his wife of nearly 25 years, Jeannie. They are very active in American Baptist missions, having traveled to Russia and India on short-term mission trips. They usually go to the gym together, eat lunch together on week days, and watch Netflix movies together.

David was raised on Roxalana Road in Dunbar, West Virginia. He has one married son Joshua, who works full-time at the Air National Guard base here in Charleston.

"You can email David at bessdr@wvusa.org or add him as a friend on Facebook."