WELCOME TO OUR NEW MINISTER OF YOUTH!

It is our joy and privilege to announce that the Reverend Donald P. “Donny” Royster will be added to our church staff beginning on June 1. Donny will be the new Minister of Children and Youth, and will be working in this area full-time.

He has stated that his desire is “to develop and lead a well-organized, high energy, exciting, growing educational program for children and youth at a large church. He offers maturity to lead, yet young enough to get on the floor with the kids, enthusiasm, and modern training to bring about a relevant and cutting edge program.”

Donny has been the bi-vocational pastor of nearby Fellowship Baptist Church for the past eight years, and served the First Baptist Church of Cope for four years prior to that. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and Columbia Biblical Seminary and Graduate School of Missions and has a Master’s degree in Christian Education. His most recent position was on the teaching/administrative staff at the Seminary.

Donny is the son of Rev. and Mrs. Donald R. Royster, and is retired from the US Navy as a Master Chief Petty Officer after 21 years of active service. For most of his early years, he was active in his dad’s churches, working in a number of positions, and while in the Navy was active in the chaplain program.

He and his wife Sondra, live in the Pine Hill community.
Sondra is a teacher in the Edisto Primary School, and has a Master’s Degree in early childhood education. They have two children, Michelle and Rebecca, both of whom live in Cope, and have three grandchildren.

Please add them to your personal prayer list that the Lord may bless our church with Donny’s faithful leadership in the years to come.

A PERSONAL NOTE: As a proud parent, I am thankful and excited about the opportunity to work with my eldest son on the staff here at FBC. What a rich blessing that promises to be.