Staff

PETER ALLEN
SENIOR PASTOR
pastor@fairhavenbc.church

Peter joined the pastoral staff at Fair Haven in June 2021. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies in 2008 from Louisiana College in Pineville, LA. He completed his Master of Divinity in 2015 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2022. Peter surrendered to the ministry in 2004 and has served in various ministries since that time. He has served as an assistant director at Sky Ranch Summer camps, Middle School Pastor at First Baptist Church in Haughton, LA, Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church in Argyle, TX, & Senior Pastor at New Hebron Baptist Church in Elysian Fields, TX. Peter is deeply passionate about glorifying God by fulfilling the Great Commission. He seeks to do this by equipping the saints for the work of ministry through expositional preaching, strategic discipleship, & personal evangelism. Peter has been married to his wonderful wife Sarah since August 2009. They have three beautiful daughters, Charis, Ruth, and Ellie. Peter’s favorite hobby is spending time with his girls. He also loves backpacking, hunting, and all things LSU Tigers.

PHILIP GANT
WORSHIP & OUTREACH PASTOR
philipg@fairhavenbc.church

Philip was born and raised in Shelbyville, TN. He graduated from Shelbyville Central High School in 2011. He then attended Tennessee Tech University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. While at Tennessee Tech, he led worship for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry for 4 years as well as CentriKid Camps for 2 years. Upon graduation, he worked as the Music Ministry Associate at First Baptist Cookeville part time and full time as an admissions counselor at Tennessee Tech until he surrendered to God’s call to go into full-time ministry. In 2016, Philip and his wife, Katie, moved to Houston, TX, and lived there for two and a half years while he served as the Minister of Worship and Youth at Clear Lake Baptist Church. He is earned a Master of Discipleship degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2020.

He met his wife, Katie, while attending Tennessee Tech University, and they got married in 2014. They currently have three sons Andrew, Judah, and Benaiah. As a family, they love to be outside and find any excuse to go outside when the weather is nice. This usually results in a casual game of disc golf or as he likes to call it “hiking with a purpose.” Philip loves people and enjoys getting to meet and talk to new people.

MIKE LOVVORN
FAMILY PASTOR
mikel@fairhavenbc.church

Mike is a born and raised native of Bedford County. He has had 20 years of experience in education as a teacher at Technical colleges and currently enjoys ministering to the youth here at FHBC. Mike and his wife, Chas, were married in November of 1997 and have two sons. Mike is a sports junkie and loves to play golf. He has a heart for youth and has been a youth baseball coach almost all of his adult life. His current favorite Bible verse is Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

KELSEY THOMAS
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY DIRECTOR
kelseyt@fairhavenbc.church

Kelsey was born and raised in Jamestown, TN. Kelsey attended Tennessee Tech University where she studied Early Childhood and Special Education. While in college, Kelsey was involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, served as the Children’s ministry intern at First Baptist Cookeville, and served as a staffer at Centrikid Camps. She also met, fell in love, and married her college sweetheart, Charlie. Kelsey has been a special education pre-K teacher for the last seven years both in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and then here in Shelbyville. Charlie and Kelsey have three beautiful children, Jameson, Jayden, and Gemma. Kelsey and her family love to try new restaurants, go camping, and spend time with their extended families! 

PAULA SCHUDAR
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
fairhavenbc@gmail.com

Paula was born is Corbin, KY, but was raised in Hendersonville, TN. After graduating Hendersonville Christian Academy, she attended Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN. After meeting and marrying the love of her life, John, they moved to Texas where she worked at Joshua's Christian Bookstore. While working there, she was promoted to assistant manager. Upon moving back to Tennessee, she became a stay at home mom to their five children. She then had the opportunity to serve of the staff at Life Point Church in Smyrna, TN as the Wednesday night preschool coordinator. After moving to Shelbyville, they felt led to find a local church home where they could serve and grow as a family. After working 2 years at the New Covenant Christian Bookstore, she accepted the position in 2015 to become Fair Haven's church secretary. Paula loves to sing and spend time with her friends and family. Her life verse is Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”