Meet our Staff

Rev. A.J. Reynolds
​Pastor

A native of Guilford County, Andrew J. Reynolds was raised in Sharpe Road Baptist Church, where he accepted Jesus as his Savior, was part of the youth group, served as an usher, and sang in the choir until graduating from Southeast Guilford High School as its salutatorian in 2005.  Enrolling at the University of North Carolina, he was active in two organizations: the band and the Baptist Student Union.  As a Marching Tar Heel, A.J. further honed his musical skills and developed leadership strengths.  Through the B.S.U., he assisted with leading prayer groups and Bible studies.  During summers, he went home and volunteered to lead his former youth group.  As a sophomore, he began to be convinced of a call from God to Christian ministry.  As a junior, it became clearer to A.J. that this call was one to life of vocational ministry.  During this growth, A.J. received opportunities to teach and lead in B.S.U., and by The Summit Church in Durham.
     After graduating from Carolina in 2009, we hired him as the interim Youth Director.  As he enrolled at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary that fall, we called him to serve permanently, in a part-time capacity as the Minister of Youth & Children.  In March 2012, he was ordained as a pastor, and we called him to serve as our Minister of Education.  In the spring of 2013, he received his Master of Divinity degree in Pastoral Ministry, and we called him to be our full-time Associate Pastor.  In October, 2015, he gave up his position working with youth, children, and families to take on a different job: Minister of Music.  For the past five years, A.J. has led as one of our pastors, overseeing administration, visitation, and corporate worship.  He represents our church on the Pilot Mountain Baptist Association's Church Health focus group, and is passionate about church revitalization and relational evangelism.

​contact A.J. at pastorajreynolds@gmail.com

Jacqueline Miller
​Office Manager

Jackie was born and raised in Maryland.  She and her husband moved to North Carolina two decades ago, and she had worked in patient intake for Wake Forest University's Baptist Medical Center prior to coming to work for First Baptist Church in October 2021.  She is working to modernize our office processes, and has quickly become a vital part of our ability to function efficiently as a business.  In addition to her passion for ministering to those with developmental disabilities, she has a small farm (including a honey bee hive) here in Stokes County!  She and her husband have two sons, the youngest of which lives with them here in Walnut Cove.

contact Jackie at office@fbcwalnutcove.com​

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Lisa Roberts Ore
​​Financial Secretary

A native of Pine Hall, Lisa is a graduate of South Stokes High School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro.  She works as a Controller for the Westminster Company.  She and her children, Luci and Ben, joined our church family in 2003.  She has served many times on our Finance Committee, including several times as its Chair.  In early 2016, she graciously agreed to join our team as the Finance Secretary, continuing the duties she had been doing as a volunteer for several months.  In addition to keeping us squared-away on the business front, Lisa volunteers in our SONquest ministry and facilitates a ladies discipleship group.

contact Lisa at lisarore@gmail.com

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Leigh Richardson Taylor
​Pianist

Vivian Leigh Richardson was raised in the First Baptist Church family.  A graduate of Walnut Cove High School, she attended Wingate University to study music.  She has lived in several different places across North Carolina, but in the 1990s, God called her back home to Stokes County.  In the early 2000s, we hired Leigh as our Pianist.  A highly dedicated part of our music ministry, she gladly serves in a number of ways, most visibly by sharing her talent during corporate worship services.  Also a small group facilitator, this grandmother of 6 is an integral part of our staff team here at F.B.C!
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Rev. Jim Cohn
​Pastor

James A. Cohn was born and raised in Winston-Salem.  He graduated from the Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, and attended the University of North Carolina.  During his career as a paramedic, he received his bachelor's degree from High Point University.  In 1984, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army.  While serving as a field artillery officer, Jim yielded to God's call to vocational ministry.  He holds a Master of Arts degree from the Houston Graduate School of Theology, and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College.  He was co-vocational, working as both a soldier and a pastor - including serving as our pastor from 2006 to 2009 - until his retirement from the Army.
     In April 2011, we called him back to First Baptist Church after two years away.  A visionary leader, he strongly believes in the prominence of our teaching ministries.  This is exemplified in his enthusiastic preaching of God's Word and in his faithful discipleship of men.  He also furthers our community outreach efforts by serving as an active part of East Stokes Outreach Ministry and the Luci Collins Foundation.  Pastor Jim is married to Debbie and they have 3 children with 5 really "grand" grandchildren.