MEET OUR STAFF

Born in 1956 and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Pastor Baker was a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church as a teenager. He was saved at the age of ten and called to preach shortly thereafter. When he was nearly thirteen, he began preaching and, as a teenager, helped start churches in Virginia and North Carolina. He preached one of his first sermons here at Tabernacle in the winter of 1971. His father attended and graduated from TBBC/TS, and his sisters attended Tabernacle Baptist Academy. He went to Bob Jones University in 1973 and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Bible in 1977 and a Master of Arts Degree in Bible in 1979. Later, he served as an assistant/youth pastor in Oxford, Michigan, for fifteen months. Then, in October 1980, he went to Huntsville, Alabama, to serve as assistant/youth pastor for three years. He started Grace Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, in October 1983 and served there as senior pastor for nearly twenty-one years. The good people of Grace Baptist Church saw God bless them in many ways over the years. A public school building was transformed into a beautiful church facility, including a lovely Prophet's Chamber. The missions program grew to over fifty ministries and a budget of over $85,000 annually. 

In August of 2004, Pastor Baker came to Tabernacle Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as senior pastor. He commented that "leaving the sweet folks of Grace was the hardest thing my family and I have ever done! I had no aspirations to leave, but God had a different plan for us. Now, all we think of is how exciting it is to do God's will here at Tabernacle. God has brought us home!" With these thoughts, Pastor Baker and the church members are doing God's will with God's blessings. With his remodeling background in his former ministry, the church has remodeled several significant areas of the facilities. Our Missions Program continues to assist nearly 100 missionaries in their work at stateside and foreign ministries. Pastor has led the academy to send our senior classes each year to work with missionaries around the world and has also coordinated several church-sponsored mission trips to Alaska, South Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico. Pastor Baker also serves as a board member for two mission boards and the Foundations Baptist Fellowship International. 

The Bakers have three adult daughters and four grandchildren. 

Marci Baker was born and reared in Bloomington, IL. She was saved in November 1961. She served in her teenage youth group, sang in the choir, and ministered at Calvary Baptist Church in Normal, IL. Marci met Pastor Baker while they were both students at Bob Jones University, and they were married in June of 1977 after they both graduated with bachelor's degrees. Marci has over forty years of teaching experience in Christian schools, homeschooling, private tutoring, and the college classroom. After coming to Virginia Beach in 2004, she earned a Master's degree in religious education from Tabernacle Baptist Bible College & Seminary in 2010. 

Marci now serves as her husband's secretary as well as substituting at Tabernacle Baptist Academy. She faithfully serves alongside the pastor in outreach, counseling, singing in the church choir, visitation, and being his best friend and greatest encourager. She and Pastor Baker have three adult daughters and four grandchildren. 

Pastor Alex came to know Christ at a young age during family devotions. He is a 2009 graduate of Tabernacle Baptist Academy and completed his Master of Divinity from Pensacola Theological Seminary in 2016. Pastor Alex married his childhood sweetheart, Rochelle, in 2017, and they became members at Tabernacle Baptist Church in 2021. Rochelle has enjoyed serving the Lord as an elementary teacher in the academy since 2016, and Alex leads the choir and music ministry at the church while teaching and preaching as an assistant pastor since 2023. Together with their two boys, Ajax and Miles, Pastor Alex and Rochelle desire to point others to Christ, and they praise the Lord for leading them to grow and serve in a faithful ministry like Tabernacle Baptist Church. 

John Owenby was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2002. He grew up in a Christian home, attended Temple Baptist Church in Asheville, NC, and was saved when he was five. John attended Bill Rice Bible College and graduated with a Bachelor of Biblical Studies and a minor in Sign Language Interpretation in 2024. He and his wife are excited to serve here at Tabernacle and he is currently serving at Tabernacle Baptist Church as the Youth Pastor.

Kay Lee Owenby grew up in a Christian family and was saved at the age of five. In 2010, Kay Lee and her family moved to Scotland as missionaries. She then graduated from Ambassador Baptist College with a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in 2024. Kay Lee is excited to be serving here at Tabernacle Baptist Church with her husband. 

Kyle Boylston was born in Shelby, North Carolina, in 1997. He had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home, and he was saved at the age of five. Being part of a missionary/military family has given him the opportunity to live in many places, including several U.S.A. states, England, and Pohnpei. Kyle graduated from Ambassador Baptist College with a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in 2020. He currently serves at the Tabernacle as Assistant to the Pastor. 

Kathi Johnson was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. After high school, she graduated from the Plus School of Business. Kathi trusted Christ as her Savior on February 2, 1981. After joining Tabernacle in 1988, she became a part of the ministry staff in July 1989, serving as Financial Secretary. In July 2003, Kathi took on the role of bookstore manager, and in November 2003, Kathi became the secretary for the Tabernacle Baptist Mission Board. She currently serves as financial secretary, and her responsibilities include the bookstore, the mission board, and much more. Her diligent spirit and dedication have been a tremendous asset to the ministry. Her favorite passage of Scripture is Proverbs 3:5-7. She and her husband, Don, have four adult children and eight grandchildren.