Sundays on Highway 190
First Baptist Church Mandeville, led by Pastor Ronny Cooksey, gathers at 1895 Highway 190 in Mandeville, Louisiana. Visitor parking is along the walkway between the Fellowship Hall and the Main Entrance, where the connection team is waiting to help with directions and questions. Sunday mornings follow a steady three-part rhythm. Life Groups begin at 9:45 AM, with adult groups meeting upstairs in the Discipleship Building, children's groups downstairs in the same building, students in the Hub, and preschool classes in the hall of the Main Building.
Worship services fill the Worship Center at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM. Greeters stand at the Main Entrance and a guest bag waits at the information desk. Families needing childcare are walked to the hall and to the room appropriate for their child's age. The 11:00 AM service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for those joining from home.
Wednesday Nights: Kids, Students, and Midweek Worship
The midweek schedule is a second front door into the church. First Kids Discovery begins at 6:00 PM in the Preschool and Children's Halls. Preschool Missions serves children ages 0 to 5 and Kids Missions serves grades 1 through 6. Children learn how to pray for, support, and do missions through the WMU curriculum Mission Friends, Royal Ambassadors, and Girls in Action.
At the same hour, First Students gather for The Gathering in the Hub building from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. The night combines biblical preaching, student-led worship, and time to hang out. Adults join the picture at 6:15 PM for Midweek Worship in the Worship Center.
Life Groups for Every Season
Sunday morning Life Groups at 9:45 AM are the small-group backbone of the church, and there is a group for nearly every stage of life. The College & Career group is led by Dave and Jan McCardle, while Kevin Pence leads the Young Marrieds group for couples in their twenties and early thirties. Mike Bergeron leads The Gathering for adults in their thirties and forties, Bill Sheffield leads The Breakfast Club for adults in their fifties, and Francis Motichek leads As It Is Written for adults in their sixties.
Defend & Proclaim, led by Reese Gill and Mark Berger, teaches members of all ages how to lovingly share the gospel with people from other worldviews, religions, and cults, and points members to resources geared toward Jehovah's Witnesses and other groups. The Misfits, led by Ron Ussery, draws adults from age 20 to 60. Prayer Warriors and What's In The Bible are ladies' classes led by Shelley Lampard and Valerie Mascorro, and the Esther Class for senior ladies is led by Julie Vance in the Main Building Conference Room. A seasonal Survival Kit study covers the basics of spiritual growth for new and seasoned believers.
First Students make it easy to try a Life Group. Connection team members walk first-time visitors from the lobby to the appropriate room and introduce them to the group's leader, and most classes run on a semester rhythm.
First Kids: From Seedlings to Oak Trees
First Kids serves children from birth through sixth grade and their families. The preschool side of the ministry is organized by age groups with names that mirror the campus: Seedlings (up to 18 months), Sprouts (18 months to 3 years), Saplings (PreK-3 and PreK-4), and Trees (kindergarten). All meet at 9:45 AM on Sunday mornings, and Preschool Worship in The Treehouse meets during both Sunday services for older preschoolers.
Elementary children follow a similar naming pattern. Cypress Trees covers first and second grade, Pine Trees is for third grade, Magnolia Trees is for fourth grade, and Oak Trees gathers fifth and sixth graders. Kindergarten through fourth grade begin their Life Group with a time of worship, while fifth and sixth graders enjoy a time of fellowship and connection. Kids join their families for the 8:30 or 11:00 AM Worship Service, where Kids Worship Bulletins help them follow along.
First Kids uses KidCheck for secure check-in, and families are encouraged to create an account through the KidCheck app before their first visit. Children's ministry news is shared throughout the year on Facebook and a GroupMe group dedicated to First Kids families. Wednesday nights extend the discipleship with Royal Ambassadors, Girls in Action, and Mission Friends programs.
First Students Meet in the Hub
First Students is the church's ministry to junior high and high school students. On Sundays they join the wider congregation for worship at 8:30 or 11:00 AM and gather in Life Groups at 9:45 AM in the Hub. The Gathering on Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:30 PM is the central rhythm of the student ministry, with biblical preaching, student-led worship, and time to hang out.
The student Life Groups are organized by gender. Josie Cato leads the junior high girls, Paul Thomas leads the junior high boys, Tiffany Gill leads the high school girls, and Tommy Fecke leads the high school boys. The ministry offers a wide range of Bible reading plans to help students stay on track, including a 3-year plan that alternates Old and New Testament, a 52-week plan, a chronological plan, an ESV daily plan, and a 5x5x5 plan designed for new readers. The RANSOM Bible Study Method is available as a deeper journaling tool, and any of the plans can be printed out for free.
First Women, First Men, and First Senior Saints
First Women anchors its gatherings around John 15:8 and aims to glorify God by cultivating fruit-bearing women who then pour into other women. Hearts and Hands meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and Bible Study Fellowship draws women from across the community for in-depth Bible teaching on Tuesday mornings during the school year.
First Men keeps a simple weekly pattern. Men of every age meet on Friday mornings at 6:00 AM in the Hub to read and discuss Scripture, wrapping up by 6:30. The First Senior Saints ministry meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 11:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall for a program and fellowship luncheon, with the program ending around 1:00 PM.
First Worship: A Blended Sound Led by the Congregation
The worship ministry describes its approach with care. Drawing on John 4:24 and Psalm 33:3, the team aims to lead a blend of old and new songs with biblically rich lyrics and singable melodies. The musicians pursue excellence in their playing, but the goal is that the voices of the congregation serve as the main instrument. This focus shapes everything from song selection to keys, so the church can sing to one another and to the Lord as a body.
The team gathers for practice during the week and serves at both Sunday services and the Wednesday Midweek Worship. In addition to vocalists and instrumentalists, the ministry welcomes audio and video techs who run the livestream and choir members who add their harmonies to congregational singing.
Iglesia Bautista Cristo Redentor
The church also hosts Iglesia Bautista Cristo Redentor, a Baptist congregation that worships in Spanish. Their Sunday schedule starts at 9:00 AM with an English class, followed by Bible study at 10:00 AM and the worship service at 11:00 AM. Wednesday evenings bring prayer and Bible study at 6:00 PM, and the last Saturday of each month brings a combined women's and men's life group at 4:30 PM. The congregation has its own Facebook presence for ongoing communication.
FBCM Weekday Preschool
First Baptist Mandeville runs a weekday preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for children ages one through five. The program uses the Gentle+Classical Press curriculum and supplements it with Bible stories, memory verses, science, math, art, physical education, and visits from community helpers such as a local petting zoo, the fire department, Bippo the Hippo, and other professionals. Extended care is available until 2:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays. The preschool follows the St. Tammany Parish School System calendar from September through May. Registration is $200 with a $175 supply fee, and monthly tuition is $300 for three days or $225 for two days (for one-year-olds). The preschool office can be reached at (985) 674-2065.
Beyond Mandeville: Local and Global Missions
The missions ministry exists to make Jesus first on the Northshore and beyond. Giving supports partnerships with the Samaritan Center and the Crisis Pregnancy Center, sponsors new congregations, and sends people from the church to West Africa and East Asia to share the gospel. Mission teams have taken on urban outreach in Shreveport and traveled to Kobe, Japan. The church's outreach focus also includes multiplying gospel conversations across the community. Members hand out Be Our Guest cards, pray for designated homes in the area, and make door-to-door visits as part of an annual emphasis that pairs personal evangelism with church invitation.
What We Believe
First Baptist Church Mandeville identifies as a Southern Baptist congregation. It subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000, and affiliates with the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the Northshore Baptist Association. The church teaches that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and explains the gospel through verses such as John 3:16, Romans 6:23, and Ephesians 2:8-9: salvation is a free gift received by grace through faith, not earned by works. The church's overall mission is to welcome friends, become family, grow followers, and send faithful.
Plan a Visit
Visitors at First Baptist Church Mandeville can expect greeters at the door, a guest bag at the information desk, and a connection team ready to help find the right Life Group. Online visitors can join the livestream at 11:00 AM on YouTube and Facebook, or watch past sermons on the church's Vimeo and YouTube channels. Giving is available online, and the church shares a biweekly newsletter for ongoing updates. Pastor Ronny Cooksey also records a daily devotional podcast called 5 Minutes in the Word.