A new pastor has taken over at First Baptist Church at The Villages.
Dr. J. Alan Branch is taking over the reins from Pastor Bob Perry, who announced last year his plan to step down. Perry has been treated for cancer.
Branch was welcomed this past Sunday by the congregation of the Southern Baptist Church.
The church moved into its new building in the Marion County section of The Villages about a decade ago. The congregation is very close to paying off the mortgage on the campus. It sold its old church building to The Villages District Government and it became First Responders Recreation Center.
Branch holds a doctor of philosophy and a master of divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.
In addition to his years as a pastor, he served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
