Our Pastor is a product of our Church. Bro. Rick Craft has been a member of this congregation since he was thirteen. His father, Bro. Dewey Craft, assumed the pastorate here in 1963 and built a great work to the glory of God. Bro. Rick Craft left temporarily to attend college in Florence, where he met Sis. Dianne Kelley. They were married in 1970, and in 1971 returned to assist in the Athens church as Sunday School teachers, Youth leaders, and outreach workers.

Bro. & Sis. Craft have been in the ministry since 1975. Bro. Craft was educated to be a teacher; but God had other plans. Shortly after receiving his M.A. in School Administration and Supervision, Bro. Craft accepted a call to the ministry and a call to open a Christian school at Gateway College of Evangelism in Saint Louis, Missouri. Bro. Craft served on the faculty of the College and as High School Principal for four years.

The Crafts then served on the staff of Florissant Valley Apostolic Church for five years, working in the Christian Education Department and generally assisting Rev. E.D. Sanders in any way possible. Concurrently, Bro. Craft worked in the Deputy Superintendent's office of the St. Louis City School System.

In August of 1984, the church called Bro. & Sis. Craft back to Athens as as Assistant to Senior Pastor Dewey Craft. When Bro. Dewey retired in 1988, Bro. Rick Craft became the Senior Pastor of the church. God has greatly blessed the congregation over the years because of the strong foundation that Bro. Dewey Craft laid. His excellent planning laid the groundwork that continues today.

Pastor Craft received his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1988. In addition to his service to the members of the congregation Pastor Craft serves the community as a Hospice Chaplain, and serves on the Quality Assurance Committee for the Department of Human Resources. He is well known in the community, and well received in every arena he enters. Pastor Craft is a member of the Alabama District UPCI District Board and serves in various district ministries. We are blessed to have Bro. and Sis. Craft as the Pastor of First Church Athens.

Sis. Craft is always full of joy and sharing it with all. She is over our Ladies Ministries and also serves as a Sunday School teacher.