Dr. Christy Miller
Pianist & Accompanist for Virtual Worship
Christy is the instrumentalist for the 8:30 a.m. worship service at FBC.
Evelyn Falen
Organist & Director of Children's Vocal & Bell Choirs
Evelyn Falen has lived in Kansas her entire life, but in four different parts of the Sunflower State. She was born near Parsons, went to college in Lawrence, and lived in Dodge City and Marysville before moving back to Lawrence in 1998. She has been a church musician since she was 13. She has served FBC as organist since 1998, and has taught piano for many, many years (her primary love!) Evelyn and her husband Delmar share their home with a corgi pup named Melody. They have two daughters and five grandchildren. In her spare time she enjoys doing counted cross-stitch, and attends concerts and KU basketball games.
Holly Grassy
Bookkeeper
Holly Grassy is originally from Towanda—a quaint town near Wichita, which is not a particularly interesting place to be from, except that it is home to a high school having one of the few fully circular buildings in the country when it was built (aptly named “Circle High”). Holly came to Lawrence as a KU student and was drawn in by the charms of the town and decided to stay. A graduate of KU’s Liberal Arts School, she has a B.A. in English Literature. After working for a local software company, and then a brief stint in a start-up company as an HR manager, she came to First Baptist in 1999 as the Office Manager and then began working as the bookkeeper part-time in 2003 after her second child was born. Holly is an avid KU Basketball fan, enjoys reading, hunting around on iTunes, baking and cooking for friends and family, and spending time with her three boys and husband Patrick.
Jenny Purvis
Administrative Support Manager
Jenny Purvis comes to Kansas from, well, Kansas, with a short layover in Texas. She is married to Neal, a retired high school band director, and they have a beautiful daughter, Courtney. Over the past 34 years Jenny has raised twenty-five Labrador puppies, taught piano lessons to lots of kids, and has played with babies & toddlers while running a home-daycare. Jenny has been on staff at First Baptist since 2006, and much like her previous adventures, she’s enjoyed every minute of it! In her spare time, she & her family love cooking together, hiking, traveling, gardening, music, and thoroughly enjoy their current menagerie of pets: a dog and 5 chickens.
Mark Robinson
Director of Worship Music
Mark is a retired music educator whose 30 year teaching career includes stops at Wichita County High School, Arizona State University, Ottawa High School, Central Junior High School, Lawrence High School, Pinckney Elementary Schoool and South Junior High/South Middle School. Mark currently serves as Chancel Choir Director of First Baptist Lawrence. He has served as choir director, off and on, since 1991. Mark is married to Stephanie Renee (Janzen) Robinson, music teacher at Langston Hughes Elementary. They have two beautiful adult children, Corbin and Claire.
Neal Purvis
Building Manager
Neal is a retired high school band director of 30 years. One of his favorite hobbies is cooking, and currently he works morning hours as a prep chef at On The Hill restaurant in the Oread Hotel. He enjoys playing in the Topeka Symphony Orchestra as a trombonist and you’ll occasionally hear him play in worship here at First Baptist! Neal has had a long history of service to FBC and the Facilities Ministry. He serves as both the primary custodian and the manager of facilities. He’s married to Jenny, the FBC office manager, and they have a daughter, Courtney.
Susan Pauls
Digital Media Coordinator
Susan is a long-time member of FBC who joined with her husband, John, in 1988 when they came to Lawrence so John could attend law school. After law school, they just never left! Susan was raised in the far reaches of western Kansas, in a tiny town of about 80 people (counting the dogs and cats, as the saying goes) called Coolidge. She and John met at Friends University in Wichita, where she majored in English. She loves riding her road bike, the more miles the better, and enjoys making jewelry. Susan and John have two grown kids, Lauren and Daniel. They also have a cat named Schrödinger (Ding for short).