ABOUT THE PASTOR

Tony Kevin Eskew was born in Piggott, Arkansas, on February 22, 1952. He started attending the Piggott General Baptist Church when only a few days old. His parents, Vaval and Mary Eskew, were loyal and faithful members of the Piggott church. Bro. Kevin has an older sister, Sharon, and a younger brother, Kim. On February 2, 1969, he accepted his call into the ministry during an invitation time in an evening church service. He preached his first sermon the following Sunday night.

After graduating from Piggott High School in 1970, he pursued training for the ministry at Oakland City College (now, University) in Oakland City, Indiana. He graduated from Oakland City with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies in 1974. Prior to graduation, he assumed the pastorate of the Henderson General Baptist Church in Henderson, Kentucky (1973). He was also married in 1973 to his wife, Becky, who hailed from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. After pastoring several years in Henderson, Bro. Kevin accepted a call from the First General Baptist Church of Decatur, Illinois. He was there one year before coming to the First General Baptist Church of Bloomfield, Missouri, in October of 1977. In 1992 he received a Master of Arts degree in Christian Counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Becky works at the assistant bank cashier at First Midwest Bank of Dexter, Missouri.

Bro. Kevin and Becky have been blessed with two children, Tonya and Timothy. Tonya is married to Bruce Skinner who serves as the Director of Residence Life at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Tonya is a business/computer teacher at Oran High School in Oran, Missouri. They have two children, Sierra and Alexis. Timothy teaches physical education and coaches at North Pemiscot Schools in the bootheel of Missouri.

Bro. Kevin serves as a regular lesson writer for the Bible Class quarterly for the General Baptist denomination. He has also served in various offices in his local association. He was privileged to serve as the initial Chairman of the Council of Associations of General Baptists from 1997-2000.