Our Pastor is a native of Calhoun, GA, and is married to the former Deborah Jean McClure. They have been married for 19 years and together have five children: Shana, Anthony, Tiphanie, Chazera, Justin and seven grandchildren.
Pastor Harris is a very devoted husband, father and grandfather. Over the years he has received numerous awards and recognition in the community.
After graduating from Calhoun High School, Pastor Harris went on to obtain his Bachelors degree from The Life Underwriters Training Council. After answering his call to ministry in 1996, he went on to enroll in The Covington Theological Seminary in Rossville, GA, earning his Masters of Theology degree.
Before his appointment as pastor of TBK, Pastor Harris served faithfully as the Children's Minister, Youth Pastor, and the Assistant Pastor at our sister church, Thankful Baptist Church of Rome, GA.
It was on December 28th, 2003 during our 2nd Church Anniversary, our founder Rev. Nim B. Russell installed Assistant Pastor, Rev. John W. Harris and Evangelist Deborah J. Harris as Pastor and First Lady of Thankful Baptist Church of Kennesaw. This appointment came after several years of dedicated service to the Lord, the Pastor and the ministry.
On January 4, 2004, Rev. Harris preached his 1st sermon as Pastor. Our church theme was "Obtaining the Possession through the Promises of God." God has truly blessed and allowed us to obtain, through His promises, those thing necessary for Kingdom Building. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the leadership of our Pastor, God has blessed our ministry immensely. We were blessed with the ordination of our first Deacon and Deaconess Ministry, Church School, Outreach Benevolent ministries such as: (T.O.G.A.T.H.E.R.) Thankfuls' Obedient, God's Anointed Teaching and Harvesting Every Region; (S.E.R.V.E.) Seeding, Equipping, Replenishing, Victoriously and Earnestly; Interpretive Dance Ministry (T.R.A.D.E.) Thankful's Regenerated Articulating Dance Eloquently; Singles Ministry (S.I.G.N.S.) Singles Imating God's Nature Soley; Site Book Store, Revelation; and one our most recent blessings, the purchase of our Church Van, which created resurgence of our Transportation Ministry, (D.R.I.V.E.) Delivering, Retrieving Individuals, Valiantly and Expeditiously. Our D.R.I.V.E Ministry gave birth to yet another blessing of our Seniors Ministry and the concecration of TBK's first Mothers Ministry. In the short time of our existence, we have experienced the power and a fresh move of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; as we follow our Pastor, as he continually follows God. The prayer of our Pastor is to continue to carry forth the vision and legacy established by our founding Pastor, Rev. Nim B. Russell and the example that he has set forth through our sister church.
It is our Prayer, as a church family, that you continue to allow God to use you to glorify and magnify His Kingdom, according to His riches and glory and preach the Gospel to all of God's children.
