Pastoral Staff
Jamie Duncan
Senior Pastor
Jamie has been the Senior Pastor of East Pickens since 2011. Jamie was born and raised in Pickens and at East Pickens Baptist Church. Before becoming the Senior Pastor he served as the Minister of Students and the Pastor of Young Families from 1997-2008. He returned to East Pickens after pastoring Good Hope Baptist Church in Iva, SC. Jamie graduated from Furman University and earned his Masters of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to Chrissy since 2000 and they have 3 children: Anna Beth, Sarah, and Brooke. Jamie enjoys outdoor adventure, all kinds of music, and Clemson sports.
Allen Sherwood
Executive Pastor
Allen is passionate about seeing members plugged into ministry. His desire is for the Lord to use his gifts of administration, teaching, and leadership to strengthen His church. Prior to coming to East Pickens he served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church-East Flat Rock, NC for 3-1/2 years. Before that, he served as the Minister of Education & Youth at Overbrook Baptist Church in Greenville, SC for 8-1/2 years. He also served as Minister of Youth & Activities at two other churches from 1995-1999. Allen received a Bachelor of Science Degree/Church Recreation from Mars Hill College in 1991 and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southern Seminary in 1993. He is married to Carey Sherwood, who was raised at EPBC. Allen & Carey have three children: Campbell, Gatlin, and Macrae.
Nick Smith
Associate Pastor of Missions and Discipleship
Nick oversees the men's and women’s ministries, Intern Program, church discipleship, and Missions at East Pickens. He has been serving the Lord in student ministry since 2005 in part time and full time capacities. Nick recently graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelors of Science in Biblical and Theological Studies. His passion is to see people of all ages come to know Christ. Nick is married to his high school sweetheart, Katie. They have 4 children, Adalyn, Gracyn, Chloe and Declan. Nick enjoys working with his hands, hunting, fishing, playing ball, laughing with friends, coffee, and spending time with his family.
Caleb Baker
Associate Pastor of Worship and Technology
Caleb has been involved in ministry since the age of 9 when he started out on a drum set playing for a gospel music group. He is passionate about using music as a vehicle to lead people into God’s presence in worship, as well as equipping teams to do the same. Caleb previously worked for 16 years in the audio, video and lighting industry. He enjoys helping churches use their resources to honor God in the best way possible through the use of technology. Now, he has the opportunity to use these skills and past life experiences to pastor and shepherd teams and individuals in our worship ministry. Caleb is married to Kayla, who also leads worship with him, and they have one daughter, Ella. Music is a huge passion of their entire family. Caleb is an outdoorsman and loves to hunt, fish, and enjoy nature.
Brandon Helms
Associate Pastor of NextGen and Youth
Brandon has been in ministry for nearly 20 years, serving in various Student Ministry/NextGen roles throughout his ministry. Brandon comes from Second Baptist Church, Lancaster, SC, where he has spent the last 10 years as their Pastor of Students and, most recently, their NextGen Pastor. He holds an Associate of Religion/Church Ministries Degree from Fruitland Baptist Bible College, a Bachelor of Arts Degree from North Greenville University, and a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Brandon’s passion in ministry is making an eternal influence in the lives of those in the “Next Generation” and influencing their parents and leaders to be disciple-makers.
Brandon’s greatest joy in life is spending time with his wife, Keisha, who is his best friend and partner in both life and ministry. They have been married for 21 years and have two children, Evan and Kaelynn. Evan is currently a student at North Greenville University, and Kaelynn is a sophomore this year. Brandon also enjoys watching Clemson Football, drinking coffee, and spending time in the mountains.
Support Staff
Lisa Farsht
Recovery Alive Ministry Director
Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Addiction Counselor who has been married to Randy Farsht for 27 years and has two adult children, Isaac and Chante. She placed a strong emphasis on the power of Christ, community, and recovery. Having been in recovery herself, she has a passion for passing on the hope, encouragement, and life skills through RA to others in her community and reducing the stigma concerning the real struggles in mental health, addiction, and relationships, or as we say at RA, our hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
Gabe & Jada Sickels
Club 56 Ministry Directors
Gabe and Jada have a heart for the in-between students who are out of elementary but not yet into the youth. They have served as interns for East Pickens KIDS in the summer of 2021.
Gabe is one of our worship leaders on Sunday mornings. He enjoys creating, singing, and writing music. Gabe graduated from Anderson University with a degree in Communications (Digital Media). Gabe is currently over our social communications and website for EPBC along with other duties in the church. He is a big football and basketball fan. He is currently working on his Master’s of Arts in Christian Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Jada loves serving in the preschool and Club 56 ministries at EPBC. She is passionate about showing kids what it means to live and love like Jesus! Jada graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Anderson University and is an Early Interventionist at Bright Start.
Heather Hendricks
Children’s Ministry Director
Heather and her family have been members of East Pickens for many years. She recently joined the church staff in May. She loves children and has served in children’s ministry for 20+ years. Heather has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Middle Tennessee State University. Her family moved to Easley in 2012 (but she is a Tennessee girl through and through!). Heather is a home educator when not working at the church. She is married to Doug and they have four children.
Carey Sherwood
Preschool Ministry Director
Carey joined our staff in September 2019. She has a degree in Early Elementary Education from Clemson University. She loves how children love big and wants to help parents build a lifelong foundation for following Jesus. Carey is married to our Executive Pastor, Allen, and they have three children together. She is a native of Pickens and attended East Pickens throughout her life.
Lisa Corbin
Financial Secretary
Lisa is a native of Pickens, SC and has attended East Pickens since 2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration. She has worked with non-profits and ministries for 15+ years. She has a passion for equipping ministries with the tools required for successful financial and fiscal management. Lisa is married to Ryan, and they have 2 children together. The Corbin family enjoys culinary masterpieces, the great outdoors, and an active lifestyle.
Kayla Baker
Administrative Assistant
Kayla joined our staff in November of 2021. She handles the design of the weekly worship folder and announcement slides as well as other graphic design projects. Kayla has attended East Pickens since birth. She is thankful for the opportunity to work alongside her husband, Caleb Baker, our Associate Pastor of Worship and Tech.