First Baptist Church of Kansas City, Kansas

Rev. Cedric L. Rowan is a native of Kansas City, Mo and the son of the late Robert L. Rowan and the late Ella Mae (Ross) Rowan.  Rev. Rowan was educated in the Kansas City School system graduating from Southeast High School in 1976.  Rev Rowan continued is his education receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kansas in 1981, 1986 graduate of Webster University, Kansas City, MO Master of Arts in Business Administration and a 2005 graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, Kansas with a Master of Divinity degree. Rev. Rowan has served as a guest instructor for a class in church administration at Central Seminary and a guest lecturer in the African American Studies Department for the University of Kansas teaching a class in the Black Church.  Rev. Rowan was licensed by the Friendship Baptist in December of 1996 and ordained in August of 2005. 

Rev. Rowan has preached for congregations in our local community, district and state convention functions, and churches across the country.

Rev. Rowan was elected Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Kansas City, Kansas in September of 2009 and assumed those pastoral duties the first Sunday of October of 2009. Rev. Rowan currently is serving as the Auditor-Statistician for the Missionary Baptist State Convention of Kansas.

God has blessed him to have a beautiful Christian wife (Dorri) of 40 years and two sons.  The eldest son (Ryan) and daughter-in-law (Katie) are attorneys in Crown Point, Indiana and have two sons, Aiden & Liam; and the youngest son (Austin) is a sourcing executive for Vizient, Inc. Dallas, Texas.    

Minister Melissa Hayes Williams is the youngest of eight children born to Francella Mitchell Hayes and Robert Hayes, Sr. She calls herself a true “church girl” because by her recollection she has been in church since her mother was able to leave the house with her at 8 weeks of age.

At the age of 11, Melissa would sit at the piano that her mother purchased for one of her older sisters who needed it for a college course but never played it. Melissa could read music from playing the violin and would sit at the piano and pluck from the hymnal that her mother had. At 12, her pastor asked her to play hymns from the Broadman Hymnal for Sunday School and he paid her $5 a month. Her grandmother invested in lessons for her. From there she started playing in churches and currently has 47 years of music ministry at several churches in the KC Metro area. In July 2022, Min. Melissa presented an original song to the Gospel Music Workshop of America’s 55^th Annual Convention in Atlanta, Ga, titled, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen, Amen.”

After years of serving in the churches as a musician, a Sunday School and bible study teacher, a missionary, a women’s ministry leader and other areas of the church she is needed, Min. Melissa received and accepted her calling from the Lord and was licensed by Rev. Cedric L. Rowan of the First Baptist Church, 5^th & Nebraska, on June 13, 2021.

Min. Melissa worked 26 years in the Social Services field before becoming the Church Administrator and Minister of Music where she currently serves for First Baptist Church. She also serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Merc Co-op located in Lawrence, KS and Kansas City, KS. She is a graduate of the KU School of Journalism and earned a master’s degree in education from UMKC.

Of all her accomplishments, her greatest joy comes from being the mother of three grown children—Samantha, Khonsu (the artist formerly known as Keith) and Tyler; and the GrandMel of Julian, Jamison, and Journee; and to the bonus children and grandchildren that she’s accumulated over the years.