About ORBN
Our Vision & Mission Statements
Vision Statement
Ogeechee River Baptist Network is a Christ-centered partnership of churches working together to fulfill Acts 1:8, transforming communities through missional partnerships, leadership development, and church planting and revitalization.
Mission Statement
A network of local churches working together to fulfill the Great Commission.
Our Values
Prayer
Prayer is our foundational value as we seek the Spirit’s guidance & power for every ministry decision & spiritual influence on our churches and community.
Authority of the Bible
We believe the Bible is inspired, inerrant and infallible and serves as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
The Great Commission
We value the Great Commission knowing that God expects us to follow His will to be faithful in our obedience to Him.
Evangelism / Missions and Ministry
We value evangelism, missions, and ministry as how we allow the grace of God to penetrate our hearts, our churches, and our community.
Cooperation
We value cooperation, helping our churches work in unity to fulfill the Great Commission and support each other.
Excellence
We value excellence believing that we honor God by giving Him our very best in all aspects of ministry and life.
Meet Our Staff
Jeff Parmer, Missionary
I am a native of Columbus, Georgia. I came to faith in Christ as a young man at Northside Baptist Church in Columbus and later sensed God’s call into ministry at Second Baptist Church, also in Columbus. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of serving churches in Columbus, Fortson, Dacula, Fitzgerald, and Reynolds, Georgia.
For more than 30 years, I have served in various ministry roles—including church staff member, bi-vocational pastor, and senior pastor. Since September 2024, I have been serving as the Missionary for the Ogeechee River Baptist Network.
I graduated from Columbus College (now Columbus State University) in 1990 and earned a Master of Arts in Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Georgia, in May 2020.
I have been married to my wife, Sandra, since 1992, and we are blessed with two adult children. In my free time, I enjoy watching college football, working out, and spending time with my family.
My life verse is 2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
Debbie Marotte, Ministry Assistant
Debbie Marotte has been serving the Lord in the Ogeechee River Baptist Network (formerly ORBA) for 35 years. She and her husband Mike joined Leefield Baptist Church in 1989, and she began working with the youth the following year. Since moving to Bulloch County, she has earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education from Georgia Southern University, taught at both Effingham County High School and Stilson Elementary (before retiring to homeschool her son), served as the youth director at LBC, directed Camp “I AM,” and has served as Ministry Assistant for the Network since the fall of 2018. Whether it’s through serving her family, church-family, at camp, in her writings, or carrying out tasks at the ORBN office, her goal is to do whatever her heavenly Father calls her to do, in whatever capacity He leads her to fill, following His words in Romans 12:1-2 and Matthew 5:16.