In the 1980's, Middle Georgians knew Andy Cook as the sports editor of The Macon Telegraph. It was there that he edited the first series of sports articles to ever win a Pulitzer Prize.  

Called to full-time Christian service in 1988, he attended Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. While a student, he pastored Cedar Rock First Baptist Church in Castalia, N.C. After graduation, he served as pastor of Soperton's First Baptist Church for five years before coming to Shirley Hills in 1997. The church soon became one of the fastest-growing churches in the area, adopting a two-worship-service, two-Sunday School program and the largest building project in its history.

A passionate supporter of Israel, the pastor has made six trips to Israel in recent years and has found a vibrant ministry through video-recorded teachings from the Holy Land, Greece, and Turkey. Want to view some of the videos? Click here.

He and his wife of 28 years, Melody, have three daughters - Summer Bolte (Mike), Melinda, and Courtney.

Known around the church as "Brother Andy," the pastor has seen three books published since 2001, all of them available from bookstores and on-line sources. The books benefit in part, or in whole, the ministries of Shirley Hills Baptist Church, and the ministry of missionaries Tom and Molly Mullis, whose roots are in Shirley Hills. Because of the books, he has often been a guest of radio and television Christian programming across the country.

The pastor is also the author of a regular newspaper column in The (Macon) Telegraph, and has written for national magazines like The Minister's Family, Deacon, and Leadership Journal. He is also a regular sermon contributor to the Pastor Helps section of LifeWay.com.

Want to hear some recent messages? Click here.