Welcome Dawn Mayes

Welcome Rev. Dawn M. Mayes
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach

Our presbytery welcomes the Rev. Dawn Mayes as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach, where she began as pastor on August 15, 2022. Dawn and her husband, Joseph, have been busy settling into the Fernandina Beach community.

Dawn most recently served as Pastor for Manassas Presbyterian Church, in Manassas, Virginia, a fast-growing suburb of Washington DC. She arrived at the church mid-pandemic and helped the church navigate the virtual / hybrid church world. She previously served congregations in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

Dawn transferred from the National Capital Presbytery. She has been active in various presbytery leadership positions in Peace River, Cherokee, and Savannah Presbyteries, including serving on COM, CPM and as Moderator of Peace River Presbytery. While in the Savannah Presbytery, Dawn was an instructor for the Savannah Presbytery School of the Laity. She served as a commissioner to the 224^th General Assembly (virtual) in 2020.

Dawn and Joseph Mayes have been married for 27 years.  Joseph has Bachelors and Masters Degrees in music and has served as minister of music for several churches. He has also founded and directed community chorales. He is seeking a music ministry position within the Presbytery of St. Augustine.   Together Joseph and Dawn love spending time in nature, on the water and in the sunshine. They are big animal lovers and share their home with Jackson, a golden retriever, and Maya, a housecat. 

As she begins as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach, Dawn is excited about working with the faithful members of the church to see what new things God will bring into being!  She looks forward to getting to know and serve with her colleagues in the Presbytery.

We join the First Fernandina Beach community in welcoming Dawn and Joseph Mayes to our presbytery!