Pastor/Elder: Jeremy Hawkins
Jeremy joined the Elder Board in July 2020 and was voted in as Pastor at Grace Community Chapel (GCC) in October of 2021. Jeremy and his wife Alyssa are graduates from Baptist Bible College & Seminary(BBC) in 2011. They have been at GCC as Members since March 2014. Jeremy and Alyssa were married in 2009 while they were finishing their education at BBC. They love hiking, playing board games, singing and making music, spending time with family and friends, and playing video games together. Pastor Jeremy is excited to see how God will use Him and Alyssa at GCC over the coming years. He can be reached at the church phone and would love to connect with you.
Elder: Paul Fellows
Paul Fellows joined the Elder Board in 2003. Paul and his wife Debbie have been members of Grace Community Chapel (GCC) since 1997 and been faithfully serving the church in many capacities of those 20+ years. Paul has served in preaching, teaching, and other various ministries at GCC. Paul also represents the Elders on the School Board for Grace Christian Academy. Debbie serves at the school as a teacher, assists in Sunday School, and manages the prayer chain for GCC, among other ministries that they both support together.
Elder: Benjamin (Ben) Bailey
Benjamin (Ben) Bailey joined the Elder Board in January of 2022. Ben and his wife Melissa have grown up in the church community of Grace Community Chapel (GCC). They have been members at GCC since 2008 and have faithfully served the church community in many ways. Ben has served as a Deacon, small group leader, preaching, and has been the face of our morning announcements for years.
Deacon: Mike Rolfe
Mike Rolfe re-joined the Deacon Board in 2021. Mike had previously served as an elder since 1996. Mike and his wife Brenda have provided Grace Community Chapel (GCC) with leadership and the hearts of service for 25+ years. Brenda also serves as the church's treasurer.
Deacon: Pat Polley
Patrick (Pat) Polley joined the Deacon Board in 2009. Pat and his wife Jennifer have been constant servants at Grace Community Chapel (GCC). The ministry that they combined do and individually would be too vast to properly list. Jen currently services actively on our Outreach Committee. They have been members at GCC since 2008.
Deacon: Mike Brunelle
Mike Brunelle joined the Deacon Board in 2019. Mike and his wife Anna serve in a varied capacity at Grace Community Chapel (GCC). Mike has taught in our children's programs, preached, and provided hands on service wherever needed. Mike also represents the Deacons on the School Board for Grace Christian Academy. Anna serves as our assistant treasurer as well as supports in multiple capacities on the worship team. They have been members at GCC since 2018.
Deacon: Justin Hodgkins
Justin Hodgkins joined the Deacon Board in January 2022. Justin and his wife Hannah are an all-around encouraging couple at Grace Community Chapel (GCC). Justin serves on our worship team and loves to connect with others and serve where he can. Hannah was a major supporter of our most recent VBS and was paramount to it's success. They have been members at GCC since 2019.
Deacon: Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham joined the Deacon Board in June 2023. Bill and his wife Toni are extremely involved and supportive of the family at Grace Community Chapel (GCC). Bill serves on our worship team, running and managing our A/V equipment. Toni is regularly involved in supporting a variety of ministries both at GCC and supporting another local church with interpreting via sign language. As a couple they bring warmth and joy to our family at GCC. They have attended GCC for more than 13 years.
Sunday School Superintendent: Megan Samson
Megan Samson took the role of Sunday School Superintendent in 2021. Megan has a heart for children's ministry. She has supported Grace Community Chapel (GCC) in Sunday School as a teacher, junior church, and more recently VBS. Megan is loved by the children at GCC and was the primary organizer and teacher at our VBS program. Megan has been a member of GCC since 2018.
Treasurer: Brenda Rolfe
Brenda Rolfe began supporting Grace Community Chapel (GCC) as treasurer in 2007, although it may have been earlier. Brenda and her husband Mike have provided GCC with leadership and the hearts of service for 20+ years. Mike also serves as a Deacon.
Assistant Treasurer: Anna Brunelle
Anna Brunelle joined Brenda as the Assistant Treasurer in 2021. Anna and her husband Mike serve in many ways at Grace Community Chapel (GCC). Mike has taught in our children's programs, preached, and provided hands on service wherever needed, Mike also represents the Deacons on the School Board for Grace Christian Academy. Anna also serves in on the worship team. They have been members at GCC since 2018.
Music Director: Kent Nelson
Kent Nelson became the Music Director in October 2022 after the position was added to the leadership team. Kent and Gayle have both been serving on the worship team for many years. Kent provides leadership to our music team as well as support on the guitar. Gayle has served as a singer and support to the worship team. Kent and his wife Gayle have been members at Grace Community Chapel (GCC) since 2011.
Church Clerk: Ruth Andreson
Ruth Andreson became the Church Clerk in 2020. Ruth and her husband Doug have been members at Grace Community Chapel (GCC) since 2020. Ruth is also a Board Member of our Christian School- Grace Christian Academy. Doug also assists our audio/visual team in the management of the Sunday Morning Worship Service and sings with the music team.
The Basics: An elder is a man who (i) meets the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, (ii) is recognized by his congregation as an elder, (iii) and leads the congregation by teaching the Word (1 Tim. 3:2), praying for the sheep (Jas. 5:14), and overseeing the affairs of the church (1 Pet. 5:2).
Oversight: An elder must watch over the flock. He must instruct all the sheep, strengthen the weak ones, guard the vulnerable ones, rebuke the obstinate ones, and bear with the difficult ones (2 Tim. 2:24-25; Acts 20:28; 1 Thess. 5:14). An elder watches over the members of his church as one who will give an account to God (Heb. 13:17)
Plurality: In the New Testament, local churches consistently have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23, 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14). Christ, the Chief Shepherd, means to care for his flock through a number of godly men who together teach, guard, guide, protect, and love the sheep. This means that every local church, following the leadership of their pastor, should look out for men who are already doing the work of an elder and appoint them to the office.
*https://www.9marks.org/answer/what-church-elder/
The Bible does not clearly indicate the function of deacons. Yet based on the pattern established in Acts 6 with the apostles and the Seven, it seems best to view deacons as servants who do whatever is necessary to allow the elders to accomplish their God-given calling of shepherding and teaching the church. Just as the apostles delegated administrative responsibilities to the Seven, so the elders are to delegate certain responsibilities to the deacons so that the elders can focus their efforts elsewhere. As a result, each local church is free to define the tasks of deacons based on their particular needs.
What are some duties that deacons might be responsible for today? They could be responsible for anything that’s not related to teaching and shepherding the church. Such duties might include:
- Facilities: The deacons could be responsible for managing the church property. This would include making sure the place of worship is prepared for the worship service, cleaning up, or running the sound system.
- Benevolence: Similar to what took place in Acts 6:1–6 with the daily distribution to the widows, the deacons may be involved in administrating funds or other assistance to the needy.
- Finances: While the elders should probably oversee the financial business of the church (Acts 11:30), it may be best left to the deacons to handle the day-to-day matters. This would include collecting and counting the offering, keeping records, and so on.
- Ushers: The deacons could be responsible for distributing bulletins, seating the congregation, or preparing the elements for communion.
- Logistics: Deacons should be available to help in variety of ways so that the elders are able to concentrate on teaching and shepherding the church.
*https://www.9marks.org/article/biblical-qualifications-and-responsibilities-deacons/
The Sunday School Superintendent is responsible for the opening time of Sunday School, they will oversee the teaching program or special programs of Sunday School under the direction of the Elders. They meet annually with the teachers to assist the teachers in the instruction of those in attendance.
The Clerk keeps a record of all the proceedings of the business meetings. The Clerk keeps the register of church members, baptisms, and the deaths of members. The clerk presents minutes of the previous business meeting.