Our staff is here to serve, so let us know how we can help!

Doug Clark

I grew up in Akron, Ohio. There were five of us in my family – my parents and my two sisters with me in the middle. I trusted Christ when I was 12 years old and then strayed through most of junior high and high school. The summer before my senior year in high school, two of my best friends and I went to a Young Life Camp in Colorado. It was on the bus ride home that Jesus really got a hold of my heart. I committed to following Him and was discipled, and I’m grateful for the patience the Lord showed me.

I attended Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where I majored in business. After graduation, I worked for my dad in the family business, saw much of the country from the seat of a bicycle, and volunteered with Young Life. Around this time, I met Vicki. She was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, and God used her in a major way to move me toward ministry.

Vicki and I were married in November of 1987 and immediately moved to Portland, Oregon, where I attended Western Seminary. I graduated with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Theology. We have been privileged to raise two incredible children, Micah, who is married to Mary, and Chelsea.

I joined the Grace Staff in December of 2005, and my passion is that we would be a body of disciples who make disciples – that is helping people come to Christ and grow in Christ so they can then help others experience the same for the Glory of God. I want our church to live out the word of God by loving Him and others.

Kirk Hudson

I grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. My parents were so kind to send me to camp when I was young, and that is where I was introduced to Jesus. I began to grow in my understanding of who Jesus was and is in my life, and I am thankful to my parents who pointed me to Jesus at an early age.

I am married to Kelly, and we have four children of our own, Kalloway, who is married to Bobby, Konner, Kory, and Karoline. For a few years we also had two international students from China, Bevin and Henry, who we call our sons.

I joined the Grace staff in January of 2017, and it is my joy to oversee the resources of our organization. God is generous and kind, and He provides generously what is needed to be used to bring Him Glory!

Grace Community Church and Grace Community School have a tremendous influence in the local community, in East Texas, and internationally because of God’s generosity. I pray that we as His children and as a body of believers are generous with our lives to be disciples who make disciples.

Michael Sieber

I was raised in the North Houston area and trusted in Christ as a high school senior on a youth group ski trip.

After graduating from Baylor University, I spent 4 years as a business consultant with Accenture and 3 years as a full-time youth pastor while attending Dallas Theological Seminary part-time. From there, I worked for 15 years in progressive leadership roles in the medical device industry. In 2017, I answered the call to vocational ministry taking on the role of Vice President of Church and Ministry Partnerships with World Vision.

I have been happily married to my amazingly talented, beautiful, and patient wife, Jennifer, since 2001. We have three awesome kids, Grace, Brock, and Cullen.

My greatest passion is sharing the Gospel with a lost, broken, and dying world. I am also passionate about helping unlock and unleash people’s superpowers, hiking, camping, swimming, boating, eating queso, and basically doing anything outdoors with family and friends.

I joined the Grace staff in 2021 and oversee all of our ministry staff. My deep hope is that we would fully live out our mission of being and making disciples for the glory of God.

Teresa Ator

I was born and raised in a small town in Southern California. As the oldest of four children in a single-parent home, I learned to rely on the Lord for my security and salvation at a very early age. I was 5 years old and sitting in a Sunday school class of a sweet little church down the street from my house when I learned about and excitedly received Christ’s love and redemption!

In my early teen years, we joined a little church plant in the same town and began a journey of discovering what being the church really looked like. The people in that community of believers surrounded my family and walked us through many trials, joys, and hard years of life. Men came alongside us as father figures, women mentored and loved each of us daily, and lifetime friendships were formed that impacted our hearts in unbelievable ways. This is one of the reasons God has put such passion and desire in my heart for the church and the family to form a partnership like no other.

I have been married to Randall since 1996, and we have 5 children and an amazing bonus son-in-law! Michelle, Riley, Jake, Nathan, and our “baby” Lainee are our amazing children. Our oldest daughter, Michelle, and her husband, Blake, have blessed us with our very first precious grandson, Owen!

I joined the Grace team in August of 2011, and my deep hope is that families, kids, and leaders would find community and experience the deep redeeming love of Christ in a way that would cause them to grow as disciples who live life on mission for the gospel!

Keziah Sanchez

Rachel Spivey

I grew up in Chicago and moved to Arizona when I was about 12 years old. Growing up, I knew we believed in Jesus but didn’t know much else. We never went to church or really even spoke about God. I started my walk with God when I was a senior in high school. I started getting curious about the word and what it was like to be a Christian, so I asked my mother if we could start going to church. From there on, it was a slow journey, but God is amazing and was with me every step of the way.

The Lord brought a wonderful man into my life who loves Him and encouraged my journey with Him. Aaron and I have been married for 10 years now, and we have 2 incredible little boys, Carson and Lincoln, and a Great Dane, Blu, who thinks he is a lap dog. We decided to move to Tyler when I became pregnant with Carson in 2016, and we started going to Grace when he was about a year old.

I started working with Grace K!DS in January of 2023, and I love getting to walk alongside the children and watch their hearts and minds embrace the Lord.

For preschool age children, it can be hard to separate from mom and dad for an hour every Sunday, so my hope for our program is to give parents ease of mind that their children are being cared for as well as encouraged in their growth with God. I want Grace K!DS to provide an environment that causes children to look forward to Sundays.

Jon Jenz

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and came to know Jesus as a freshman in college at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

When I was in college, I made some pretty poor decisions. I guess I was your typical college freshman. Eventually, I was invited to attend a campus church with a friend. The pastor was young and very honest. He pulled out the Bible and started talking about Jesus as if He was his best friend. A few days later, the pastor asked me to lunch and told me how Jesus had transformed him. It didn’t take much longer for me to realize I wanted to know Jesus and experience this kind of transformation. And I have!

I am married to Laura, and we have five kids, Luke, Maggie, Sam, Josie, and Eli.

I joined the Grace staff in 2007, and my deep hope is that our awareness of the love of God for us would spur us to glorify Him with our lives.

Scott Wilson

I grew up in Chandler, Arizona. I am married to Shari, and we have raised six children.

I have been a part of the ministry team at Grace Community for many years. I started in 1991 as the Student Ministries Pastor. In 2004, we moved to the St. Louis area to launch and pastor a church that was starting a multi-site ministry. In 2016, we moved back to Tyler, and I began working on the Grace Community School side of the ministry team as the Director of Spiritual Formation. In my current role, I’m serving as the Pastor of Discipleship with a focus on small groups and men’s ministry across all of our campuses.

My deep hope is for everyone at Grace to be intentional about participating in the discipleship journey.

Bethanie Taylor

I grew up in a small town a few hours north of Tyler called Sanger. I did not grow up in a home that went to church, but many of my friends did. Starting in the 7th grade, I began staying the night with a friend almost every Saturday just so I could go to church with them on Sunday. When I wasn’t staying with my friend, I was sneaking out of my house Sunday mornings and walking across to the church in front of our house. I didn’t really know what it meant to live a life for Jesus, but I knew I wanted more of the peace and relationships I had while at church.

In 2010, I married the most genuine and loving man, Austin Taylor. Three years into marriage, we started to grow our family and now have two sweet and spunky girls, Violet and Lily Mae.

I was blessed with the opportunity to start working for Grace in the summer of 2018. I want Grace K!DS to be a place that loves our kids well, a safe place for them to talk, and a place that helps them know how much Jesus loves them.

Ingrid Hogue

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and I moved to Tyler in 1987. I did not grow up in a Christian home and was not raised in church. We attended the Catholic Church when I was younger but had a falling out with the church, and these circumstances led my family to lose faith in the church and in God.

My husband, Corey, and I got married in 2004. We have two boys, Victor and Anthony. We first came to Grace on Easter Sunday in 2017. I came to know the Lord on March 25, 2018, and Corey baptized me the following year.

I joined the Grace staff in August of 2018, and my deep hope is to help my leaders and my kids to grow stronger and have a better relationship with Jesus. Teaching my girls on Sunday mornings brings me such joy, and as we teach them, we also are learning from them.

Stephen Wickliffe

I’m a native Texan who was born, raised, and spent most of my days growing up in Red Oak, Texas. The first decade and a half of my life was filled with church attendance, cultural Christianity, and knowing about Jesus, but not following Him. Jesus transformed me my senior year of high school as He saved me, and I began to follow Him.

I met my incredible wife, Stephanie, in college. Stephanie and I were married in May of 2003. Since getting married, we started a family with one daughter, Mayleigh (the oldest), and three sons, Asher, Beckett, and Callen.

I joined the Grace staff in March of 2005, and I desire to see neighbors, natives, and nations transformed by the saving grace of Jesus! Who will go? Acts 1:8 tells us we are sent by God. It is a directive for all of us to go. Mission exists (temporarily this side of heaven) because people are not worshiping the one true God.

Heather Cornelison

I was born in Houston, Texas. When I was in the 3rd grade, my family moved to Whitehouse. I came to know the Lord at the age of 9 during a revival at Sylvania Baptist Church where my mom and I attended church together.

In October of 2001, I married my husband, Alan. We do not have kids, but we have a cat named Cali who we love like a child.

I joined the Grace staff in April of 2012, and my deep hope for the worship ministry is that we will continue to lead the congregation to the throne of Jesus, becoming more in love with Him on a daily basis, not just on Sundays.

Heather Simonds

I grew up in Tyler, Texas, with my mom and sisters. My parents divorced when I was young, and my dad lived in Saudi Arabia, so I only saw him once a year. I was not raised in church but did have strong Christian influences in my life and began attending a church youth group with a neighborhood friend. I accepted Christ as my Savior the summer after my 7th grade year at youth camp after learning of His unconditional love for me.

My husband, Chip, and I were married in 2001, and we have two kids, Ellie and Grayson.

I joined the Grace Staff in August of 2009 as the Girls Ministry Director and transitioned to my current role of Director of Staff Care and Engagement in September of 2020. I am also working toward my Master of Science in Mental Health & Wellness.

I am passionate about leading efforts to nurture culture and staff engagement along with people development. I also have the honor of leading the spiritual formation of the Grace Early Education team. My heart’s beat is to be a pursuer of people just as God has so passionately pursued me!

Lacey Garner

I grew up in Houston and was raised in a home where I was introduced to Jesus at a young age and chose to trust Him when I was young. In college, I was a summer staffer at Pine Cove Camps, and that was when I started to really understand the Gospel and that the grace given to us through Jesus meant that I didn’t need to strive for holiness.

I’m married to Jesse (sometimes you’ll see him on the worship team at OJ), and we have two children, Keldon and Rose.

I joined the Grace staff in 2013 as a Grace K!DS staffer. I took a few years at home when I had my kids, and then I transitioned to the role of Guest Experience Director in 2018.

My deep hope is for Grace to be a healing, encouraging, and refreshing place for our guests, whether they spend one weekend with us or choose to make Grace their church home. I love to know people, so even if you’re not new to Grace and we haven’t met, come say hello at Guest Services!

Sydnie Stover

Biography coming soon

Alan Cornelison

I grew up right here in Tyler and came to know Jesus after my family started attending Grace. I started learning more in my Sunday school class about how we are all sinners and need God in our lives, and I began to feel God prompting me to give my life to Him.

I am a long-time musician and really love working with technical things in the audio-visual area. I am blessed to be able to work alongside my wife, Heather, who is also part of our Grace team.

I joined the Grace staff in June of 2013, and I desire for the audio-visual department to serve all the needs of Grace with excellence in a non-distracting way so our congregations and community can worship and learn more from God’s word.

John Ray Morales

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I grew up going to church, and at the age of 11, I experienced God’s saving grace and became a disciple of Jesus. Soon after, while on a mission trip, I felt God calling me to use my artistic gifts to share Jesus. Music and children’s ministry work have given me the opportunity to visit and serve in 25 countries so far.

I have a Masters Degree in Strategic Communications and am thankful to God for the  opportunities He’s given me to put that to use to impact His kingdom.

I’m married to Tania, and we have four children. Meet “The AJ’s”, Aslan, Abriana, Aidan and Ander. We’ve lived in Tyler since 2013.

I joined the Grace Community Church Communications Team in February of 2021, and my deep hope is that God will use the creative and strategic content we share through all our communications media to bring people closer to Jesus.

Ryan Peterson

I grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and found Jesus and was baptized when I was 11 years old.

We moved to Tyler in 2009 when I became Sports Director at KLTV-7. I was a sportscaster for 12 years, and I left broadcasting in 2015.

I married my wife Melissa in 2008, and we have two daughters, Isabella (Izzy) and Daniella. We began going to Grace Community Church in 2011 when Tyler really became our home.

I joined the Grace staff in February of 2021, and my passion is meeting new people and hearing their stories. My deep hope is that our videos and communication projects will glorify God and bring hope to those hurting and needing the hope of Jesus.

Gerry Deese

I grew up in a non-Christian home in Tacoma, Washington, and my future husband, Wayne, led me to the Lord. We have two grown boys, Seth and Brian.

I joined the Grace staff in June of 1998, and my hope is to help staff understand and use the benefits that Grace provides them.

Jon Davie Osteen

I was born in Texas and raised for a few years in Saudi Arabia before we made our way back to Texas.  I grew up in the church and have been in a ministry-supporting role all my life.

I married Robin in December of 1999, and we have six children: Sarah, Haven, Rachel, Israel, Samuel, and Jeremiah      .

I joined the Grace staff in August of 2007, and my deep hope is that we would exemplify Stephen in Acts 6.

Ezra Sanchez

Biography coming soon

Andra White

I was born and raised in the Chandler community, where I have lived my entire life. I grew up in a small country church I attended with my grandparents. Because of their godly influence in my life, I came to know the Lord at the age of 5. I watched them faithfully serve the Lord my entire life, giving me a strong desire to do the same.

I am married to Pete, my high school sweetheart, and we have two amazing kids, Colby and Carly.

I joined the Grace staff in February of 2013 as the Operations Director for Grace K!DS. In 2020, I became part of the Operations staff for the church and the school. It is my desire to use the gifts the Lord has given me to serve others in whatever way I can.

Brittney Hood

I grew up in Tyler in a Christian home. My parents poured their lives into helping and fostering children from difficult home lives, and I learned from an early age what it looks like to give generously of all that we have to open our homes and our lives to others. I became a believer at the age of 7, and as a high school student, God brought people into my life who helped disciple me in my faith. I grew to better understand what it meant to make Jesus Lord of my life. It has been a journey ever since learning to abide in Jesus, trusting and following Him.

I met my husband, Trenton, while attending Baylor University. After many years in Waco, we moved back to East Texas with our three children, Ethan, Emmy, and Truett. We have really enjoyed living closer to both of our families. We love spending time together as a family and with friends, playing games, and going on adventures.

I joined the Grace team in December of 2019 as Women’s Ministry Coordinator for our Tyler campuses and started working full-time in 2020 as I joined the Executive Admin Team as Assistant to the Senior Pastor.

I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to be a part of the Grace team! I love being around people, and it’s a calling and a joy to serve alongside our staff. My deep hope is that we will generously and intentionally pour out our lives to help people feel known, loved, and seen by the Lord.

Shane Barnes

I was born in Midland and grew up in Wichita Falls. My memories of growing up are good ones filled with good friends, Godly adults in my life, loving every minute of playing every sport I could, and experiencing the movement of the Spirit of God in the Lay Witness Mission Movement that continues to impact me even to this day.

Around the age of six, I came to believe in Jesus through the love and witness of my mom, whose godliness and perseverance in following Christ greatly shaped who I became. Even at a young age, all I really wanted to do was to preach Christ and pastor. My theological education has taken me to Dallas Theological Seminary and Southern Methodist University. Along the way, I have served in a variety of settings as a Youth Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and a Senior Pastor.

God has blessed me with two beautiful and incredible daughters who continue to be my heroes in the faith. Sarah is my youngest and lives and works in the DFW Area. Abby lives in the Houston area and is married to Lamaur, and together, I am letting them raise my granddaughter, Diza.

I joined the Grace staff as Youth Pastor back in the 80s, later serving as the Athens Campus Pastor from 2008-2010, and in 2010, I came to our OJ Campus.

My deep hope for Grace Community Church is that we would be ever learning how to ravish others with the reality of the King and His Kingdom, offering to people the greatest opportunity they will have in life. Along the way, may we be living with and learning from Jesus how to lead our lives as He would lead our lives if He were us.

Alyssa Jacobs

I grew up in Northern California in a small town called El Dorado Hills. When I was 10, my family and I moved across the country to Wilmington, North Carolina, for a few months. When that didn’t work out, we moved back across the country to Las Vegas, Nevada, where we stayed for about 15 years.

I rarely went to church as a child, but as a young teenager, a friend invited me to her youth group, and I fell in love with the people who were in love with their God. They showed me how to love others, honor God, and know Jesus intimately. I began my own relationship with Jesus around the age of 13 and continued being mentored by Christ-loving couples and families in the church. I spent as much time at my church as I could, serving in the nursery and kids’ classes, on the A/V team, and anywhere else they needed me. I was eventually asked to join the staff as the administrative/graphic design/website & app/organizational/anything and everything person. I wore many hats working on our small staff, but I loved helping everything run smoothly.

I love drawing, dogs, coffee, trying new foods, and reading. I am married to my wonderful and talented husband, Aaron, and we have a pretty cute kid named Colson. Aaron and I met as teenagers in our youth group and were eventually baptized, married, and had our baby dedicated all on the same stage! As our family began to grow, we wanted to search for a new home in a new place to raise our kids. While it was painful to say so many goodbyes, we moved our family to Texas in the summer of 2021 and found Grace Community Church a few months later.

I joined the Grace staff in April of 2022. God provided this position in a way that only He could, and I have loved getting to know the amazing team that serves our kids and families. My deep hope is that people would feel loved, connected, and free because of who Jesus is.

Anne Selin

I grew up in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York in a devout Roman Catholic family and was educated in Catholic schools. My parents would gather their six children in the evening to pray together — a solid faith foundation for which I am grateful.

As an adult, I shifted attendance primarily to non-denominational, Bible-based churches. I give credit to Jody, Natasha, and Natalie for being the sweet representation of Jesus as friend, forgiver, and redeemer. They each played an important role in my faith journey while in Orlando, Florida.

My husband, Roger, and I have two adult daughters (adopted at ages 9 and 11). Roger, also from a family of six siblings, hails from Chicago and is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. He is an accountant by trade. We are passionate about international student exchange, travel, and organ donation, and we adore our rescue dogs and three random cats who have shown up over the years. We have never professed to be cat people, but the cats had other ideas!

My family attends the Old Jacksonville Campus. We have many stories of the trust placed in our amazing God, including how our family arrived in Tyler in 2020 and how a unique career search led me to Grace Community.

I joined the Grace team in June of 2022. It is my deep hope and prayer that the ministry of human resources will serve all Grace Community staff in such a meaningful and loving way that they will experience support in their God-given roles, refinement and development to contribute to the best of their ability, and opportunities to lead others through discipleship.

Nathanael Whisman

I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. We lived right outside New Orleans until I was about 5 or 6, later moving to Katy, Texas, where my parents still live. When I was between 8th grade and 9th grade, I went to the same summer camp I had gone to each summer. It was at this camp that the Gospel message impacted my heart for the first time, and I responded to grace by faith. From that moment on, my life has never been the same.

I am married to Halee, and we have one daughter, Murphee, who was born in 2020. We also have a dog named Banks. Halee works remotely for IF Gathering and stays at home with Murphee. We enjoy a good cup of coffee, watching movies, playing games, and having people in our home.

I joined the Grace Staff in May of 2023, and my hope is to embrace the community here as we engage the Gospel through meaningful relationships in the neighborhood and with teens.

Ashley Epperson

I was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in a Christian home. Even though my whole life was centered around church and Christian things, I didn’t fully understand what it meant to have a real relationship with Christ until I was 27 years old. Since then, it has been such an amazing time of growth.

I moved to Longview in 2008 where I met Daren, and we got married in 2011. We moved to Tyler in 2016 for college and started attending Grace Community in 2017. We have three awesome kiddos, Millicent, Shiloh, and Peter.

I joined the team in May of 2023, and my deep hope is that Grace K!DS will be the place where kids see who Jesus is and discover what He has planned for them so that they can share that with the community God has them in.

Destiny Northern

I grew up as a pastor’s kid in Crosby, Texas, in a family that loves God. I surrendered my life to Christ when I was 7 years old, but I realized years later that it was not genuine and gave my life to Christ in the 7th grade. I have been living for the Lord ever since then!

I was born to Rickey & Dana Northern, and I have an older sister whose name is Faith. We all spend lots of time together and love each other very much. My parents have been together since they were teenagers and have been married for over 35 years! I was in the Forge at Pine Cove and attended Grace all year while in the program. In my free time, I enjoy sports (watching and playing), reading, and writing poetry or blogs.

I joined the Grace team in August of 2023, and I hope that the GSM team will grow together as we serve alongside one another at Grace. I also am really hopeful for the growth of GSM. We all have a heart to grow, serve, and lead, and it has been really sweet to see the mutual passion for the Gospel to be shared to students!