Ministries
meet our
2025-2026 Prospective Elders.
Richard Kerry (UB)
I grew up in Bossier City, Louisiana. I was raised in a good, loving, moral home, though my parents were not followers of Jesus. In high school, a friend invited me to church, and as I began attending regularly with him, I came to understand my need for Jesus as my Savior. In the years that followed, my parents and my sister also became believers, and we were all baptized together on the same day.
I attended Ouachita Baptist University for undergrad and spent 18 years in vocational ministry before moving into the field of mental health and counseling. I now work as a Licensed Professional Counselor at Living Well, where I also serve as Director of Counseling. My wife, Erin, and I both work at Living Well, where she is a Functional Medicine Practitioner and Health Coach. We have 3 kids: Isabel (21), Roman (11), and Rhett (9). We love time together as a family, especially college football Saturdays, which are basically a weekly holiday for us (Geaux Tigers…though it hasn’t been the best season, so we’ll just leave it at that). I enjoy good food, music, cooking, and exercise.
My hope is that we continue to be a church whose sole focus is to make much of Jesus. I pray we make Him known with and through one another – in our community and throughout the world. I desire for our people to reflect His grace and His truth in equal measure.
Trey Lawson (OJ)
I grew up in Holliday, Texas, a small town close to Wichita Falls. My family attended First Baptist Holliday, where I came to know the Lord at age 12.
My wife, Jacie, and I grew up together and married right after graduating college. We have three children: Olivia (7), Claire (5), and Lane (3). As a family, we enjoy spending time outdoors, playing sports, being active, playing games, and eating out. Jacie and I serve as co-leaders of a community group at Grace, and we have the privilege of serving in Grace K!DS.
I work at Merrill Lynch helping people and organizations with financial planning and investing. In my free time, I enjoy playing golf, fishing, hunting, spending time with family and friends, and sports of almost any kind.
My hope for Grace is that God would use our church to be and make disciples for his glory and that He would work through our church to accomplish His purposes in our community and beyond. I pray that we would be obedient to Scripture and ever more receptive to His calling in our lives.
Thomas Neuhoff (UB)
I grew up in Dallas, Texas, as the oldest of six children to two wonderful parents who love Jesus with all their hearts and modeled submission to the Lord in every aspect of their lives. I credit my mother for demonstrating what it truly means to serve, pouring out her heart in every opportunity presented to her. I’m thankful for my father who exemplified authentic leadership, stepping away from his law practice for eight years to headmaster West Dallas Community School — a Kindergarten-8th Grade, inner-city Christian school serving underprivileged, single-parent households with the gift of a Classical Christian school education.
I came to know the Lord on October 18, 2002, at the age of nine. The Lord has since used my wonderful wife, Emily, and the beautiful gift of marriage to deepen my daily walk and dependence on Him. I would not be where I am today without Emily who inspires me daily and is the rock of our family. Together, we have been blessed with three children: Mattie, Tripp, and Jay.
Emily and I met in undergrad at Auburn University and moved to East Texas in 2016 after my graduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Emily began working for Grace Community School, and we attended the Grace Lindale Campus until 2019 when we moved into the Andy Woods subdivision in Tyler. Since 2019, we have been members of the University Blvd Campus, serving in Grace K!DS and as community group leaders. Grace Community has been an overwhelming blessing to our family.
I currently serve as the CFO of a single-family office after beginning my career in public accounting, and I am passionate about the compounding power of hard work, education, and giving back. Our family desires to be deeply engaged in our local community, serving with numerous organizations such as Mentoring Alliance, where I currently serve as a mentor and Board President.
Our family’s deep hope for Grace Community Church is that each and every one of its members would personally and individually live out the mission to Be and Make Disciples FOR the Glory of God through their own unique giftings as Paul calls us to in Romans 12:4-5.
Craig Wentworth (LD)
I came to know Jesus at the age of 12 and was blessed to be raised by godly parents. During my early childhood, I attended a Nazarene church and was baptized at 14. In my later teen years, I became involved in a Baptist church.
My wife, Becky, came to know Jesus and was baptized at age 11 at the First Christian Church in Shidler. We got married in 1975, and together, God has blessed us with three wonderful children: Jeremy, Kara, and Ashley. We raised our children in Mannford, Oklahoma, where we were members and I served as an Elder of Lakeview Christian Church. All of our children came to know Jesus and were baptized during our time at Lakeview.
Becky and I moved to Texas in 2003 and have been blessed to be part of several church families over the years as God led us through different seasons and locations. In 2019, we settled in Lindale, where we continue to grow in our faith and serve together.
Professionally, my career began in education and grew into various engineering and leadership roles within the energy and construction industries. Through every move and career transition, God faithfully guided our steps, provided opportunities to serve, and surrounded us with strong communities of faith.
We’ve been blessed with ten wonderful grandchildren and enjoy spending our time at their activities, with family, hiking, and caring for our animals. We also love to travel whenever we have the opportunity.
My hope for Grace is that we continue making disciples for Jesus by faithfully preaching and teaching the Gospel and by reflecting His love through serving, helping, and caring for both the Body of Christ and the lost.
Jacob Taylor (UB)
I was born and raised in Palestine, Texas. I grew up under biblical teaching, but in grade school, I began to more fully understand the Lord’s sacrifice for me. At that time, I prayed with my parents and put my faith in Jesus.
My wife, Megan, and I have known each other since middle school. We got married in 2009 and have two sons: Shane (12) and Nolan (9). As a family, we love to play games and puzzles, spend time outside, watch sports, and spend time with our family and friends. Grace Community has been our church home for 16 years, and we are actively involved on the University Blvd Campus where Megan serves on staff as the UB Campus Development Director, and I serve on the Safety and Worship Teams. We have also had the privilege of leading through small groups and Re|engage, and I have had the blessing of going on several short-term mission trips to Ecuador, Mexico, Africa, and Belize.
I attended Stephen F. Austin University, where I studied Accounting and was a member of the golf team. I work in Accounting as the Controller at Jasper Ventures in Whitehouse. In my free time, I enjoy golfing, doing projects around our home, and spending time with Megan and my boys.
My hope for Grace is that we are a church that serves like Jesus and spreads the Good News of the Gospel to everyone we encounter.
Jeremy Gauntt (LD)
I have lived in the East Texas area my whole life. We moved from Tyler to Lindale in my early junior high years, and it has been my home ever since. Moving to Lindale played a very important role in my walk with Christ. Through relationships built within our local church, I came to truly see the love of Christ and understand His mercy and goodness.
I have been so truly blessed with an amazing wife and three kids. Morgan and I have been married for 19 years, and God gifted us with the most wonderful kids: Jaxson (18), Maddox (16), and Lyla (14).
I have worked in the wire rope industry with Bishop Lifting for the past 19 years. I love to play guitar and am privileged to serve as part of our Grace worship team. I strive to be a disciple who is building up other disciples, and I am grateful for the opportunity we have at Grace to love our community and grow together in Christ.
My hope for Grace Community Church is to continue coming alongside others and building relationships as we share the Gospel and the love of God.