Deacon Board
Bob Hendry - Chairman
Bob has been at Grace Bible Church since 1980. Bob has been serving as a deacon since 2000 and is the Chairman of the Deacon Board. He loves his church family, the loving and friendly environment and the Biblical truth that is taught there. A few months out of the year, you can find him teaching Kinder Church along with his wife, Pam. He and Pam have been married since 1992 and their family includes two children and five grandchildren (and another one on the way!) Bob enjoys power walking, boating, watching college football and taking afternoon naps. He has been a realtor since 1974 and is a real estate broker for his company, Hendry Realty, Inc.
ED CROWE
Ed has been a deacon for a total of approximately twenty years. He first came to Grace in 1993 along with his wife, Celeste. They have been married since 1981 and they have two grown children. Ed is a big help with the sound booth and also has been assisting with the AWANA Sparks for over ten years. Ed appreciates that GBC has solid and well-grounded teaching and he also appreciates the spirit of fellowship within the church body. In his free time, he enjoys fixing things up, coin collecting and target shooting. Ed has been working for the Purchasing Department at Tradewind’s Hotel since 2000.
SAM HILL
Sam and his wife, Nikki have been at GBC since 1987. He has been a deacon since 1990 and he also helps with the security team. Like many others, Sam considers Grace Bible his family. You can often find Sam giving friendly hugs to others or giving them a pat on the back. He and Nikki have been married since 1980 and have four children and seven grandchildren. Sam enjoys woodworking and fishing. He has been working since 2007 as the Facilities Director for the Presbyterian Homes and Housing Foundation of Florida.
MIKE RENNINGER
Mike and his family have been worshipping at Grace Bible Church since 2003 and he has been on the Deacon Board since 2010. Mike is in charge of our Widows Ministry and he is also a director for the AWANA Sparks. He loves the caring, loving, and Christ-loving people at Grace. He also appreciates the teaching by Pastor Jerry and the stability of our church even through the recent challenges. He and his wife Bonnie have been married since 1991 and they have four children. Mike’s favorite hobby is fishing and he also enjoys studying history, gardening, cooking and being outdoors. Mike has been a sale’s representative selling wall panels for commercial construction since 1990.
MATT HILLIARD
Matt is a new deacon and joined the board in 2019. He has been attending Grace since 2010. He really appreciates the warmth and kindness of the church body and the clear and easily understood messages provided by Pastor Jerry. Matt is not married, but does enjoy spending time with his two Jack Russels. Matt’s hobbies are fishing and hunting. He is a Sergeant with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and has worked for them since 1999.
ROGER POPHAM
Roger came to Grace Bible Church in 2012 along with his wife, Jeanie. He loves that GBC is very welcoming, loving, and is Christ-centered. He serves at church by monitoring and buying food for the Food Pantry, is a member on the Budget Committee, and has been a deacon since 2014. Outside of church, he is on the board of the local chapter of The Military Officers Association, and is also on the board of Heaven and Earth for Veterans. Roger served for 29 years in the US Army and retired as a Colonel. While on active duty, he served in many places including Vietnam, Germany, and Korea. He and Jeanie have been married since 2012 and their family includes three children and eight grandchildren.
MIKEL PATTERSON
Mikel came to Grace in 2000 with his wife, Kathy. He loves the church body and appreciates how everyone is involved with serving in many different ministries. He also appreciates how the church is really involved with serving the community. Mikel has been a deacon since 2007 and is very involved with the tech team. He serves most Sundays in the sound booth and also records church videos. Mikel has also been our amazing AWANA Commander since 2004. He and Kathy have been married since 1980. They have two grown children and three grandchildren. In Mikel’s free time, he enjoys listening to music, playing music and recording music. He also enjoys building guitars. Since 2004, Mikel has worked as an IT Manager at Fiberglass Coatings.
TED MURPHY
Ted has been worshipping at Grace Bible since 1995, along with his wife, Dawn. He has served as a deacon since 2012. Ted also sings in the choir, plays on the worship team and is the Brass section leader. He feels like Grace is an extension of his family and they treat everyone that walks through their doors with the same genuine love. He says that the teaching of God’s Word is straightforward and doesn’t change with the latest fads and beliefs. Ted enjoys playing the trombone and guitar, listening to music (classic jazz, blues and R&B are his favorites), fishing and cooking. He has been an Applications Engineer with Beckwith Electric Co. since 2000. Ted and Dawn have been married since 1990 and have two children.
BRAD SCOTT
Brad has been attending Grace Bible since 1996 with his wife, Jan. They were married in 1974 and have three adult children and seven grandchildren. Brad and Jan stay busy trying to keep up with the daily activities of two of their teenage grandchildren that live with them. Brad’s favorite things about Grace Bible Church are that it is family-oriented, it feels like home, and that Pastor Jerry is a great teacher who preaches the inerrant Word of God. Brad enjoys serving on the Deacon Board and was the former Treasurer for GBC. He has also been responsible for organizing and participating in several trips to the Holy Land which he greatly enjoyed. He worked as a City Auditor for the City of St. Petersburg for 43 years. Brad enjoys watching both college and professional football.
JON WATSON
Jon and his wife, Tammy are very involved with teaching and reaching the children at Grace Bible Church. They enjoy helping out with the AWANA Sparks on Wednesdays, teaching children at Junior Church, and teaching children during the Christian Education hour. They began attending GBC in 2020 and they love the friendly people, the awesome preaching and how our church has a heart for reaching children with the Gospel. Jon has worked in Software and IT for 28 years and is currently working with General Dynamics. He and Tammy have been married since 1989 and have three adult children and two grandchildren. They met in the Army at Defense Language Institute in CA where Jon was learning Czech and Tammy was learning Polish. Jon enjoys computers and technology, baking, and smoking meats.
RYAN WITHEE
Ryan and his family began worshiping at Grace in 2020. He and his wife, Amy got married in 2008 and they have three young children. Ryan and Amy both help with the youth group on Wednesdays. On Sundays, Ryan sings on the Worship Team and in the choir. Ryan has worked as a Customer Service Supervisor for Anti-Pesto Bug Killers since October 2020. Ryan loves all sports, especially baseball and football. He also enjoys singing and spending time with his family. He loves traveling and has been on six mission trips. When they began searching for a church, Ryan and Amy were looking for three things and they say Grace has all of them. They wanted sound biblical preaching from both the pulpit and in classes, an AWANA ministry for their children, and the ability to serve in areas to use their gifts. “Grace has not only met these needs but exceeded what we were looking for.” -Ryan