Dr. Stephen C. Patrick, Senior Pastor

gracepastorsteve@charterinternet.com

Pastor Steve has been serving at Grace Church since 2003. A native of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Steve is grateful to God for calling him back to this beautiful part of the country.

Steve and his wife Gayle have been married 37 years and have two children and five grandchildren. A Navy veteran, Pastor Steve received his call to pastoral ministry while serving in the military overseas. He began his ministry training at Crown College where he received his B.A. degree in Bible & Theology. In 2000 he completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at North American Baptist Seminary. To compliment his ministry, and to follow a personal interest of his, Pastor Steve obtained an M.S. degree in Marriage & Family Counseling and is registered in the State of Michigan as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

One thing you will discover right away about Pastor Steve—he is passionate about seeing the church grow. Two areas of ministry capture the greatest space in his heart: Preaching the Word of God and mentoring individuals who will one day be key leaders in the church.

“These are exciting days at Grace Church. Attendance has more than doubled in the past few years, so we are expanding our ministry campus to meet the growing needs. Most importantly, we are seeing literally hundreds of people come to faith in Jesus Christ. God is transforming us and we are stepping out of our lives of comfort and extending ourselves for the sake of His Kingdom. I am honored to pastor such a spiritually dynamic congregation.” – Dr. Stephen Patrick

Jon Potes, Pastor of Student Ministries

gracepastorjon@charterinternet.com

Pastor Jon grew up in Sparta, Michigan. He is the second of four children. His family was and still is very active in Kent City Baptist Church. He was homeschooled, attended both private and public schools. He was very active in football, wrestling and baseball. It was during his junior year in high school that he felt God calling him into youth ministry. Upon graduating high school he attended Moody Bible Institute where he met his wife Jessica. Pastor Jon graduated from Moody Bible Institute in May of 2005.

After graduation Jon served for three years as the Student Ministries Pastor at a large church in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. Pastor Jon and Jessica began their ministry here at Grace in May of 2008.

The home life of Jon and Jessica revolves around their two wonderful children. Their daughter Jenna is a bright and engaging four and a half year old who loves to play and draw. She just finished her first year of school at the “Little Light of Mine” Pre-school here at Grace and loved every minute of it! Their very active three year old son, Chase, loves to wrestle with dad and is learning the finer points of the half-nelson. In his spare time Pastor Jon loves to hunt and fish. His three favorite interests are people, the outdoors, and University of Michigan Football.

Jon has a passion for young people. Nothing pleases him more than young people growing in their faith and engaging the world around them with the love of Christ.

Bill Cuthbertson, Pastor of Assimilation and Small Groups

gracepastorbill@charterinternet.com

Pastor Bill grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, as the sixth child of seven to Christian parents active in their church. Bill made a profession of faith at age seven; and as a 12th grader the Lord began to call him to pastoral ministry. After his undergraduate studies in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pastor Bill moved back to Michigan in 1996 to attend Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He received his Master of Divinity in 1999.

Bill served for four years as a pastor of a church in West Michigan. It was during his time with his first church that he met his wife, Katie. They were married in October of 2003. Bill then spent several years working in the community as a social worker in Grand Rapids. In July of 2006 the Lord blessed them with Hannah who is now an active, and quite talkative, preschooler. In August of 2009 they welcomed a Yooper into their home with the birth of their second daughter, Naomi.

Since moving north of “da Bridge” in June of 2008, Pastor Bill & Katie have enjoyed their transition to life in the Upper Peninsula. Both are excited about becoming a part of the Grace family; and they look forward to helping our church continue to “know Christ, and to make Christ known” to our community.

Pastor Bill’s primary responsibility is helping people to get connected with Grace through such things as Small Group Bible studies and various serving ministries. As Grace Church continues to grow, Bill’s passion is to see our church family strengthened as we build healthy relationships, learn to live according to God’s Word, discover our giftedness, and find places to serve together. In this way Grace can become the Christ-centered, outward-focused church that the Lord has called us to be.

Most of Bill’s free time these days is spent at the nearby Van Cleve Park in Gladstone where Hannah likes go each day to swing and climb all over “Kid’s Kingdom.” When it’s warm he and Katie enjoy walking to the beach with Hannah to go swimming and to make sand castles. When not spending time with family Bill enjoys playing early morning basketball at Gladstone High School, working on remodeling projects, or just reading a good book.