Senior Pastor:
Ivan Truman
Our pastor is Ivan Truman. Drawing from what the apostle Paul said to elders about watching your life and doctrine so that all may see your progress, he summarizes pastoring as, "sanctification on display."
Ivan received his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO. in 1996 and has been at Grace Community Church since then. When it comes to the ministry, it’s his desire to make our church "his first and last one," modeling, by God’s grace, what a covenant marriage looks like. Since we’re on the subject of marriage, Ivan has been married to his lovely wife Cheryl for over 40 years and they have three grown children, two son-in-laws, and six grandchildren – and all of that too by God’s grace.
You can tell a lot about a pastor by knowing his heroes, and for Ivan, here are just a few: his mom and dad – Buddy & Drema Truman, Don Carson, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, Nancy Pearcy, Bryan Chapell, Joni E. Tada, Kevin DeYoung, David Powlison, Mark Dever, Elyse Fitzpatrick, Paul Tripp, Ed Welch, Dave Harvey, Nancy Guthrie, Ray Ortlund Jr. – and just about anyone that Justin Taylor would highlight on his blog: thegospelcoalition.org, which is Ivan’s favorite website for online pastoral encouragement. Here are some of his dead heroes too – John Owens, Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, John Bunyan, Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts, John Newton, Thomas Cranmer, John Wycliffe, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and anyone else who showed with their life that Christ is gain.
Elder
Ted Schneller
Ted is one of our lay elders who came to Christ at age 28. He is prone to say, "In Christ it's not only how you start, but also how you finish," citing Phil. 1:6. Ted and his wife Lynn, who serves as a deaconess, have been married forty years and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
Ted has served as a trustee, elder, treasurer, Sunday school teacher and leader of Christian Service Brigade at churches he has attended in the past. Currently Ted serves as a Chaplin with New Life Corrections Ministries, teaching at county jails, and penitentiaries throughout the state, as well as serving as a mentor with The Masters Touch Program through Wayside cross ministries.
When Ted came to Christ, he listened to many of his heroes of the faith on Moody radio. Some of his favorites included John MacArthur, J. Vernon Magee, Charles Stanley, Robert Cook and Tony Evans to name a few. Growing in the faith he now enjoys reading and listening to John Piper, Paul Tripp, Alistair Begg, Tim Keller and J.I. Packer as well as others.
Ted believes since Christ gave his life, that we might have a "New Life", we ought to live our lives in light of Romans 12:1 " I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service"
Elder
Frank Yonke
God caused Frank to be born again through faith in Jesus when he was twelve years old. Frank described his home life during those years this way. "My dad set a daily example of what it meant to love and follow Jesus. I can still see the corner of our living room where he read the Bible and prayed each morning. Then, he read the Bible and prayed with my brother and me each morning. I don’t remember any of the passages we read, or the prayers that we prayed, but I do remember that my dad loved me enough to start each day in the word and prayer."
Frank has shared the following thoughts about his life and service as an elder. "It is my desire to grow in godliness that is lived out in the ordinary and extraordinary situations and relationships of life; to grow in godliness in my personal thoughts, words, and actions as I trust in a powerful love relationship with Jesus; to continue to meet the qualifications of men who are called to be elder in the church through the power of the Holy Spirit."
Frank has found the following thoughts from a note in the Gospel Transformation Bible to be helpful in his understanding of the mystery of godliness.
"The call to godly conduct is not a challenge to pursue a self-generated "boot-strap" godliness. Rather, it is a call to live out the dizzying realities of the gospel. It is the burning essence of godliness – its radiating nuclear core, so to speak. If you have Christ you possess and are possessed by the very "mystery of godliness."
It is Frank’s desire to use the gift of teaching the Word of God in the life of the church as he is led to do so by God and his fellow elders.
Tree of Life Tabernacle
Jesse & Samantha Himango
Jesse serves as leader of Tree of Life tabernacle, a second-generation congregational leader following in the footsteps of his parent Bob & Jacquie Himango who have planted many churches and messianic synagogues throughout their still active careers. God has placed serving the body through teaching and worship on Jesse. He enjoys sharing the Word to both Jewish and Gentile believers in the Messiah of Israel and to worship Him in both Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24).
Isaiah 2:3 Many gentiles will go and say, "Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Adonai, to the house of the God of Ya`akov! He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of Adonai from Yerushalayim.
Jesse serves with his wife Samantha of 17 years, together they share a desire to spread the truth and bring the beauty of Messianic Jewish music to the local community through praise and worship every shabbat! They have five children, Laila, Rachel, David, Noah & Nasyah. Jesse & Samantha have been serving the Lord together since early on in their marriage functioning in many roles throughout the years. Jesse works a full-time job outside of the ministry and the two work together within the ministry without charge, as a labor of love for the Messiah!
Join us at Tree of Life every shabbat (Saturday) 10am at Grace Community Church to worship the Lord in Spirit & Truth (Hebrews 4:9).
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