Our Team at Grace
The head and ruler of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given specific leaders to care for his people, the church. In the New Testament, the apostles wrote about the offices of elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1). These offices were for those to lead the church both during and after the apostolic era. Elders and deacons do not lead for their own benefit but serve to equip and nurture the local church body. At GBC, we have a plurality of elders who give spiritual oversight and deacons who care for the more practical needs of our church family.
Our Pastors
DAVID ROBINSON
Lead Pastor
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David grew up in London, Ontario, and after graduating from Redeemer College University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary (M. Div), he was called to Grace Bible Church (then Blair Community Church) in 1995. He has been at GBC since then and over time it has seen many changes. Our most recent change has been to transition from our previous location on Preston Parkway to Knox’s Presbyterian Church in Galt Cambridge.
This is an exciting journey as we are praying that as gospel seats open up, many will see the beauty and wonder of the great works of Jesus.
David has travelled numerous times to Mongolia, Cuba, Hungary and Asia to train church leaders. He also serves at Heritage College and Seminary as the director of the Biblical Care and Counselling Certificate.
David is married to Eva and they have three adult children.
HANIEL DAVY
Associate Pastor of Congregational Care
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Haniel was born in South India and moved to Canada with his family at age 13. In his late teens, he spent three summers on overseas ministry trips that confirmed his desire to take the gospel where it was not known. After graduating from Heritage College (B.Th) Haniel and his wife, Michelle, moved to Western Asia in 2011, where they served in a local church. Alongside the national pastor, Haniel’s focus was to help cultivate a gospel-centered community through discipleship, teaching, and life-on-life ministry with the first-generation believers.
After eleven years in Western Asia, the Davys returned to Canada in 2022. Haniel now serves at Grace Bible Church as Associate Pastor of Congregational Care and with Mission to the Margins, a local gospel ministry caring for neighbours experiencing homelessness and poverty. He is currently pursuing an MA in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy at Martin Luther University College.
Haniel and Michelle have three children – Iva, Mikayla, and Jadon.
Ministry Staff
JEEMIN MOON
Music Ministry Director
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A native of South Korea, Jeemin grew up and attended schools in Seoul. After finishing his Bachelor’s degrees in counselling psychology and English, he came to the U.S. and studied an M.Div. in worship leadership and a Th.M. in biblical counselling at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in biblical counselling at Southern Seminary.
Jeemin has been serving in music ministry since 2003. His roles and experiences include singing in a choir, playing the violin both in an orchestra and a string quartet, singing and playing various instruments in worship bands, and directing a touring band. While he was in the military (2009-2011), he served as an Army chaplain assistant and led musical worship every week in different venues. Before joining Grace, he served as worship ministry intern at LaGrange Baptist Church in LaGrange, KY under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Crider and Pastor Rodrigo Dias De Souza (2015-2020).
Jeemin is thrilled to serve as a music director at Grace and point the congregation to their heavenly Father, the only One worthy of their worship. Besides his role at Grace, he teaches biblical counselling and psychology at Heritage College & Seminary. You may see him walking besides the Grand River or enjoying a cup of coffee at local coffee houses in Galt.
AUDRA HUTTON
Administrative Assistant to the Lead Pastor
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Audra grew up in Toronto, Ontario, met her husband in Austria and settled in Cambridge in the year 2000. She has attended Grace since the Preston church building opened in 2005 and was hired in January 2015 to provide administrative support and church bookkeeping. She feels privileged to work at Grace under the direction of Pastor David and the church Treasurer, Nick, as well as the Elders, Deacons and all who visit Grace. It is a pleasure for her to greet people in the front office.
Audra is married to James and they have two adult daughters. Outside of work, she enjoys singing in the church choir, gardening, travelling, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in a century home and has a love for vintage.
Our Elders
The elders of Grace Bible Church are set aside by the congregation to devote themselves to prayer, preaching and the spiritual oversight and care of the church (Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7). Elders (other than our pastors) serve in 3 year terms.
Henry Vanderlaan
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I have been attending Grace Bible Church since January 2022. Member since 2023.
Testimony:
When I think about my journey of faith, the words of “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong Worship echo my story quite well: “Who am I that the highest King would welcome me? I was lost, but He brought me in. Oh His love for me. Who the Son sets free oh, is free indeed. I'm a child of God, yes, I am.” God is a good Father. For many years, my Christian confession and daily practice were incongruent - I lived in the gospel gap. Like the prodigal son, I decided that my way of ‘doing’ life was what would make me happy and fulfilled but ultimately it proved empty and hollow. God saw me at my lowest point and called me to return to him. Today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I am living in the truth that I am washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11).
Family & Work Life
God blessed me and my first wife, Wendi, with three beautiful children, who are now married to wonderful believers in the Lord. As of last June, God’s goodness was again evident when I married PJ Hallahan, who also has three children. Our home is in Waterloo.
For almost three decades, I worked in horticultural-related industries until I returned to school (Heritage College & Seminary) full-time in September 2022 to pursue a Masters of Theological Studies degree and a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Care and Counselling. I graduated this past April and have been seeking opportunities to serve while engaging in various part-time roles.
Why I’m grateful to serve at GBC:
GBC has become a home away from home…away from HOME. I can think of no better place to serve the family of God than at Grace Bible Church. God has blessed me with trials (although I confess they felt more like curses than blessings at the time) so that I may bless others. He has given me a unique set of pastoral gifts that I might be a co-shepherd, and he has placed a deep-seated recognition that it’s only by his grace that I move and have life. I believe GBC’s place and missional focus in Cambridge have been directed by God’s sovereignty and it’s by this same sovereignty that I am humbled to be called by God, and his people, to serve in the role of elder.
Randy Balzer
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My name is Randy Balzer and I’m grateful to have been a part of the GBC family since 2020.
Having been raised by Christian parents, I was grateful to be immersed in the gospel and be surrounded by disciples of Christ. Unfortunately, at various seasons in my youth, I became distracted by both sin and legalism; I regularly attempted to earn righteousness through my actions. One winter day on a ski trip, some friends and I became stranded by a significant snowstorm that closed all roads leading home. As we frantically searched for overnight accommodations, and shared how much we longed for a shower and clean clothes, one friend simply stated that, “To be cleansed by the blood of Jesus is the best”. That moment was the beginning of my understanding of our redemptive story being centred only in Jesus. Since the age of eighteen, and subsequently baptized at nineteen, I’ve been blessed to experience God’s forgiveness and to know and walk with my God each day.
I’ve been married to my love, Tirzah, since 2009. In 2016, we became parents and now have four boys – Xavier (8), Louis (6), Vincent (4), and Julien (1 ½). Our three oldest attend Cambridge Christian School in grade three, grade one and JK. I spent most of my childhood and our early married years in rural Plattsville, and in 2020 we moved to our current home just outside Galt. Tirzah, a French teacher, has paused her career to be at home with our children. Along with another Christian couple, we own and work in a hazardous material removal company in Kitchener. Previous roles in my life include serving as a mission trip leader to developing countries, a charity trustee, a volunteer firefighter and a municipal councillor.
God can use many ways to grow our faith, and I believe a big part of that is through active participation in “the church” and more specifically, our local church. To serve alongside brothers and sisters in faith has been a significant source of joy for me. With anticipation, I trust God’s will to be done in this chapter of my journey, knowing that His plan for my life and for Grace Bible Church is much grander than I can imagine!
Adam Kinsman (Chair)
Nandor Weisz
Our Deacons
The deacons of GBC oversee the physical needs of the congregation, benevolent concerns and ministries of mercy (1 Timothy 3:8-13). Deacons serve in 3 year terms.
Peter Phillips
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My name is Peter Phillips. My wife, Sheri, and I had periodically attended Grace back at the Preston Heights location. With the move to start a new church in the downtown core of Galt, we felt led to formally start attending Grace in January 2020. I was blessed to be raised by Christian parents who practically lived out the gospel in their daily lives and within our family. They also modeled the importance of caring for our local church family in the areas of practical support and hospitality. Having made a profession of faith as a child, I recommitted my relationship to Jesus during the struggles of my teenage years as I realized I needed to make my faith my own. The LORD has faithfully demonstrated His steadfast love and mercies throughout the various stages of my life. I continue to experience the power of the gospel to change my stubborn heart through forgiveness, grace, and through the body of Christ, in loving and supporting one another to walk in obedience and live out the gospel in a lost and complex world. Professionally, I have worked over 32 years for the Community Services Department at the Region of Waterloo in the areas of social assistance, childcare subsidy, and most recently, in responding to the crisis of chronic homelessness. I am blessed to be married over 31 years to love of my life Sheri as we raised two beautiful daughters into their adult lives and the addition of a son-in-law. We are loving the new role of being grandparents to 3 energetic boys and anticipating the pending marriage of our second daughter. God has been so good. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Deacon where I can offer my skills and life experiences in ways that will support and strengthen our collective gospel journey which aligns with one of my life verses Micah 6:8 “…And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.
Shannon Pharoah
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My name is Shannon Pharoah, and I have been attending GBC, along with my husband, Greg, for 3 years. We have been married for 36yrs and have 4 children: 1 married and 1 to be married next summer.
Growing up in a Christian home, in a small community, focused primarily on the church, living the Christian life became a learned behaviour as opposed to something I desired to do. At the age of 16 I recognized my need to make decisions for myself as it related to my relationship with God, and I started to challenge my faith. Although I had accepted Christ at a young age, I rededicated my life at 17 and was baptized. Throughout my life, God has been an anchor, a source of strength and a light in the darkness. Life has brought many moments of suffering, and I am so grateful for the power of the Holy Spirit, who has guided me and given me peace as I have walked through many dark valleys. I have always had a desire to care for others, and my nursing background allowed me to work in a variety of mental health settings. I have journeyed with many individuals during vulnerable times in their life, assisting families working through end-of-life issues, as well as walking alongside those suffering with a mental health or addiction issue. In 2017, I was recognized as a Chaplain through the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches, and I am currently part of the on-call Spiritual Care Team at Brant Community Health Centre. I currently work part-time as the Program Manager for Michael House, which is a faith-based pregnancy and parenting support service located in Guelph.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve GBC in the role as deacon as I continue to utilize the skills that God has gifted me. The church has a long history of caring for the broken and comforting the sick, and it is in this context of caring that I believe God has equipped me to dive into the needs of our congregation, as well as the community around us. GBC has been positioned well to care for the hurting in our community, and I am excited to see how God will continue to deploy GBC for His glory.
Karl Ritzman (Chair)