2023 Deacon Nominees

What is a Bethel Deacon?

Deacons are the hands and feet of Jesus at Bethel. Whether it’s ensuring Sunday mornings run smoothly or reaching out to meet needs throughout the week, our deacons serve with open eyes and willing hearts. Deacons at Bethel are appointed to a two year term. Bethel believes in the scriptural qualifications of deacons (1 Timothy 3) and involve the body in the vetting and affirmation of this group each year.

We are thankful for the men who have been nominated for these important roles. Each nominee has been interviewed and examined by the Elders of Bethel Bible Church. Our church-wide affirmation of the nominees will be Sunday, July 30, 2023.

downtown Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

43 years ago in July of 1980 Joe married his best friend, Debbie (Russell) Carlyle. Debbie and Joe quickly started expanding their family, having 3 children, Elizabeth Bolin born in August of 1981, Rebecca Ellspermann born in November of 1982, and Drew Carlyle born in May of 1984. All of the Carlyle kids were at Bethel from middle through high school. They have 6 incredible grandchildren now and spend countless hours entertaining and being entertained by them and sharing stories about how Jesus lived, died, and lives again just for them.

Joe grew up in Troup (raised in the Methodist Church) and Debbie grew up in Fredericksburg (raised in the Catholic Church), however, they both came to know Christ as their Savior and Lord in the early 90’s after God revealed Himself to Joe and Debbie through the Holy Spirt and loving fiends. In 1989 Joe began building custom homes and doing renovations (Carlyle Homes) in Tyler and the surrounding areas and after 34 years he is still blessed to be able to continue this work today in partnership with his son, Drew. Joe has served his community over years as a volunteer firefighter, and Emt/Paramedic, as a city council person and Mayor, serving on many civic organizations in Troup, Tyler, and Smith county. In the home building industry joe was elected to serve as the president of the Tyler Area Builders Association in 1999 and later in 2014, served as the president or the Texas Association of Builders in Austin representing over 10,000 business serving the Texas housing industry.

Joe says it seems like yesterday the he and Debbie visited Bethel Bible (located on east loop 323) and discovered that this was where God intended for them to worship and raise their family. After Bethel moved to the current location on South Broadway, Joe taught junior high boys Sunday school for 7 years and Debbie served in the nursery. Some years later they both assisted teaching the 5th grade kids and often filled in for the preschool teachers when help was needed.

Joe and Debbie began attending the downtown campus soon after it opened and have been there for more than 10 years.

Brian was born in Tyler, Texas in the summer of 1983. He grew up with an older brother and parents who love him very much. When he was in grade school, his family moved to a rural setting near Lindale, where he began learning the value of hard labor. After high school, he attended TJC for two years before going on to complete his graduate studies in business at UT Tyler. He worked as a bike mechanic and a residential roofer before moving to Austin in 2010. It was there where he met his lovely wife, Michelle. They later bought a motorhome, traveled the US for a couple of years, and settled back in Tyler where they currently work from home and raise their daughter Brooklyn. Brian and his family feel blessed to have been welcomed into the Bethel downtown family!

Leigh was born in 1950 and raised in Upstate New York. After a tour in the Marine Corps (1970-1073) he wound up in Texas working in commercial construction. During a long motorcycle trip he met Sally and they married in 1976 then began their family with three sons – Jon, Ben, and Morgan who are all married to loving wives. In 1986 he read the Bible and became a believer at 36. He has been a student of the Bible for 37 years now. Leigh and Sally are blessed with eight grandchildren. His lifetime verse is Ephesians 2:8-10.

Chris and his wife, Darla, were married in August 2010. They have three children: Claire, Lucy and Charles. Chris and Darla have been members of Bethel Bible Church since 2011, and on any given Sunday, you might find Chris playing music and Darla working with the children. It is difficult to pinpoint what precisely drew them to Bethel, but God has undoubtedly used Bethel to impact Chris and his family — through the community of Bethel, serving and being served by the body, Life Groups, and the teaching of the Word. God has proved Himself faithful time and time again in his life, and it is his pleasure to serve as a deacon for His bride, which is the Church.

Andrew has been in Tyler for 7 years. He is not married, and works for a local software company called Knackforge. He is involved in the Downtown worship team (keyboard) and also leads a weekly Friday morning Bible study at the Foundry. He enjoys playing music with a few different local bands and spends much of his time reading, playing music, and exercising.

Scott grew up in Northern California, got married, started a family, then moved to East Texas in 2018. He and his wife, Holly, have two sons and a daughter– James, Luke, and Taylor. He and Holly gratefully call both Tyler and Bethel their home. Scott attended a small Bible college outside Los Angeles, then made the natural transition into aerospace, where he currently travels around the world playing with space balloons. Scott enjoys time with family and friends, exploring, motorsports, and generally not making plans. Fun facts: His signature is on a car in outer space and he’s spent more time in Antarctica than Austin.

Henderson Campus Nominee

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

Chad and Shannon have been married since 2001. They have three daughters: Kennedy, Taylor, and Blake. The Dickerson family began attending Bethel Henderson in January 2020. God is leading Chad to be more involved in the community and teaching him to be still and listen.

Jackson has been a member of Bethel Henderson for about a year. He and his wife Jordan have two daughters, Sage and Sloane. Jackson works for Weatherford International Oil & Gas. He enjoys spending time with his family, reading, working out, fishing, and traveling with his family. Jackson and Jordan are very passionate about discipleship.

Ivan and his wife Kristen have lived in Henderson since 2017, and have been members of Bethel Henderson since it was founded in 2020. They have two daughters: Eleanora and Amelia. On any given Sunday, you might find Ivan playing the bass guitar during worship. Ivan and Kristen feel blessed to be part of a supportive church and church family. When Ivan is not working as a Registered Nurse he enjoys time with family and friends and working on DIY projects.

Hope Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

John spent most of his childhood in Sweetwater, Texas. After completing high school, he attended Texas A&M University. There he met his beautiful wife Kayla and they were married in 2007. John completed Physical Therapy school in 2010 from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.Shortly after moving to Tyler in 2015, John and Kayla began attending the South Campus of Bethel Bible Church. Their long time desire to be in a multicultural church was an answered prayer after hearing about the Hope Campus launch. John, Kayla, and their 3 children joined the launch team and have been serving there since 2019. John has enjoyed serving as a life group co-leader as well as serving in the children’s ministry. Our family looks forward to what God will continue to do at Bethel Hope in the future.

Felton currently lives in Tyler. He has been married to his lovely wife, Joyce for eight years. They have three children. Felton and Joyce also have four beautiful grandchildren. He has been attending the Hope campus since its inception in February of 2019. Over the past year the Lord has taught him that nothing happens outside of God’s will or timing.

John David (JD) has been married to his wife Alli for 5 years. They have a 3 year old daughter and 11 month old son. JD and Alli were both born and raised in Ruston, LA, attended LSU for college, got married, and moved to Tyler in 2020. JD took a job with Pine Cove Christian Camps, where he still works as the Ranch camp director. JD loves his family, discipleship, LSU football, pickleball, and mowing the grass.

Brian grew up in Canton, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1996. He also received an MBA from the University of Dallas in 2001. Brian works in the Oil & Gas industry as a Safety Manager and currently lives in Ben Wheeler. When not traveling for work, he values spending time with his mother, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews. Brian began a very small cattle operation last year with the intention of raising grass-fed beef and enjoys working with the animals and the land each day, using a regenerative agricultural focus.

Brian started attending Bethel in 2017. After hearing Bethel missionaries speak at the South campus in the spring of 2018, he began praying about missions. Within days, Brian was presented with an opportunity to go on a mission trip to villages along the Amazon and has been blessed to be able to return each year since. Brian is grateful for Bethel Bible Church and is excited to be a part of what God is doing at Bethel Hope.

Edward was born in Caracas-Venezuela and came to Tyler, 15 years ago. Edward works as a lab manager at the College of Engineering at UT Tyler and he really enjoys what he does. Edward has been married for 29 years and has two grown children and two grandchildren. They are grateful that God has brought them to Tyler, a place they call “a little piece of heaven”, where they have the opportunity to find peace and a new home. They love being members at Bethel Hope and love what they are learning, the love of the congregation, and the commitment to serve others in the community. Edward loves God, family, friends, serving others, nature, music, and art. Edward and his wife have served together by enriching other couples through a “Marriage Program” and also has volunteered in several non-profit organizations in East Texas.

South Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

My wife, Christianne and I been at Bethel since 2009. We have been married for almost 12 years. Have two sons, Asher, who’s 8 and Cooper, who’s 5. We own Town and Country Pest Control. We try to do as much outdoor stuff with the kids as possible. We go to the parks, or our farm. If not there, we’re hanging out in the front yard. I serve on the security team at South Campus.

Phillip is a mechanical engineer for a product development company and he also owns/operates a land clearing business, East Texas Mulching. God has blessed him with an awesome wife, Shalene, and four beautiful children: Alayna, Silas, Carson, and Ryker. Phillip and Shalene are honored to lead Grafted, an adoption and foster ministry at Bethel, and are constantly amazed at how God cares for orphans and places the lonely in families in East Texas. For four years they have been a part of Bethel and are continually fueled by the teaching of God’s word and the community through small groups at Bethel. Phillip is excited to see God working through leaders and families at Bethel and can’t wait to experience more of what He has for us.

Evan is from Tyler and met his bride, Julie, at Texas A&M. Evan and Julie were married in 2007 and are richly blessed with three children, Hadley, Norah, and Wyatt. Evan grew up at Bethel and he and his wife became members in 2015 when they moved back to Tyler after living in working in Austin for nine years. Evan runs a small business, 3i Development, doing web and mobile product development and consulting. He and his wife enjoy serving at Bethel where he helps out on the sound team and Julie works in various capacities with the Women’s Ministry. Evan and Julie are blessed with deep relationships with families both in and out of Bethel and love being a part of a church that invests in believers doing life together as they learn to lead their lives as Christ would do so.

Jonathan works in the real estate appraisal field all over the East Texas area. He is married to his wife, Shelby, who is a third grade teacher in Chandler, and they have one beautiful daughter named Sophie and another child on the way! They have been at Bethel since 2011, and have grown more in love with the people and leadership here as the years go by. The unity between leaders and the emphasis on family life is what drew Jonathan and Shelby to be members of this body. Jonathan has the great privilege of serving with some of the most amazing and selfless brothers in Christ on the Bethel Deacon Board, and is thankful every day to get to serve with such men.

Eric and his wife are greatly blessed to be married 49 years, with 3 fine children (& 3 fine spouses) along with 3 wonderful grandchildren. Part of their “recreation time” is traveling, since they live in different parts of the U.S. They thankful to be involved in some ministries for the Lord at Bethel and elsewhere. Eric retired a few years ago as the Facilities Manager at Bethel.

Scott has been a follower of Christ since his commitment just after high school. Scott and Sarah married in 1999, and now have a teenage son who enjoys track, soccer, and VR video games. They’ve had the opportunity to travel and meet people (believers and unbelievers) in Europe, Hong Kong, Canada, Iceland, Costa Rica, both coasts of the States, and a lot of the middle. Scott and Sarah both work in public education and have spent time as coaches, teachers, and administrators with ages ranging from junior high to college seniors. They’ve grown in their faith through incredible blessings and unexpected heartbreak. Scott, Sarah, and Solomon serve in pursuit of sharing God’s love and our hope in Christ.

James was born and raised in Northern California and moved to Tyler in 2013. This is where he was blessed to meet the light of his life, his wife of six years Amena. Together they have two children, Ellie & Elias. James and Amena attended Bethel while they were engaged, and started attending again when they moved back to Tyler in 2019. The Larson’s enjoy serving at Bethel, and James is honored at the opportunity to serve more for the wonderful church which has led him and his family closer to Christ.

Josh was born and raised in Marshall and is still proud to call East Texas home. In 2009 he married the love of his life and high school sweetheart, Taylor. They have been blessed with two energetic children, Avery and Meritt, and currently live in Bullard. Josh and Taylor became members of Bethel South in 2016 and have appreciated opportunities to serve the congregation, forge impactful relationships, and grow in their walks of discipleship. By God’s grace, they each believed in Jesus for eternal life as children and are passionate that others are presented with a clear gospel message as well. Josh has worked in the medical device sales industry for the past eight years and enjoys contributing to the advancement of medical services in East Texas and Dallas.

In December 2013 Matt married the love of his life Megan, and they moved from their hometown of Palestine, Texas to Bullard, Texas with their three kids (Matti, Bryson, and Mason). From the recommendation of many neighbors and friends, they visited Bethel South looking for a church home. Immediately they felt at home at Bethel and got plugged in serving as greeters, nursery workers, and Wednesday Night Live youth leaders. Matt works full-time as a manager at Walmart Distribution Center and enjoys volunteering as a coach of youth sports including softball, basketball, and football.

Clay was born and raised right here in Tyler. He and his wife, Annie, met at Lindale High School and got married in May of 2014. They began attending Bethel in 2018 and knew they had found their church home. Clay works for his family’s custom cabinet business and he enjoys spending his free time working on their farm.

Stephen and his wife, Amy, have been members of Bethel since 2012. They have five children: Ashley, Aaron, Luke, Scott, and Mark. When they first moved to Tyler, they were looking to find a church where the Word of God was being faithfully taught and lived out, and where believers were encouraging one another to study the Bible and faithfully follow Christ. Stephen and Amy found that church in Bethel. They have been blessed to be a part of the body of believers at Bethel. Stephen and Amy have also been blessed to serve the children and families at Bethel in the kids ministry. Stephen feels privileged and excited to serve our body as a deacon. God has and continues to use the preaching, small group Bible studies, and their Life Group to spur he and Amy to become more Christ-like.

Stephen was born and raised in Whitehouse, Tx! He is married to his wonderful wife Amelia and they have two kids: Hallel and Judah. Stephen currently works for a small local company providing documents for local businesses, and Amelia is a teacher for Whitehouse ISD.

Whitehouse Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

Russell has been married to Claudia since 1993 and they have four amazing children; Kellyn, Michael, Rebekah and Victoria. Russell grew up in East TX area and has served in the US Army Military Police Corps for eight years and retired from teaching. He and his family have been attending and serving Bethel South and now Whitehouse campus for the last two years. Russell has a passion for the the church, teaching and sharing the gospel.

Tom and his wonderful wife, Liz, have been married for fifteen years. They have one beautiful nine-year-old, Haley. The Pinos moved to Whitehouse in 2016 and joined the Bethel Whitehouse family the following year. A New Jersey native, Tom wasn’t born in Texas, but got here as fast as he could! He attended high school in Henderson, TX, and graduated from East Texas Baptist University. Tom teaches 8th grade US history and loves it. He cherishes time spent with loved ones and enjoys the outdoors. As God continues to challenge and grow Tom, he strives to be a humble servant for Jesus.

Bio coming soon.