South Deacons
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ministries
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Our Deacons
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. Bethel believes in the scriptural qualifications of deacons (1 Timothy 3) and involve the body in the vetting and election of this group each year.
Steven Chavez
South Deacon
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.
Scott Dillingham
South Deacon
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.
Phillip Grisham
South Deacon
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.
Kyle Proctor
South Deacon
Kyle and Alyssa have been married since 2020 and have been attending Bethel ever since. They have been blessed with two girls, Everly and Ava, and currently live in Tyler. Kyle works as an x-ray technologist while Alyssa is a pharmacist. Kyle and Alyssa love Bethel and how it is grounded in God’s word, and are excited to be a part of what God is doing at Bethel. They are involved with the children’s ministry and love the life group they are a part of at Bethel.
Josh Hyde
South Deacon
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.
James Larson
South DeacoN
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.
Brad Wofford
South Deacon
Brad was born and raised in Bay City, Texas. His curiosity and love for creativity lead him to study visual communication at Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMU-C), where he met his awesome wife, Jerri. They have three wonderful kids: Lorem, Guy, and Rhyder.
Brad and his family moved from Plano to Tyler around 2006, seeking the peaceful piney woods and a break from DFW traffic. He took a design job at Pine Cove and later started his own small design studio, BW Design.
Brad and his family have attended Bethel for about 12 years, and have served on the worship team by occasionally playing the banjo. Brad also serves on the board of B3 Ministries, an organization focused on faith-inspired creative arts. In his free time, Brad enjoys playing the banjo, guitar, synthesizer, and writing songs.
Brad’s faith in Christ is central to his life, and Bethel Bible Church has been a respite for him and his family. He especially values the godly influence the youth group at Bethel has had on his kids and the camaraderie of the Tuesday morning men’s Bible study.
Matt Nix
South Deacon
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 Price
South Deacon
Evan Prothro
South Deacon
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.
Stephen Sepulveda
South Deacon
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.
Jonathan Skiles
South Deacon
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 Weir
South Deacon
Eric and wife Susie have been in the Bethel family for many years. They’re blessed 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. The Weirs are 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. He’s very grateful for the Lord’s love and help in his life.
Randy Tredwell
South Deacon
Randy and his wife Christianne have been at Bethel since 2009. They have been married for almost 12 years. They have two sons, Asher, who’s 8 and Cooper, who’s 5. They own Town and Country Pest Control. They enjoy being outdoors with their kids as much as possible. They go to the parks, or their farm. If not there, they’re hanging out in the front yard. Randy also serves on the security team at South Campus.
Chad Bradley
Associate Pastor
Bethel Bible Church became our home in 2021. We moved to Tyler from northern Ethiopia after serving as missionaries with SIM. In Ethiopia, we equipped the growing protestant church through theological education by teaching at a local Bible college and in the surrounding countryside. My wife, Nancy, and I met while studying at Dallas Theological Seminary. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Cross-cultural ministry and I with a ThM. We married in 2013. She is my partner in life and ministry. We have so many things in common, including our deep roots in Texas, but especially our love for Jesus. We have two beautiful daughters and one handsome son. Our family loves anything outdoors. We especially enjoy hiking as a family in beautiful East Texas.
Ross Strader
Senior Pastor
Our family loves being a part of Bethel Bible Church. I’ve served as senior pastor of Bethel since we moved here in 2006. My wife Leslie and I grew up in the same West Texas town, but didn’t meet until a “blind date” in graduate school. We married in 1995 and still look forward to our weekly breakfast date together. I graduated from Hardin-Simmons with a Masters in Family Psychology and, after serving 10 years on Young Life staff, attended Dallas Theological Seminary where I earned my Masters of Theology in Pastoral Leadership. I’m currently working on my Doctor of Ministry in Theological Exegesis from Knox Theological Seminary. Leslie and I have three kids – Maggie, Jay, and Katherine. I’m a Mac guy and a pretty big Bible software nerd. I love my family, pie, talking theology, and enjoy the occasional Netflix binge when I find the time.