Robie Hembree
Pastor & TEACHING ELDER
Robie received a B.A. degree in Pastoral Studies from Northland International University (’93) and completed a M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta. He has been the pastor at Grace Church for over 20 years and is a teaching elder in the Northwest Georgia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America.
Robie is a member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC) and has been active in personal, marriage, and family counseling for over 20 years. His pastoral and practical insight demonstrates the sufficiency of God’s Word for life and godliness through knowing Christ and helping God’s people live in the freedom and power of the gospel of grace.
Robie is a member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC) and has been active in personal, marriage, and family counseling for over 20 years. His pastoral and practical insight demonstrates the sufficiency of God’s Word for life and godliness through knowing Christ and helping God’s people live in the freedom and power of the gospel of grace.
Ruling Elders
Kirk Swanson
ruling Elder
Kirk graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1974 with a B.S. in Oceanography. He served on active duty for over nine years and retired from the Reserves in 1995 with the rank of Commander. He received a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Covenant Theological Seminary in 1983. Kirk retired from commercial flying in 2012, having flown with Delta and AirTran. He has served on the Board of Directors for Reformation Hope since its founding in 2007. He is a founding Board Member of TMI. He was married to Jean Swanson for 40 years. They have three children and seven grandchildren. He has been a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) for more than twenty years. He has made three trips to Ukraine to teach in the RITE-Ukraine Seminary.
Warren Kinney
Ruling Elder
Currently on Sabbatical.
Stephen Murphy
Ruling Elder
Stephen was born again through the ministry of Campus Outreach at Georgia Southern University in 1993. In 1998, he left his career working in the Atlanta home building industry to attend Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity. After serving in an internship with the OPC in Roseburg, Oregon, Stephen and his wife, Jennifer, returned to the Atlanta area and back to working in the building industry. He was ordained as a Ruling Elder in 2006 in Douglasville, Georgia, and moved to Canton in 2018. He has served as a ruling elder for the last three years.
Dan Boulton
Ruling Elder
Dan Boulton was raised in a Christian home and was born again by the work of God as a university student. He is a graduate of Miami University and Grace Theological Seminary. Dan served as a pastor for twelve years at Wheaton Bible Church and the Grace Brethren Church in Columbus, Ohio. He has served as an elder at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Grace Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Ohio. Dan has helped train pastors in Ukraine, Romania, Azerbaijan, and Liberia. For 33 years he ministered as a Christian Education Consultant with David C. Cook Publishing and Great Commission Publications. He is now retired from full-time ministry.
Troy Snyder
Ruling Elder
I have been a Christian since 18 years of age; my good friend from the neighborhood invited me to church over and over, and one Sunday night, I went, and God saved me. Walking with God is a journey, and I continue daily by His Grace. After salvation, I sensed the call to the helping ministry and ultimately became a Christian counselor and a serving saint in the church.
I obtained my BS in psychology from Liberty, my MS in Counseling from Georgia State University, and a Diploma in Christian Counseling from the Psychological Studies Institute. I have served in the church as a Sunday school teacher for youth and adults and helped with children's ministries, youth leadership, pulpit committees, youth retreats, and as a Ruling Elder. I have also dabbled in assisting the church in advancing the use of technology.
I have been a Christian counselor for 24 years and have seen people grow in their faith and heal from many ailments. I currently serve at Restoration Counseling of Atlanta as a counselor and Assistant Clinical director. On the side, I also teach at several Christian universities in their undergraduate programs as adjunct faculty in the psychology and counseling departments.
Better than all my work is my family. I have a wonderful bride, Beth, of 25+ years and 3 faithful children, Calvin (22), Zachary (20), and Emily (13). I attempt to love, lead, and serve them daily, by God's grace, because if left to me, I would fail.
My hobbies include home improvement, spending time with friends, watching my Mets, and anything with my family.
Favorites:
Verse: Luke 1:37
Color: Green
Sports Team: New York Mets, Let's Go Mets!
Book of the Bible: James
I obtained my BS in psychology from Liberty, my MS in Counseling from Georgia State University, and a Diploma in Christian Counseling from the Psychological Studies Institute. I have served in the church as a Sunday school teacher for youth and adults and helped with children's ministries, youth leadership, pulpit committees, youth retreats, and as a Ruling Elder. I have also dabbled in assisting the church in advancing the use of technology.
I have been a Christian counselor for 24 years and have seen people grow in their faith and heal from many ailments. I currently serve at Restoration Counseling of Atlanta as a counselor and Assistant Clinical director. On the side, I also teach at several Christian universities in their undergraduate programs as adjunct faculty in the psychology and counseling departments.
Better than all my work is my family. I have a wonderful bride, Beth, of 25+ years and 3 faithful children, Calvin (22), Zachary (20), and Emily (13). I attempt to love, lead, and serve them daily, by God's grace, because if left to me, I would fail.
My hobbies include home improvement, spending time with friends, watching my Mets, and anything with my family.
Favorites:
Verse: Luke 1:37
Color: Green
Sports Team: New York Mets, Let's Go Mets!
Book of the Bible: James
Deacons
Jacob Grubb
Deacon
Currently on Sabbatical.
Kyle Mbiad
Deacon
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Ryan Waddell
Deacon
Ryan Waddell was born and raised in Cherokee County. Wendy and I have been married 28 years. We have four adult children. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”
Lutfi Siyam
Deacon
Lutfi came to faith when he was a teenager in a Presbyterian Church in his native Puerto Rico. He has served in the church in different capacities since that time. Lutfi married Liliana in 1998, and they have been blessed with six children (Sarah, Sofia, Joel, David, Lily, and Anna). Lutfi has a degree in Industrial Engineering and currently works as a Project Manager for General Electric’s Stream Power Generation Division. Lutfi has served the church in various capacities since his conversion. Prior to joining Grace Church, Lutfi and his family were members at a Hispanic Church in Snellville, Georgia, and most recently they attended a House Church in the Lawrenceville-Lilburn area.
Justin Edwards
Deacon
Justin comes from a nominal Christian background but believes the Lord graciously and soundly saved him after wroughting godly sorrow leading to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus in 2009. He has a BS degree in biochemistry from NC State University and attended The Master’s Seminary for a couple semesters. As a senior consultant, Justin has been supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s BioWatch program for the last six years.
Shortly following conversion, he discovered and quickly embraced the doctrines of grace, which led to a zeal for evangelism and apologetics. Justin has had opportunities to serve in different ministry capacities over the years, including street evangelism and open-air preaching, teaching, frontline abortion ministry, and church safety and security. He loves writing and thinking through worldview issues, as well as theology and growing in the knowledge of God’s love and grace, serving God’s people in the local church, and reaching our community for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom.
Justin and his wife, Jennifer, along with their children Novella, Jonah, and Canaan, praise God for bringing them into the Grace Church family.
Shortly following conversion, he discovered and quickly embraced the doctrines of grace, which led to a zeal for evangelism and apologetics. Justin has had opportunities to serve in different ministry capacities over the years, including street evangelism and open-air preaching, teaching, frontline abortion ministry, and church safety and security. He loves writing and thinking through worldview issues, as well as theology and growing in the knowledge of God’s love and grace, serving God’s people in the local church, and reaching our community for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom.
Justin and his wife, Jennifer, along with their children Novella, Jonah, and Canaan, praise God for bringing them into the Grace Church family.
Mike Hopkins
Ruling Elder
Mike was raised in a military family. He came to faith in Christ as a boy through the ministry of a Southern Baptist missionary in Toul, France. Mike attended Southeastern Bible College and Dallas Bible College, completing two and a half years of studying Theology. He was licensed to preach in 1976 in a Southern Baptist church. Mike married Faith in 1978, and they have two daughters and two grandsons. He is a graduate of Texas A&M, with a degree in Industrial Engineering. Mike is now retired from a career in management, quality control, and consulting. Mike has served the church faithfully as a bi-vocational pastor, and by preaching, teaching Sunday School, and leading small groups. He currently serves Grace Church by teaching Sunday School and leading the Sunday services at Wickshire Assisted Living.
Brady Payne
Ruling Elder
Brady was born in Santa Clara, California and was brought up in the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). He moved to Southern California in 1994 where he attended Orange Coast College for video and film production. In 2003, Brady met his bride (Yvonne) while shooting a wedding (she was the photographer); they wed in January of 2004. Shortly after their wedding, Brady was converted to Christ at Calvary Chapel in La Habra, CA. In 2006 they joined Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Yorba Linda and sat under the teaching of Pastor Ron Gleason.
Shortly after the 2008 mortgage industry collapse, through much prayer, he moved his family to Douglasville, GA and joined Grace Presbyterian Church, Douglasville. He and his family were part of the ministry of his brother, Pastor Jon Payne, and later spent four years under Pastor David Gilbert. In 2020, the Paynes moved to Woodstock, GA and joined Grace Church, Canton.
For the past 16 years, Brady has worked as a video editor and motion graphics designer for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a Christ centered Christian television and radio ministry, which spreads the gospel to over 200 countries worldwide.
At GPC Douglasville he taught both children and adult Sunday school classes, as well as led and hosted a small group Bible study fellowship, and also used his gifts to help with video production and website design.
Currently at Grace, Canton, Brady is in the preaching rotation for the Wickshire Senior Living ministry. He also hosts and teaches in rotation for the Hickory Flat Small Group study.
Brady enjoys studying theology, history, philosophy, and the visual arts and feels called to serve others in the Church for Christ. He is blessed to be married to Yvonne Payne and is thankful to be the father of four wonderful believing children – Braden, Tyler, Audrey, and Madison.
Shortly after the 2008 mortgage industry collapse, through much prayer, he moved his family to Douglasville, GA and joined Grace Presbyterian Church, Douglasville. He and his family were part of the ministry of his brother, Pastor Jon Payne, and later spent four years under Pastor David Gilbert. In 2020, the Paynes moved to Woodstock, GA and joined Grace Church, Canton.
For the past 16 years, Brady has worked as a video editor and motion graphics designer for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a Christ centered Christian television and radio ministry, which spreads the gospel to over 200 countries worldwide.
At GPC Douglasville he taught both children and adult Sunday school classes, as well as led and hosted a small group Bible study fellowship, and also used his gifts to help with video production and website design.
Currently at Grace, Canton, Brady is in the preaching rotation for the Wickshire Senior Living ministry. He also hosts and teaches in rotation for the Hickory Flat Small Group study.
Brady enjoys studying theology, history, philosophy, and the visual arts and feels called to serve others in the Church for Christ. He is blessed to be married to Yvonne Payne and is thankful to be the father of four wonderful believing children – Braden, Tyler, Audrey, and Madison.