2026 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.

downtown Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

Dan was born in West Texas, raised in Central Texas, and married his lovely wife Emma in East Texas. They have one child, Evelynn, and one more on the way! Both Dan and Emma serve with the Missions Committee, volunteer with the youth ministry, and are active with their Life Group. The preaching of the gospel and the centrality of scripture have grown and blessed their family beyond measure. He counts it a privilege to serve the church by helping set up and most importantly, keeping the coffee flowing.

Josh DeGraffenried grew up in Kilgore, Texas, and has always had a love for the city and community life. He married his wife Sarah in 2013 and they are loving raising their three kiddos, Elizabeth, Luke, and Liam. Josh practices as a dentist here in Tyler and enjoys investing in his team to make it a great workplace culture. He loves seeing patients move towards health in their lives. In his spare time, you might find him traveling, reading, listening to podcasts, running, and hanging out with friends. He loves Drew Holcomb’s music, space rocket history, chocolate pie, and a quality capsule wardrobe. He mostly wants to create experiences where God is known in an everyday shared life.

Sam along with his wife Stephanie, have attended the Downtown campus since 2017. They were married in 2003 and have two children, Molly and Clive, who are both active in the student ministry. Sam came to know Christ at an early age and is still constantly amazed how God has shown Himself faithful in even the most minuscule details. Sam designs and manufactures aerospace products and enjoys cooking, working out, and going to concerts.

Clay is married to his wonderful wife, Amber. They have one child, Coleman. Clay and Amber both grew up in East Texas and moved to Austin for four years, where they learned a lot about their faith and relationship with Christ and the church. Clay knew Bethel had solid doctrine and theology and seeing the pastoral staff teach, they knew they wanted to be part of Bethel. When he looks at Bethel he thinks of the word intentional. Clay and Amber feel blessed to be part of a church family and a church who loves on people.

Loren is married to his best friend Betsy, who he met working at summer camp in college. He has two kids: Elliott & Mila who feel way too comfortable running around Bethel Downtown! While Loren grew up in Longview, he and his family have called Tyler, and Bethel, their home since 2016. When he’s not wrangling toddlers, you can find him playing drums in the worship band, enjoying excellent coffee, or working at Pine Cove. He’s excited to have the opportunity to serve his community and continue to build relationships through Bethel Downtown!

Luis grew up in a military family in Killeen, Texas, after his family moved from Puerto Rico when he was young. He and his wife, Laurie, have been married for nearly 30 years and are blessed with three sons (Caleb, Aiden, Avery), two daughters-in-law (Abi, Anixza), and a granddaughter (Giana).

Luis is passionate about discipleship, mentoring, coaching, and helping others discover and live out God’s purpose for their lives. Professionally, he serves as a leadership development consultant and executive coach with Solutions 21, where he works with leaders and organizations across the United States and

internationally to develop healthy cultures, strengthen leadership teams, and equip the next generation of leaders. At church, Luis enjoys teaching, mentoring men, leading small groups, and helping others grow in their relationship with Christ and their impact on those around them.

Henderson Campus Nominee

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

Jerry grew up in Southern California and moved to Pirtle, Texas, in 2004. He and his wife Jennifer married in 2008 and together have four grown children and three grandchildren. Jerry designs mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for commercial/industrial facilities. He and Jennifer enjoy camping, good coffee, and spending time with family.

The Exlines found a home at Bethel Bible Church in 2024. Jerry serves with Kaleo youth and has a passion for serving others and helping others draw closer to God.

Cliff is originally from Florida, but moved to Texas 40 years ago. He and his wife Krista have been married for over 30 years. They attended Calvary Baptist for about 17 years where he taught Sunday School and was a Deacon. They decided to move to Bethel Bible in January of 2022. Cliff says it has been a blessing attending and worshipping together with their kids and grandkids. He is excited to see what God has in store for he and his family.

Daniel grew up in Bonham, TX and has lived in Henderson, TX with his wife, Taryn, and their 2 dogs for 9 years. He is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and works in a private practice in downtown Henderson. He enjoys serving at Bethel Bible Henderson in the media/worship ministry, youth ministry, and leading their LG. He also enjoys working out, spending time with friends/family, playing tennis/pickleball, watching movies, and traveling. Since helping plant Bethel Henderson, God has shown Daniel the beauty of being content in God’s presence and seeing His grace and power through obedience.

After graduating from Texas A&M together, Tanner and Maury got married in 2016. They joined Bethel Henderson when it launched. Tanner is the lifegroup ministry leader and plays drums on the worship team, and Maury leads the nursery/prek ministry. God has used scripture, lifegroup, and counseling to drastically transform Tanner’s heart and marriage. He is passionate about biblical community because he has seen the fruit it continues to produce in his and his family’s life. Tanner and Maury have two boys, Baker and Graham, who bring them joy and always keep life interesting! Tanner loves spending time with his family, hunting and fishing, and cheering on the Dallas Stars.

Justin and his wife Cassie have been married since 2010. They have three beautiful daughters, Lyla, Alyvia, and Stella. They enjoy spending time at home with their animals and being at the beach. Justin has served the community as a lineman since 2007 and Cassie has worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2009. They first visited Bethel Bible Church in 2022, and were immediately drawn in by the strong community and verse-by-verse teachings. Cassie and Justin enjoy serving in the Bethel Kids Ministry.

Hope Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

Jerry Fride is married to Kejuana, and they have one son, Stanton Fridie. I was born and raised in Vivian, Louisiana. I attended Southern University and got a degree in Electronics Engineering. I worked 26 years with Southside Bank as a Vice President before retiring in 2024.

Lino Martinez was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and immigrated to Tyler, Texas when he was four years old. He graduated from John Tyler High school in 1993 and enlisted in the United States Navy soon after. He served two Western Pacific deployments to the middle east and served one tour in Fallujah, Iraq with the Navy Seabees, Combat Engineers. He retired after 22 years of service while he was finishing his four-year cancer treatments for leukemia. Experiencing this affliction helped Lino to have a deeper understanding of God’s mercies and comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-6). Lino has served in youth, men, and prison ministry. He has a servant at heart for the Lord and enjoys sharing God’s good news with everyone he meets. Lino has been married since 1995 years to his wife Peggy and has two daughters. They are humbled that God lead them to Bethel Hope and are excited to be a part of a multicultural, multi-generational community.

Luke and his wonderful wife, Kelsey, were both born and raised in Tyler. They now have four children — Hazel, Everly, Norah, and Oliver. Luke and Kelsey are passionate about being intimately involved with a local church, and God led them to join the Bethel Hope family in February of 2023. Luke’s greatest desire is for he and his family to faithfully serve and participate in God’s kingdom on earth, in whatever capacity the Lord calls them to. Luke works as an East TX Commercial Realtor, but his main joys are spending his time with family, friends, and doing anything outdoors, especially if it involves sports!

Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, Eugene Garrett aka (Geno), is a proud U.S. Navy veteran with a heart for worship and ministry. He faithfully served for six years at Restoration Ministries in Richardson, Texas, as Assistant Praise and Worship Leader and Bible Study Teacher, helping lead others in worship and spiritual growth.

Today, Eugene continues to serve in ministry as a vocalist and bass guitar player at Bethel Hope, using his musical gifts and passion for God’s Word to encourage and inspire others. His commitment to faith, service, and worship reflects a lifelong dedication to honoring God and serving His community.

Scripture: “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” — Psalm 100:2 (NKJV)

Mark has dedicated his career to relational ministry, working currently at Mentoring Alliance and previously for organizations serving foster children and refugees. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Erin, have two daughters, one of whom came to their family through foster care.

South Campus Nominees

*DENOTES REAFFIRMATION

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.

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.

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.

Justin and his wife Kelsey both came to know Christ at an early age and are graduates of Carthage High School and Louisiana Tech University. They were married in 2016 and moved to Tyler in 2021, where they quickly found a home at Bethel. Together, they have three boys—John Morgan, Brooks, and Landry—who bring lots of joy and energy to their lives. Justin and Kelsey love being involved in Bethel Kids, especially in the walkers room, and co-lead a life group. Justin owns and operates ABL Land Services, an oil and gas right-of-way business, alongside his brother and dad, while Kelsey runs her own practice as the owner of Full Circle Physical Therapy.