Randy e Rainwater - pastor of students
Hey, my name is Randy e Rainwater. I am the Pastor of Students at Grace. As a kid I was not that good at sports, school or yoga, but I did have a great family. I was going to spend my life showing horses and was even pursing a degree in it, you can do that in Kentucky. All that changed my senior year when God used a youth pastor named Marv to show me the incredible joy of telling students about God. I went to Asbury College where I ran track and cross country, played practical jokes on college security, weighed about 150 lbs. and learned how to teach. My junior year I met this wonderful young woman who was from India, grew up in Kenya, and I had no shot at! I married her four years later. Note: God always gives youth pastors good looking wives!!!! Her name is Anita and she is really nice but can kick your bouphus in just about any sport she wants. I spent five years with Youth for Christ in Florida doing Detention Center ministry, leading 6 school clubs and working with inner-city kids. I also served as the Southeastern Middle School Director, was involved in promoting and directing concerts and coached championship Boy's Club hoops teams. I left YFC to go into church youth ministry, starting at a smaller church before joining Northland Community Church in Longwood Florida. I learned a lot working with some super creative people there and got to sing in band called "The Fatheads". After 10 years in Florida, Anita and I took our act to Indiana but you can't get sweet tea anywhere up there so back here we are. We have been at Grace since 1999. Anita coordinates the volunteer team at LUG and serves in various ways on several area school campuses. I am finishing up a degree with Reformed Theological Seminary. We have three kids who attend Brookwood cluster schools. I really like: UK Basketball, WWII History, C.S. Lewis books, U2, Rich Mullins, riding horses, biking, and hunting aardvarks. I really love: Anita, my kids, mom, being a part of Grace, Jesus and telling students about His love. What is up with the little e in Randy e Rainwater? Well my middle name is from my father, Ezra. He was and is my hero and and will always be the big E.
Mike Robertson - middle school minister
Hello all!! My name is Michael Robertson, and I was born in Garland Texas. Garland is really close to the major city of Dallas, its like the Snellville of Dallas. I lived there for the first 5 years of my life, and then my parents moved to Rome, GA. I spent the next 17 years of my life living in Rome, finally graduating from Berry College in 2003. Thank you Jesus!! I was a pretty normal kid growing up, I went to a normal public high school, I played on the soccer team, wrestling team and swimming team. I also was in student council and did generic stuff like that, but my life really changed drastically when I went to Berry College. Two major events happened in my life there at Berry. On my very first day of college, I walk into my second class of the day at 9 a.m. it was a comparative politics class, on the way up the stairs I met an incredibly beautiful woman, named Tanya, we were married after I graduated and we have been happily married two years, almost 3 J. Also during my freshman year, I became a believer after an older student started hanging out with a group of us and eventually shared the gospel with all. Since that day when God changed my heart, I have wanted to know Him more and live to worship Him and tell others about my God. He truly is a wonderful God. I like sports, especially basketball though I like college sports better than professional. And I like the beach better than the mountain…that’s just the type of guy I am. Tanya and I have a golden retriever named Luther and I’m working on my Masters of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. I’ll see you guys at Grace!!!
Elizabeth Hawkins - administration
It all started at University Hospital in Minneapolis. I’m the 4th kid out of 5 so there are not a lot of pictures of me or my little brother. We soon moved to Athens, GA where my dad took a professorship of Entomology (bugs - all over the place) at UGa. I grew up in the Catholic church on the University campus. When I got to college, I took over the Catholic Center student council. . I graduated in … from the University of Georgia with a degree in Horticulture. I moved to Atlanta to run the Buckhead store for Pike Nurseries. That’s where I met Mike. We got married in 1988. Mike was Baptist and we had trouble finding common ground. But we did. We found a church where we both could grow. I found an amazing God while at that church. Through a series of circumstances, we came to Grace Fellowship Church in 2000. We have two children. Lauren is in 10th grade and Dale is in 7th grade. I adore my husband and children. Most of my free time is spent driving Lauren and Dale to and from, hobbies and travel have been put on hold for a few years, unless sitting at endless sporting events is considered hobbies and travel. I love the mountains. I love seeing God’s glory in autumn leaves, rolling hillsides, sunrises and sunsets. This summer Dale saw the sunrise over the ocean for the first time. He, and I, were speechless.
2006- 2007 Interns - Ellen Bagwell, Jeff Hanson, and Justin Schultz