ONE SERVICE AT 10:30 AM ON DECEMBER 29TH

About Grace

Grace Bible Church exists to glorify God by exalting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We want to be an authentic community of believers who endeavor to live as the body of Christ and the family of God with the missional emphasis of representing our Lord Jesus well to the people of Central Oregon and beyond.

Sunday Mornings

We gather on Sunday mornings at 8:30 and 10:30 am at 63945 Old Bend Redmond Highway. We lift our voices to sing praise to God, and we open our Bibles to listen to his Word preached.

Children & Students

We offer Kid’s Ministry from birth through 5th grade during our Sunday gathering, and our 6th-12th grade Youth Group meets Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Community Groups

Community groups are a vital part of living as a family and the body of Christ. It is in a community group that we can be known and cared for. In a community group, you can expect to share a meal together, share the Word together, and share life together.

Governing Elders

Phil Kooistra

I am the lead pastor and primary teaching elder of Grace Bible Church. I have been married to my wonderful wife Heidi since 1997, and we have three beautiful children together, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Benjamin. I served in various student ministries beginning in 1996, and graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 2003 with a Masters of Divinity. I recently received my Doctorate of Ministry from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Previous to planting Grace Bible Church of Bend, I was the Student Ministry Pastor at Independent Bible Church in Port Angeles from June of 2003 - June of 2011. The desire of my heart is to glorify God by using my life and gifts to help people follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I am committed to preaching the eternal truths of God’s Holy Word and calling people to live as the body of Christ in community with one another.

Curt Stafford

I was 17 years old when I attended church for the first time. After hearing the gospel and giving my life to Jesus Christ, I got plugged into a college group and started growing as a Christian. It was during this time that I met my wife and we began to grow in the Lord together, and we were later blessed with three wonderful children. We moved to Bend and began attending Grace Bible in early 2016, and this church has been a huge blessing in our lives. I love that GBC is gospel-centered and completely devoted to the Lord and His Word. I've been privileged to serve at the welcome desk, on the offering team, as a co-community group leader, and lead short-term missions teams in addition to my role as an elder. In my spare time I enjoy fly fishing, time outdoors, and spending time with my family.

Neal Hackbarth

I am blessed to be the husband of one wife, Lisa, since 1984 and father to three adult children, Julie, Amy, and Jason. Both Lisa and I, as well as our children, were saved in our childhood. The Lord has consistently been gracious as he has led us and kept us. As I mature in faith, I can say along with Paul, “I am chief among sinners,” as I realize my utter dependency on my mighty Savior. We have been a part of Grace Bible since Easter 2013, when Crossroads Community Church joined with Grace. I served as a bi-vocational pastor/elder at Crossroads for four years, and prior to that was part of pastoral preaching teams for seven years. Lisa and I have been involved in church ministry and leadership from the early years of our marriage, serving and teaching in children’s classes, home fellowship groups, and as community group leaders. We are so thankful to be part of the body at Grace Bible.

Shepherding Elders

Dave Robinson

After a dramatic conversion in my mid-20s, I joined a Bible-teaching church where I learned the foundations of the faith and the importance of the spiritual disciplines to draw near to the Lord and live for Him. Like most men, I married up. My wonderful wife Mayumi and I have been married 27 years and have 4 kids; Aki (26), Kai (24), Riki (21), and Kan (19). We moved to Bend 10 years ago and began attending Grace. I started a Biblical Counseling ministry here and became a Community Group leader. After 25 years as a teacher and principal, I joined the Grace staff in 2018. What a blessing it is to serve the saints at Grace as the Director of Discipleship. I love God and love people. I enjoy helping people find biblical solutions to their problems, connecting them in community, and encouraging them in their growth in Christ.

Andrew Sullivan

I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday, but it wasn't until high school when God really got a hold of my heart through friends of mine who challenged me to stop pretending and to start living the faith that I professed. I took them up on that challenge, and as I was reading Romans 12, I was convicted that my life did not reflect a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. I called out to Him in repentance and clung to Him in faith, and from that moment on my life had a whole new trajectory, which ultimately has led me here to Grace, partnering with families as we raise our kids together to love and serve Jesus with their whole hearts, minds, and strength. My wife Naomi and I have seven children, and we love how our Grace family has supported us and become like a large extended family!

Brady Velikonia

My wife, Erika, and our three daughters moved to Central Oregon 5 years ago after losing our home to the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA. Before our move, we attended Ridge Presbyterian Church in Paradise where I served as a Ruling Elder from 2010 to 2019. We appreciate Grace Bible Church’s commitment to Gospel-centered, Jesus-focused, exegetical preaching with a focus on developing strong relationships through Community Groups. We currently host a Community Group in our home in Redmond. Erika is a first-grade teacher at Sisters Elementary and I am a real estate broker with Keller Williams Central Oregon. I look forward to what God has in store for Grace Bible Church and future opportunities for helping in any way I can bring the Gospel to Central Oregon.

Byron Womack

I came to faith at a young age, but ultimately surrendered my life to Christ while attending Oregon State University. After graduating with a degree in English literature, I spent the next decade as a missionary with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ). After my time with Cru, God led me into a job with Nationwide Insurance, where I currently work. My family and I started attending GBC in January 2021. I have served in several capacities here as a Community Group leader and as a member of the Security Team. My wife Alli and I got married in 2013, and we have been blessed with three wonderful kids - Caleb, Logan, and Rylie. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, reading, and running. 

Chris Scott

God blessed me with an amazing wife, Carrie, and we have been married since 1992. We are the parents and in-laws to Connor (Gracie), Carissa (Alex), and Cambree (Cade), and recently became grandparents to James Scott. Carrie and I met at the young ages of 17 and 18, and upon her invitation to attend church with her, I gave my life to the Lord at age 19. We started attending Grace Bible when services were held at the Boys and Girls Club. I love how the Gospel is consistently preached in the teaching and ministries of Grace. I have had the privilege of being a Community Group leader, serving on the greeting team, and discipling in the Biblical Counseling program. I desire to see others know Christ and grow as believers within our local body. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, playing basketball, or enjoying the beauty of Central Oregon.

Paul Kelly

My wife Bobbie and I met in High School and we will celebrate our 57th anniversary this year. We have three married children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. After high school, I enlisted in the Air Force for a four-year hitch (one-year tour in Vietnam) as a Crash/Rescue Firefighter. After military service, I was a Portland Firefighter for 25 years. I became a Christian at 25 years old. Since my conversion I have taught adult classes, discipled many men, and led adult and men's Bible studies. My wife and I have counseled many marriages and I was the part-time Director of Men's Ministries for almost three years at our previous church of 38 years. Since being at GBC, I have continued being a shepherd, leading a Community Group, co-leading the greeting team, and leading a men's study. In our remaining years, we want to continue our legacy for Christ in our family and our church.

Scott Wilson

I first heard the Gospel and put my trust in Jesus as my Savior as a college freshman. I got involved with the Navigators college group, where I grew in my faith, and met my future wife, Holly. After graduating from the University of Washington in 1983, we married in 1986 and I served in the US Navy for 8 years. After separating from the service, we relocated back to the Seattle area where I began a 25-year career with the Boeing Company while Holly homeschooled our children. We retired and moved to Central Oregon in 2016, attending Grace for the first time in spring 2017. We are blessed with 4 adult children, all married, and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Holly and I love the Gospel-centered community of GBC, and enjoy being involved with the Biblical Counseling ministry, as well as serving as deacons and Community Group leaders.

Full-Time Ministry Staff

Phil kooistra

Teaching Pastor

Dave robinson

Pastor of Counseling
& Discipleship 

Andrew sullivan

Pastor of Children's
& Youth Ministries

Josh list

Director of
Worship Ministry

Part-Time Ministry & Support Staff

briana burnson

Administrative Assistant

Pat coffey

Business Administrator

Heidi kooistra

Women's Ministry Director

Austin Farley

Asst. Youth Ministry Director

Josse Harry

Grace Kids Coordinator

amy stafford

Digital Content Manager

alli womack

Grace Kids Director

Hannah Hubert

Youth Ministry Assistant

MEL RIDLON

Events Coordinator

mia brock

Hospitality Coordinator

rachel scott

Bookkeeper

isaac burnson

Head Custodian

Core Values

The simple vision for this church is that it would be an authentic community of believers who desire to live in gospel community as the Body of Christ and family of God while being missionaries to Bend and to reach the not yet saved. This community would desire to be characterized by the following values:

God's glory, not ours

Jesus is our Savior, Master, and lead Shepherd. It is for his Glory that we exist and it is for his glory that the Church Exists. We desire to make his name famous and to proclaim the glorious gospel that reveals his truth.

Never too big not to be small

It seems like the trend these days is to be a “Mega Church.” Somehow churches have adopted the idea that “bigger is better.” Our desire is that no matter how “big” we get, people would not get lost in the crowd, and that we would always feel small because people would be living in community where they would be known, cared for, and encouraged in their faith.

warfare, not theater

Church today sometimes feels more like a theatrical production then the family of God gathered to encourage each other to “Fight the good Fight” We understand that the Christian life is a battle where we fight against an enemy that hates to lose. We gather together as the Body of Christ to encourage each other in the battle, to pray for each other in the battle, and to help rescue people from the enemies of sin, Satan, and death. We gather to celebrate the ultimate victor in the Battle: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Word driven, not fad chasing

God’s Word is the ultimate authority in our lives and completely sufficient for all matters of faith and practice, Scripture (and Scripture alone) is to dictate how we live our lives and guide our ministry (2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). In our current culture that exists without absolutes, the church and its leaders must have the bedrock of Scripture as their one and only measuring device for all things. That is why we are committed to expository preaching and the proclamation of the full counsel of God’s Word to mankind.

simplicity, not busyness

We desire to be a church where our activities do not determine our priorities, but rather our priorities determine our activities. Loving and discipling our families, reaching the lost, maturing in Christ… These things rarely occur during activities at a church and more often happen when the Body of Christ is “being the church.” We desire our calendar to reflect that.

Family/body, not consumers

If God is your heavenly Father, the church is not a location you go to, but is a family that you belong to and a body you have been brought into. Eph. 2:19 says, “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” Together we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, and the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. For us to be the church that God truly desires for us to be, we must realize that we are a covenant family committed to each other, and that we are a body that serves one another. As a family and body, we serve one another as Christ has served us.

spiritual maturity, not size

The focus of the church is “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ,” (Col. 1:28). Maturity comes through repentance and discipleship, and is never easy.

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