Grace is an Independent Baptist Church located in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Adam Love,
Senior Pastor
Adam Love’s tenure at Grace began in January of 2020 after 23 years of ministry. He attended Northland Baptist Bible College and Central Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned his MA. He and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of four boys. Adam began ministry right after college and served in churches in Virginia, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin before coming back south to Chattanooga. It is Adam’s desire that through the church loving one another as Christ loved us, the world will see Christ more clearly.
Matt Pollock,
Head of School
Matt joined our ministry in 2013 to lead the Academy. He graduated from Clarks Summit University in Pennsylvania with a degree in secondary education and later earned master’s degrees in counseling and also educational administration. After teaching, coaching, and administrating in two Christian schools, Matt returned to work at his alma mater, CSU. He held a variety of positions over 21 years, ultimately serving as Dean of Students. Matt and his wife, Rosemary, have four adult daughters and seven adorable grandchildren.
Mike Swanson,
Executive Pastor
Mike received a B.S. in Organizational Management and has worked locally for Chattem, Inc. and McKee Foods. In 1997, God directed his family to full-time missions. They joined the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) and served in Hungary until 2009, when they returned to serve on staff at Grace. Mike is married to Joan and they have three sons: Alan, Jonathan (Nicole), and TJ (McClellan), and two fantastically cute grandsons, Abel and Cooper.
Fred Holcombe,
Worship Pastor
Fred’s ministry experience actually began at the age of 13, when he led the music in his dad’s church. During college he traveled back to his dad’s church on the weekends to lead worship. He graduated from Tennessee Temple University in 1985 with a BA in Sacred Music, with a Proficiency in Voice. Fred and his wife, Tina, served on staff at Stone Mountain Baptist Tabernacle for 8 1/2 years before coming to Grace in 1994. Fred and Tina have three children: Scott (wife Chelsea, children Ava, Nora, & Hudson), Janna Kalin (husband Dan, son Sawyer) and Luke.
Yensi Pimentel,
Hispanic Pastor
Yensi was born in a small town in the Dominican Republic. At age 14, he went to live in an orphanage for boys, where he realized his need for a Savior. Soon after accepting Christ, he felt God calling him into ministry. He has bachelor’s degrees in Education and Theological Studies and an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has worked as a Bible teacher, Campus Pastor, Youth Pastor, and also served as Assistant Pastor at their church in the Dominican Republic. His wife, Diana, grew up attending Grace Baptist Church and Academy before meeting Yensi on the mission field. They serve together in ministry and are raising three adorable boys: Jeremy, Liam, and Evan.
Kelly O'Rear,
Discipleship Pastor
After graduating from UTC in 1987 with a B.S. degree in Secondary Education, Kelly taught in public school before joining New Tribes Mission to teach missionaries’ kids (MKs) in Venezuela. God opened the door for him to teach at New Tribes Bible Institute for 6 years to work with MKs and train aspiring missionaries theologically. In the fall of 2001, the Lord made it clear that Kelly was facing another transition, this time in ministry on secular campuses to college students seeking to live out their faith in a sometimes hostile environment. He served on a church staff in Chattanooga for seven years as a College Pastor and taught Bible at Grace Academy for five years. He has been on staff at our church since 2012. Kelly and his wife Amy have three children, Stephen, Kate and Zachary.
Steve Gillmore,
Youth Director
Steve grew up on his family farm in Bristol, Wisconsin. He graduated from Pensacola Christian College with an Associate's Degree in Law Enforcement and has been pursuing a Bible degree from Grace School of Theology. He worked at Shepherds College in Union Grove, Wisconsin, for 11 years before moving to Chattanooga. He brings more than 12 years of experience working with teens, three of which he served as Youth Director. He and his wife Ashley have six wonderful kids: Lily, Olivia, Amelia, Judah, Nora & Isaiah. The couple loves working with teens and pointing them to Christ.
Kamilla Boerema,
Women's Ministry Dir.
Kamilla was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was raised in a pastor's home. In 1981, she graduated from Tennessee Temple University with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Bible. In 1985, she earned a Master's Degree in Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Kamilla is married to Dan, and they have been members of Grace since 1978. They have three adult children, Mandy, Paul and Tim, plus eight precious grandchildren. Kamilla became involved in the Women's Ministry in 2009 and now considers it an honor and privilege to serve as Director of Women's Ministries.
Sandy Gromacki,
Elementary Director
Sandy was born in Massachusetts and grew up in New England. She attended Baptist Bible College, where she met her husband, Gavin, and received her BS in Elementary Education. While in college, she played soccer and served in youth ministries and camps. In 2012, she and Gavin married and moved to Dallas, where she worked as a 4th grade teacher at Tyler Street Christian Academy and served in the middle school program of their church. In 2014, they moved to Chattanooga, where Sandy worked as a third grade teacher at East Ridge Elementary. Sandy has served in various nursery and preschool ministries, of which her own children are now a part: Liam, Theia and Shiloh.
Jennifer Greve,
Nursery/Preschool Dir.
Jennifer met her husband, Nathan, while attending Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, and they were married in 2011. They have been blessed with four children: Caiden, Audrina, Adelaide and James.
Jenn has worked in children’s ministries since she was old enough to be a helper. She and Nathan were youth leaders for 5 years before they moved to Chattanooga in 2014. At Grace, Jennifer began helping in Puggles and later became a Sunday nursery worker, eventually becoming the Nursery Coordinator. Together they lead the College Sunday school class and enjoy having students over during the week for fellowship.
Laura Welsh,
Office Manager
Laura has been a member of Grace since 1989, where she is involved in various ministries and roles within the church and community. She has been privileged to minister in several organizations aimed at promoting life, supporting families, and helping
those facing crisis situations, such as Choices, Human Coalition, Dawson McAllister’s The Hopeline, OmniVision, and My Grandma’s House. Her professional experience also includes serving as an office manager, bookkeeper, and financial assistant for three different mission boards and another church before joining the staff at Grace. She and her husband, Ed, raised and homeschooled eight children who grew up attending Grace. Despite her varied experiences, her favorite role is being grandma to nine grandchildren.
Diana Pimentel,
Communications Specialist
Diana grew up attending Grace Baptist Church and Academy before graduating from Cedarville University with a BSN and minors in Bible and Spanish. She met her husband, Yensi, while serving on the mission field in the Dominican Republic. Diana designs and publishes the bulletin and other print material, updates the website and social media, and creates many of the videos, PowerPoints and signage around the church. She also translates and designs all of the communications for our Hispanic congregation. Both she and Yensi have a passion for building bridges across different cultures, and are so grateful to be able to serve together in multi-cultural ministry.
Pam Dratnol,
Office Administration
Pam, a native of Cincinnati, is one of seven children. She and John, a native of Chicago, have been married since 1980 and have two grown children. Joe and his wife, Melissa, live in Ooltewah, and Katie and her husband, Jeremy, live in Halls, Tenn. Pam is also the proud grandmother of six! Pam’s job description is quite diverse. While she keeps up with the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of the church office, it is the abnormal tasks that most appeal to her. She says, “You never know what your day will hold and how you might handle any given situation. Most days are quite rewarding!”