Brad Talley

Teaching Elder/Lead Pastor

Growing up in Fuquay-Varina in the turbulent 60’s and early 70’s was the same for Pastor Brad as it was for most in our country – though, no one would have called him “Pastor” or anything remotely religious at that time despite having grown up going to church every Sunday. During the Jesus Movement (Google it!), the Lord drew Brad to himself in May of 1972, one month before HS graduation, and promptly sent him to a Bible College in Tennessee of which he had never heard. There he met the lovely Linda Faile, whom he married in 1976. Twenty years as a Camp Director at TVR Christian Camp in the NC Mountains and three wonderful children later, Brad was called, in 1998, to serve as Lead Pastor at a new church in Harnett County – Grace Community Church. Two years later he completed his M.Div. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest.

Early in 2008, the Lord called beautiful Linda Talley to live with Him. What the Lord accomplished through this amazing lady will reverberate throughout eternity. In 2010, Brad married again, and now his wife Alison Talley serves by Pastor Brad’s side, sharing her wonderful spiritual gift of encouragement (and, other gifts) with our church body along with her really cool Australian accent. Between the two of them, they have five amazing children and eleven delightful grandchildren. Pastor Brad and the elders, deacons, staff, and church body at Grace are all excited to see, not only what God will do in our day, but also trusting Him for what He will do for generations to come through Grace Community Church. 

David Calvert

Pastor for Creative Arts

David has been in ministry for over 20 years and a member of GCC for over 25 years. He graduated from Campbell University in '03 (BA) and '06 (MA), and earned a PhD in Theology and Worship from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ('18). He is a songwriter and worship leader wherever God gives him an opportunity, frequently serving in youth, college, and adult contexts as a guest worship leader or speaker.

David currently lives in Angier with his wife Sarah Jean, and children Judah, Clara Jean, Jesse, and Rosie. David is a self-professed coffee snob and an unapologetic nerd - whether it be theology, music, comics, or Star Wars.

Ricky Lee

Pastor for Discipleship and Care

Born and raised in Alabama, Ricky landed in the mountains of North Carolina where he served as Assistant Director for TVR Christian Camp. TVR is where he met his lovely wife, April. They were married in 2005 and have five kids. The Lord led them to Grace in 2014 for Ricky to serve as Youth Pastor and Administrator. He took on the role of Pastor for Discipleship and Care in 2019, passing on Youth Pastor duties, and passed on Administrator duties in 2023. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute (B.S.) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Ricky loves spending time with family. His home is normally very loud, where you'll typically find a baseball or football in the air, and will almost always hear either Christmas music or an Atlanta Braves game streaming. He enjoys rooting for the Crimson Tide and trying to convince his wife to like old country music. 

Kyler Martin

Next Generation Pastor

Kyler was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN. He came to know the Lord at 16, and three short years later, he was called to full-time ministry at Teen Valley Ranch Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Plumtree, NC. He has pursued a calling in ministry ever since. Kyler is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute (B.S. Theological Studies) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. Christian Ethics).

Kyler married the love of his life, Summer, in June 2024. He and Summer love to go on all kinds of adventures, including lake days, sporting events, good books, and playing any game. Kyler runs on high energy, copious amounts of coffee, and a strong love for Jesus and the Word. He once had his job title changed from “Inventory Control Specialist” to “Inventory Control Evangelist” as he would find any chance he could to share his favorite Bible stories. 

Julia Stephens

Church Administrator

Julia is originally from Pennsylvania, but she spent most of her childhood in the Chicago area. After graduating from high school, she moved to the East Coast, where she met and married Keith in 2000. They have two amazing children - Oliver ('06) and Adalynne ('09). As a retired military family, they have had the opportunity to live in several locations worldwide and are currently living in Lillington, NC.

A graduate of Old Dominion University (B.S.), Julia has a diverse professional background, including executive administration, mental health, event planning, education, and training. At 21, she surrendered her life to the Lord, and her relationship with Him is of utmost importance to her. Julia has been actively involved in various ministries and home groups at the churches they have been members of throughout their military journey. Julia enjoys spending time with others, especially 'her people,' and hosting gatherings. She is excited to serve alongside those at GCC.

Diana Snyder

Children's Ministry Director

Diana and her family relocated to North Carolina from El Paso, TX, in 2021. While living in El Paso, she came to know the Lord as her Savior. In her walk with the Lord, she was honored to serve Him in various areas, mainly as a missionary across the American border in her birthplace, Mexico.

During her time as a missionary, Diana had the opportunity to share the message of the Gospel and the love of Christ with a wide range of people for about nine years. She served in various places, including government hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, psychiatric facilities, women’s prisons, schools for children with special needs, and isolated communities facing extreme poverty. This experience has helped her grow more in love with the Lord. In addition to sharing the Gospel and working with her brothers and sisters in Christ, one of her favorite parts of her work is interacting with children. Seeing children grasp the message of the Gospel at a young age and teaching them about God's Word inspires her to continue her important work.

Diana currently lives in Sanford with her husband, Daniel, and their children—Elliot (`05), Andrew (`07), and Kimberly Grace (`23). She loves coffee, food, hiking, glitter, and sci-fi movies, but more than anything, she loves Jesus. Diana is very excited about serving the Lord and her church family at Grace.

April Lee

Bookkeeper

April grew up in South Carolina, but as a 16-year-old, she followed God’s leading to the NC mountains where she had the opportunity to serve on staff at TVR Christian Camp for several years, and more importantly, where she was blessed to meet and marry Ricky. 

God led Ricky to join the staff at GCC in 2014, and together, he and April have loved raising a family alongside an age-diverse, grace-filled church family. April enjoys serving this church family in a variety of ways, including bookkeeping, and she also enjoys almost all types of music (old country music not included).

Ministry Intern

Rylan Eberly

Intern for Grace Student Ministry

Rylan and his wife, Julia, moved to North Carolina in 2019, one year after their marriage, so that Julia could attend Campbell University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. They first attended Grace Community Church on their first Sunday in NC and never looked back. In January 2024, the Eberlys brought home their first child, Chloe Sara. Chloe has been a joy the Eberlys cannot fully explain. In their spare time, the Eberlys are most likely together doing what they call “adventuring”. Adventuring consists of hiking, day trips to new places, trying new recipes, dancing in the kitchen to Doo-Wop, or Rylan ignoring the GPS because "he knows a better way" (or he saw a new coffee shop).

In January 2023, Rylan transferred from Moody Bible Institute to The College at Southeastern to complete his degree in Biblical Studies. Since receiving the call to ministry in high school, Rylan has served in several youth ministries. He has begun the Student Ministry Internship as the next step towards full-time ministry. Rylan is eager to grow in his ability to teach God’s Word and minister and looks forward to all that the Lord will do.