Leadership and Staff

Grace Church GuildforD

The leadership team and staff would love to meet you and chat about any questions you might have.

You can usually catch them on Sundays after the service, or contact the office (see our Contact page) if you would like someone to get in touch. Grace Church Guildford is led by a group of elders who serve the church together with the staff team.

Elders

Rob Clarke

Elder

Raised in a Christian family, Rob cannot recall a time that he did not know that Jesus loves him and died for him. During his late teens that he came to realise that being a Christian is more than a label—that it radically changes who we are living for—and he publicly declared his faith by being baptised. He is currently the administrator for Evangelicals Now (a Christian newspaper), having worked previously in IT consultancy and as an administrator for Christian Conventions. Rob is married to Jo and they have two children.

Elder

At university Adrian first heard and then accepted the truth of the gospel. He realised that the Bible described the world and everyone in it (including himself) with complete accuracy. Adrian first came to Grace Church as a student at the College of Law in 1985. Whilst in Guildford he was baptised and understood the importance of being involved in a local church. Adrian is married to Sarah and they have three grown-up children and four grandchildren.

Elder

Klaus came to a believing faith in Jesus Christ at a young people’s camp when he was 9 years of age. Through his teenage years he learned that the Christian life is a journey of growing in understanding as we experience more of Gods undeserved love and care. He trained as a GP and works in a surgery in Godalming. Klaus is married to Suzie and they have 3 now adult children. Klaus loves teaching God’s word and on the eldership he has particular responsibility for Fellowship Groups.

Elder

Hugh spent part of his teenage years in India and at 16 started a spiritual quest. He tried Buddhist meditation and reading philosophy. While reading “Mere Christianity” by CS Lewis, Hugh came to realize Christianity was intellectually credible and began reading the Bible. It was the love of God shown through Jesus death in the place of sinners that won his heart when he was 18. Married to Rebecca with one daughter, Hugh works in IT change management and enjoys drumming and meeting people from other cultures.

Elder

Born in Uganda, Naresh moved to the UK when he was 7. He was brought up in a Hindu family and at the age of 10 came to hear the amazing stories of Jesus and his great claims. At the age of 11 Naresh realised he could never be made right with God by living a ‘good’ life but rather, he needed to accept Jesus’ death on the cross as the only means for this and so he became a Christian. Naresh moved to Guildford to study at the University of Surrey. He now works in IT and is married to Heidi with 4 grown-up children.

Pastor

Jamie worked as an accountant for several years in Surrey before training at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and spending some time at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C.. Jamie is married to Gracie and they have four children. He has developed a love for good coffee, enjoys playing any sport with a ball, and also supports Liverpool F.C.

Elder

Russ had the blessing of growing up with Christian parents who clearly reflected the love of Jesus in their daily lives. Russ committed to following the Lord at an early age, with his depth of understanding of God’s grace and mercy and his need of a Saviour continuing to grow right through to the present time. Russ is married to Caroline and they have two children and a crazy labradoodle.

Louise Savage

finance Administrator

Louise moved to Guildford at the age of 6 and became a Christian at the age of 15 whilst attending a church youth holiday. After A Levels, she went straight into work at Lloyds Bank, where she spent the next 15 years. She has also worked as a stay-at-home mum, as a pre-school teacher, and as a teaching assistant in a primary school. In 2015, Louise joined the team at GCG as the Finance Administrator. She is married to Chris and they have 3 grown-up children.

Assistant Minister

Alex grew up in Northern Ireland and worked as a solicitor for several years in London before spending some time at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and beginning his studies through The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Alex is married to Sarah and loves reading and listening to (as well as buying…) books, singing loudly, and being in the outdoors.

CARE & SUPPORT COORDINATOR

Lois moved to Guildford in 2007 as a Psychology student at the University of Surrey. Having been made to feel so welcome on her first Sunday at Grace Church she decided to stay and has been involved mostly ever since. Prior to working for the church full-time, Lois spent a year as a UCCF Relay Worker in Brighton, and worked for the Probation Service and Youth Offending Service. Lois loves rugby and serves part-time as a rugby coach at the University of Surrey.

office Administrator

Melanie grew up in a Christian home and the truth of Christ’s salvation and grace has been a central part of her life since then. She has worked in various fields over the years, including teaching both children and adults, and is grateful to now have the opportunity of serving the church family in her current role as one of the church administrators. Melanie is married to David and they have two children.

Buildings Administrator

Jo has lived in Guildford since childhood. Her family started attending Grace Church in 1985 where she was baptised as a teenager and joined the Church soon after. After school she worked as Civil Servant before joining Operation Mobilisation, spending two years overseas – time which both challenged and deepened her commitment to Jesus. She is married to Steve and they have two adult sons. Jo enjoys photography, and anything craft related. She is very practical and enjoys DIY. She considers it a privilege to serve the church with these skills within her role as Buildings Administrator.

CHILDREN & YOUTH WORKER

Kurt was born and grew up in Fish Hoek; part the beautiful Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew up in a Christian family.

It was through reading the book of Romans that the meaning of the Gospel became much clearer to him. Kurt qualified as a primary school teacher and taught for a number of years. He was then called to go into full-time children’s ministry and began by serving as a ministry trainee at Send Evangelical church. Kurt has now joined the staff team at Grace Church Guildford as the youth and children’s worker. Kurt is married to Lucy and they have four children, Jonathan, Luke, (Isla) and Anya. He and his family enjoy the outdoors and good food.

office Administrator

Children & Youth Work

A Guildfordian from birth, Mike grew up in Guildford and has worked in engineering and Christian radio—for Grace Baptist Mission—before taking up this role at Grace Church. Mike became a Christian at the age of 14 as a result of the church’s youth work, a couple of summer camps and his brother’s conversion story. He is married to Carolyn and they have two grown-up children.

INtern

Izzy first came to Guildford in 2017 as a student at the Guildford School of Acting. She grew up attending church with her mum, but developed her own personal relationship with Jesus in her pre-teens. In a world full of pressures and worries, only He could meet her greatest need of salvation. She can often be found baking, exploring nature or in the theatre (be that on or off the stage!).

INtern

Jenny moved to Guildford in 2018 to study Law at the University of Surrey and as part of this spent a year volunteering at Citizens Advice in Epsom. She committed her life to Jesus at a summer Christian youth camp at the age of 16 where she fully experienced and understood God’s love for her for the first time. Jenny loves singing and playing the flute, as well as going for walks around the Surrey Hills (and gets especially excited every time a dog walks past).