Rick Reeves, Lead Pastor
Spouse/Kids: Ali and I have been married since 2011 and our two daughters are Joey and Brooks and our son is Rowan.
Testimony: I started following Jesus when I was 23 years old. I literally woke up one morning and said, "Okay God, I'm going to try you out, so please help me." That was not quite the “sinner’s prayer” you will find on your evangelism track. I started attending Roseburg Christian Fellowship and a few months later my mom and I were baptized together in the Umpqua River. I don't remember the exact date my heart was awakened to the Gospel. I didn't write it in a book, carve it on a tree, or change my FB status to Christian, and it wasn't until I moved to Reno in 2007 to chase a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) that my heart was gripped by the Gospel.
I attended a church called Living Stones, which was passionate about declaring the Gospel. Shortly after, my desire for MMA faded and my new desire was to preach the Gospel and plant a church back in Oregon. In February of 2015 the six year training and preparation process came to an end and Living Stones sent our family to plant Gospel Community Church.
Evidences of Grace: The biggest evidence of grace in my life was moving to Reno. I hated Reno, and I know hate is a strong word, but dislike falls short. I wanted so bad to get out of there but at the same time felt like God was calling me to settle in. I was thinking a year, but God was thinking more like eight. I wouldn't exchange those eight years for anything. It was there I grew in a deeper understanding of the gospel, understood the importance of community, met my wife, had our first child, was equipped for ministry, was challenged to face my past, and grew to understand the importance of transparency.
Favorite Book(s): The book that's had the biggest impact on me is probably Gospel Wakefulness or Jesus Plus Nothing=Everything, but my favorite is probably The Prodigal God. I'm currently reading Saturate and Leading with Love.
Favorite Movie: My favorite movie and probably the movie I quote the most is Dumb and Dumber, and my favorite quote from it would be, "but what if they shot you in the face?"
Hobbies/Interests: My hobbies or what I enjoy the most are dates and mini vacations with my wife, spending time with my family, and hunting. Since God gave me girls, I'm hoping one of them takes up my passion for hunting since I've taking up their passions for dance parties, playing kitchen, and grocery store checkout. I think if you saw me doing ballet with them you would agree that it's a fair tradeoff.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: I share this with a lot of reservation but my nick names throughout my life have been "Big Dog," "Bubs," and "RICKY!!!" if I was in trouble. My fight nick names were "The Holy Terror," and "Pretty Ricky." For the record, I had no say in any of these!
I want my GCC family to know: My greatest passion is the gospel and my heart’s desire is to preach and share the gospel with as many people as I can with the time God gives me. I love our church family and have been blown away by what God has done at GCC and look forward to what he has in store.
Kelly Pelroy, Administrative Assistant
Email: Kelly@gcceugene.org
Family: I am married to Jake Pelroy and we’ve been married since 2015. We have two boys, Graham and Marcus.
Testimony: I was fortunate to be raised in a loving Christian family. My whole family attended church growing up and I attended church camp every summer. In high school I was engaged in Young Life with many of my leaders now being members at GCC (small world). In college I stayed connected to different churches and was a student athlete at Oregon State University. My time in college drew me closer to God, as I had a really hard time with my coaches and processing how mean some people can truly be. My sister mentored me through this time, reminding me of the unfailing love of Jesus Christ. After college I moved back to Eugene and started attending church with my parents.
In 2013, I became fully aware of the depths of my sin and my need for a savior. I felt like I finally understood the gospel and God’s grace at a deeper level although I had believed in God for as long as I could remember. Shortly after, God blessed my life with Jake. We got married in 2015 and had 2 children. We started attending GCC in 2021. GCC felt like home and aligned with our view of the importance of the Gospel. We were both baptized on Easter Sunday, 2024. I love GCC for its ability to continue to point my life back to the gospel and how important God’s grace is.
Evidences of Grace: I would not have been able to stick through my four years in college without the grace of God. I believe that he put me through the trials and tribulations of that time to grow me and help me to understand my need for a savior. There are so many wonderful things that came out of my college years and have shaped me into the person that I am today, and I thank God for that.
Favorite Book(s): You’re Not Enough (and That’s Okay) by Allie Beth Stuckey
Favorite Movie: Not much of a movie watcher, I fall asleep at least 1/2 way through. But one I could watch over and over is Dumb and Dumber.
Hobbies/Interests: I love to play slow pitch softball, run, swim, high intensity workouts, read, cross stitch, paint by number, and spend a lot of time snuggling with my kids.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: I was in Faces in the Crowd Sports Illustrated when I was in high school.
I want my GCC family to know: I’m loving my new role as Administrative Assistant, and I love helping people in whatever way I can. I enjoy completing tasks and want to build genuine, lasting relationships with my church family members.
Cade Kyle, Worship Director
Email: cade@gcceugene.org
Family: I am the middle child with two sisters and my parents that I left back in Houston.
Testimony: I was born and raised in a Christian household and both of my parents were very involved in our local church. I attended a Christian Summer camp every year from the time that I was 7 until I was 16. When I was 8 years old, asked Jesus to reside in my heart. In my former denomination, we have our 6th grade children through a class called ‘confirmation’ wherein we are taught about what it means to take our faith into our own hands.
It wasn’t until my 11th grade year that I knew what that meant. My parents, for reasons they did not feel necessary to share at the time, decided to leave our home church and join another church. At this time I was deeply involved in my youth ministry as a worship leader for my peers. At this time I made the decision to continue to attend and lead at this church while my parents became members elsewhere.
That same year is when I felt a call to vocational ministry. I had been involved in music since I was four years old, and I knew that I wanted to be involved in leading people in the worship of our Lord for the rest of my life, and if I could devote all of my time to that, that’s what I wanted to do. So, I applied to Baylor University to enroll in their Church Music program and graduated from this program in 2021. I moved back to Houston where I worked full time at the church that started my faith journey. After 2.5 of learning everything that I wished that I learned at Baylor, I moved up to Eugene to begin working here at GCC.
Evidences of Grace: I was 21 years old when COVID began. My junior year of college was disrupted entirely, right around the time when I was supposed to start my internships and get my true hands-on experience in my major. Summer of 2020 when I received the email that school was starting back, I had a complete breakdown. I didn’t see any path to work in any church around me and I decided that I would create my own path, fully give up on trusting in the Lord’s timing. In February of 2021, 2(ish) months before graduating, I got a call from my home church in Houston, declaring that they were beginning the search for a worship leader. It was a beautiful reminder of the grace and sufficiency of the Lord, even when I forget it and try to do things in my own understanding and with my own strength.
Favorite Book(s): Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Favorite Movie: I’m a big fan of movies and I genuinely cannot come up with my favorite in this moment.
Hobbies/Interests: I really wish I had more outdoor activities to list here, but I come from the land of heat and humidity where it was a chore to go outside at any time. I love cooking, listening to audiobooks, and the occasional video game.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: I had horribly ingrown toenails growing up, to the point that a podiatrist recommended I get two of them removed. So my two big toes do not have toenails.
I want my GCC family to know: I am so incredibly excited to get to come alongside all of you in worshiping the Lord together. I am deeply passionate about worshipping the Lord and I hope to have worship permeate everything that I do in life.
Jacque Williams, Kids Ministry Director
Email: jacque@gcceugene.org
Family: Jesse and I have been married for about 3 years and we have one son named Jude.
Testimony: I grew up in New Hampshire in a family that didn’t go to church, but would say they are Christian if you asked them. As I got older, I always questioned any “Christian” friends I had, doubting their religion because I hadn’t ever met someone whose actions aligned with their beliefs. After I moved to Oregon to go to college, I started going to the CrossFit gym Lane 5. It was here that I made a lot of great friends, most of which happened to go to GCC.
This was the first time I noticed there was something different about this group of people. I had one friend in particular that would always share the gospel with me and eventually, I took her up on her offer to come to church. I certainly felt uncomfortable in the beginning, but I knew that learning about the truth of the gospel and developing a relationship with God was something I was being called to pursue.
Evidences of Grace: My biggest evidence of grace is simply just being at GCC. The fact that I grew up with so much doubt to now being one to share my faith with others is only possible because of God. My second evidence of grace is the community that I’ve found myself in. Eugene is not a place I saw myself staying long term, but the people that surround our family are what keep us here.
Favorite Book(s): There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk (I listen to a lot of podcasts, I don’t have much time for reading!)
Favorite Movie: Not a big movie person.
Hobbies/Interests: CrossFit and renovating our house are the two biggest ones! I also love to ski, ride my bike, and garden.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: I really love organizing and using my calendar to plan ahead.
I want my GCC family to know: I have loved being part of GCC for the last few years and it feels like a gift to be able to help our church grow in a different area. I am excited to see how God develops our Kids Ministry in the future!
Renee Larson, Women’s Care Director
Email: renee@gcceugene.org
Family: Dj and I have been married for almost 20 years. We have a daughter named Josie and a son named Isaac.
Testimony: I am thankful that I was raised in a Christian home. From a young age I understood that Jesus died for my sins; later, I realized that I had a very limited understanding of this. Still, I believe the Spirit gave me strong convictions all through my young years, which really saved me from a lot of heartache. It hasn’t been until the last 8 years of being at GCC that I really began to have a gospel awakening. I now have a much deeper understanding of my sin and God's grace and care for me. Through many trials I’ve grown in my understanding of how the gospel speaks into every area of my life. YES, Jesus died for me, BUT He also lived for me!
Evidences of Grace: My evidence of grace is meeting the Reeves at another church and deciding to join their church plant. This decision has been life changing.
Favorite Book(s): Voice of the heart, Gay girl Good God, Redeeming love
Favorite Movie: I Love You Man (not suggesting), Sweet home Alabama, The Help
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, spending time with my family, good conversations, walking my dogs, CrossFit and wine tasting.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: I love my routines. If one thing is different in my morning routine it really throws me off.
I want my GCC family to know: I don’t particularly enjoy small talk. I love to get to the heart of people. I love to listen and share and point people to their identity in Jesus. I’m excited and honored to get to know, walk with and serve the women of GCC.
Ali Reeves, Social Media Director
Email: Ali@gcceugene.org
Family: Rick and I have been married since 2011. We have 2 daughters named Joey and Brooks, and a son named Rowan.
Testimony: I believe I was saved at a young age. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t believe God was real, and that He was good. Growing up, my mom was a believer and made church a priority in our lives (and I am forever thankful for her salvation). Looking back, it’s evident that God has held me and protected me throughout my life. Although my sanctification has been slow and steady, there have been a handful of seasons over the course of my life that brought a great amount of growth in my understanding of grace, the gospel, and what it meant to live with an understanding identity as a child of God. Here is not the time and place to tell stories- but I’m always more than willing to share :)
Evidences of Grace: I got married pretty young - I was 21 years old. I think God knew I needed to get married in order to grow me in certain ways. Through marriage I have learned that only Jesus can satisfy me, and how my identity as a child of God is everything.
Favorite Book(s): I love a good fiction or memoir (Saving My Assassin, The Last Sin Eater) . To be honest, I’m not a huge reader, but I still have hope to become one.
Favorite Movie: I’m more of a TV watcher than a movie watcher, but Dumb and Dumber will always be near and dear to me. And also The Heat- I’m a Sandra Bullock fan.
Hobbies/Interests: I like to have a home project going at all times. I enjoy interior design, roaming stores, volleyball, sunrises and sunsets (I love blue skies and sunshine), and traveling with my fam.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: Here it goes: I was a Girl Scout until I graduated high school.
I want my GCC family to know: I am blown away by the awesome community God has provided us since planting the church almost 9 years ago. This might sound crazy, but every Sunday I thank God that I still enjoy going to church.
Lilyanna Nimmer, Foster the County Director
Email: lilyanna@gcceugene.org
Family: Married to my husband Morrie for 9 (!) years and have a lovely toddler named Vivienne
Testimony: I learned about God at Sunday School. One day when I was young (like 5!) I needed help with something and remembered what I had learned at church - that God was all powerful and could do anything... so I went behind the couch and prayed for God to come into my life and help me with whatever my 5 year old self needed help with. Fast forward to now and I have a much deeper understanding of the gospel and God and am very thankful that God worked in my life at such a young age.
Evidences of Grace: In the past few years I've been confronted with doubts and questions about God. By his grace they have strengthened my faith. I have a newfound appreciation for apologetics (reasoned arguments for justifying faith in Christ!).
Favorite Book(s): Little Women, Ender's Game, Shadow of the Wind
Favorite Movie: Grease. I like musicals.
Hobbies/Interests: Thrifting and good food.
Obscure Facts/Secrets: Fast and Furious is one of the greatest film franchises of all time. I said it.
I want my GCC family to know: I love the local church and hearing how God is working in people's lives.