Welcome to Grace Baptist Church

The story of Steve Lane's walk with Christ begins as a teenager: lonely, shy, and skeptical that Christianity could possibly be true. But in 1972, he started to attend Grace Baptist Church; six months later, he trusted Christ as his Savior. Realizing God's call on his life to serve our Lord in ministry, he became the Assistant Pastor in 1982, and then became the senior pastor on Sunday, April 6, 2008. Truly Pastor Steve Lane is a faithful servant of God, a man of enduring integrity! But he isn't "just" faithful: God has gifted him with a heart of incredible compassion and love. Get to know Pastor Lane, and you'll discover someone who deeply cares for others, longing for the hurting and the needy to be healed through Christ's loving touch. Standing firm in love and truth, he preaches the Word of God and energizes the church with God's heart for His people and for the world.

Family: While in Tennessee on a Campus Crusade for Christ summer project, he met a girl named Melanie. In 1981, he married her. They have 2 married adult children (Ben and Stephanie), 1 child in high school (Abbey), 1 in elementary school (Tim), and 1 toddler (Alina).

Training: Pastor Lane graduated from the University of Maryland in 1978 with a bachelor's degree and from Capital Bible Seminary in 1983 with a Master of Theology. He is currently working on a doctorate of ministry from Massachusetts.

Dr. Harton's life is marked by Christ's power to change lives. Growing up in Pennsylvania, he was worldly and didn't take anything in life seriously, preferring endless parties to anything of significance; he didn't really care about the deep spiritual truths of life. But the Lord got ahold of his heart while he was a college student at Princeton University. Experiencing the wonders of God's grace, he wanted to serve Him in full-time ministry. Since that time, he has pastored churches in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Alabama. More recently, Dr. Harton served as a Bible professor and academic dean at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, Maryland. In 2008, he became the associate/executive pastor at Grace. But in spite of all of his credentials and years of experience, Pastor Harton remains a deeply humble man, very aware that He stands by God's grace alone. He pastors and leads with diligence and wisdom, pouring his heart into everything he does, and always longing to give glory to God.

Family: Pastor Harton met his wife Ellen at Grace College and Seminary. They have three married daughters (Ruth, Yvonne, and Wendy, who have blessed them with nine grandchildren) and an adult son (Maurice).

Training: Dr. Harton graduated with a Master of Divinity from Grace Theological Seminary, as well as a Master of Sacred Theology in Counseling and a Doctor of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Mark Tanious' parents emigrated from Egypt to raise their family in America. His father mentored him with the belief that God would do great things through Mark's life. When Mark was still a young teen, his father went home to Heaven. Yet through that pain and loss, Mark emerged with an even greater sense of God's calling in his life. Although he studied at the University of Maryland to become a physician, he realized that the Lord wanted him to be a physician of souls. Mark was a passionate witness of the cross; he ministered through Intervarsity to share the gospel with many, and then while studying at seminary, he served as a youth pastor in Washington, DC, reaching out across cultural barriers to share the love of Christ. In 2008, the Lord called him to join the pastoral staff here at Grace Baptist. Pastor Mark is a man with contageous enthusiasm for reaching the lost, and he works hard as he builds a sense of welcoming and community at our church. Through it all, he remains real and genuine in his walk with God.

Family: In 2007, Mark married his high school sweetheart, Dani Beth. She teaches music at an elementary public school. They have an adorable toddler son, Elijah.

Training: Mark graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2004, and from Capital Bible Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2008.

For many years, Brady Wolcott taught middle school American history and served as the middle school Vice-Principal at Grace Christian School. Much to his surprise, God then called him to another kind of ministry entirely: serving as the young adult pastor at the church, beginning in June of 2007. Pastor Brady loves young adults; he has a big heart for reaching out to them and having fun with them, too. Under his visionary leadership, the young adult ministry has blossomed; inspired by his teaching, preaching, and discipling, the young adults don't just attend church but also serve in the many different ministries of the church. Emphasizing discipleship and mutual ministry, he invests his life into the young adults, equipping them to lead in church and community. He pours his heart into everything he does, from starting and overseeing small groups to mobilizing care packages for the poor to organizing video scavenger hunts to earnestly praying for every life he touches.

Family: Brady's wife Joy works part time in the church office. They have four children: two in high school (Victoria and Alex) and two in middle school (Carter and Daria).

Training: Brady has a bachelor's degree from Baptist Bible College in PA, and a Master of Education from Regent University.

Bill Blackford believes that the Christian life should be lived 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When he became the youth pastor at Grace Baptist in 1986, he took that conviction into his ministry: for him, youth ministry isn't focused on fun and games, but on the reality of living like Jesus in a fallen world. He doesn't see youth ministry as a stepping stone to something "greater," but as his life's calling: he's unwaveringly served as youth pastor for over 20 years! No one can deny that this is a youth pastor who absolutely loves serving the youth with all of his heart, leading the lost to find Christ and infusing believing teens with a genuine love for Christ. He constantly encourages them to make a difference, whether by witnessing to their friends, putting together care packages for the poor, performing in evangelistic musicals, or serving in the children's ministry. And every summer, he leads the teens on a missions trip to Mexico or Texas, as well as to various spiritual retreats and camps. Because of his genuine heart for God and for the youth, God has blessed Grace Baptist with an incredibly dynamic youth ministry.

Family: Bill's wife Lisa is just as much a part of the youth ministry as he is. They have a married son (Bryce), and a college age daughter (Amber).

Training: Pastor Blackford has a bachelor's degree in physical education from Liberty University.

Jamie Miller has a generous, loving heart. Just like Jesus, Jamie believes children are very valuable to the kingdom of God. The Lord gave Jamie everything he needs to serve well in our children's ministry: a spirit of kindness and meekness, an enduring dedication no matter how hard the job can get, and a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus. Pastor Miller faithfully leads and preaches in the special children's worship service every Sunday morning, as well as overseeing children's Sunday School and the AWANA clubs. He loves sharing with others about Jesus so much that he has even led our adult evangelism training program! Not only does he compassionately urge children to join "God's team," but also instills in children the basic principles of Christian living. Uniquely, he values children so much that he equips older children to serve God by witnessing to their friends and even participating in outreach programs! We are so very blessed to have Pastor Miller on staff at Grace Baptist Church.

Family: Jamie met Genevieve (or "Gen" for short) at the Sandy Cove Ministries Conference Center in northeastern Maryland. They married in 2004, and they now have two young children: James and Timothy.

Training: Jamie graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree, and from Liberty University with a Master of Arts in Religion in Church Ministries and a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Preaching.