Hello and welcome! I’m Clifford Chavez, presently serving as Senior Pastor of Grace NM.
     I was born in Belen, New Mexico in 1954 into a family of 12. I have 2 brothers and 7 sisters, all currently alive. My parents, both deceased, raised us in a very stable loving environment where I received a very solid foundation for my faith. My father was a hard working laborer for the Bureau of Reclamation which meant a very modest income raising a family of 12. Growing up we as a family we never once ate out at a restaurant or ever went on a vacation but here is where the old adage comes in, "You don’t necessarily want what you don’t have”. That being said, we were, at least I was, pretty much always happy and free of worry or care.
     As I mentioned prior, I received a solid foundation for my faith in God. He was always real to me but I always had this nagging thought of the afterlife, heaven or hell. As I was finishing up my senior year of high school I listened to the message of the Gospel and how salvation was a free gift of God and it could me mine if I would forsake my sin through repentance and submit my life to Him. I never felt so free in all my life! That’s when my life changed for the better. A few years later I met the girl of my dreams and we were married after a 3 month courtship in the summer of 1975. At the time we were very much involved with our church and life pretty much revolved around Jesus and His teachings. We went on to have 5 children of whom we now credit our 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
     The majority of our first twenty years of marriage consisted of making a living (at times I worked three different jobs) and serving the Lord through our church. It was then after 20 years that we came to a crossroad and decided that the Lord was moving us out of a comfort zone we had built and it was time to move on. We checked out a church in Los Lunas named Los Lunas Christian Church and after attending a few Sundays we never looked back. Since that time we built lasting relationships, got involved with missions and eventually I was selected for a position as an Elder.
     The church (Los Lunas Christian Church) went through some rough times, and after a series of different Pastors, I was asked by the Elders in the year 2006 if I would pray about filling the vacancy of Senior Pastor. Chris and I prayed and said yes to the Lord. I retired from both my position as a high school instructor and as a general contractor and never looked back. I’ve been pastoring this body of believers with the help of a wonderful God fearing board of elders for 14 years and it has been a truly rewarding experience. I know that the days ahead are going to be challenging, as I am a firm believer that we are living in the last days as prophesied in the Scriptures, but I am confident that we will see almighty God’s hand in all we do and will continue to experience His abundant love and guidance in all we do.

     Thanks for reading, I hope you were able to get to know me a little bit; I in return would love the opportunity to get to know you! Be blessed and Maranatha!

Hello! I'm Christopher Kent, the youth director and an elder of Grace NM.
     My wife Andrea and I have been married for 15+ years and we have four amazing, beautiful daughters. Our family has been attending Grace for over 10 years and back in June of 2019 my wife and I started leading the Forge youth group. We have a heart for our youth and while we realize they are our future, we also know the impact they can have right now.
     In our free time we enjoy.....oh, who are we kidding?! Between work, homeschooling, having 4 children, running a youth group, and other obligations, we don’t have much free time. But right now we are just so thankful for where God has us in this season of life and are truly embracing it. We are very humbled to be assisting our youth in their daily walk with God.

Hi, I'm Tim Romero, an elder of Grace NM.
     My wife Brenda and I have been married for 40+ years. We have 5 children, 8 grandchildren and two dogs.  I own a small business here in Los Lunas while Brenda is a part-time seamstress and a full-time Gramma.  We have lived in Los Lunas for 35+ years and enjoy spending time with our family, traveling, working in our yard, and watching the Washington Nationals!

Hi, I'm Kevin Sanchez, one of the elders at Grace NM.
     My wife Cecilia and I began our new life together when we were married in June of 2017.  We have two adult daughters; Sonia and Mikayla.  After we were married, we have been actively seeking God’s direction on how we can be more involved in His works and advancement of God’s kingdom.
     Some of our ministry interests are international missions, serving the local homeless with basic practical provisions, and serving in our community kitchen. In and among these ministries is our heart felt calling to be prayer warriors for the lost, broken, and ill, as well as praying for spiritual strengthening of the body of Christ.
     Things we like to do outside of work and church are spending time outdoors camping/fishing/hunting, gardening, crafting, working out in the yard, and spending time with family.

Hi, I'm Seth Prieskorn, currently on the pastoral staff at Grace NM.
     I have attended Grace since I was 19, where my now wife of 10 years and I started attending the youth group. We have two beautiful boys, Jedidiah and Luke, who you will most assuredly see running around with an energy most of us could only dream of. I have been involved in various ministries throughout the years while attending Grace, and after a brief stay in Oregon, my family and I were asked by Pastor Clifford to move back to New Mexico to join the pastoral staff. This fulfilled a calling I believe God placed over my life when I was saved as a teen. I am so grateful for the LORD's timing and direction, and I am humbled to be given the opportunity to spread the Gospel!

Hi, I'm Wendy Bersche, Grace NM's Administrator.
     I have been on staff at Grace for 25+ years serving as administrator. I always say, “Thank you, God for the best job I have ever had." However, it has never been a "job" for me, but instead, a ministry calling. The bulk of my experience in serving the church in the office, came from working in the hotel field alongside my father. I worked all kinds of jobs, from maid to manager and all jobs in between. I thrive in doing multiple tasks simultaneously and that is definitely something that I find myself doing on a daily basis at Grace. I hope to work here many more years. In fact, I say that working Monday through Thursday with a 3 day weekend is about as “retired” as I ever want to be.

Hey ya'll! I'm Faun Bickle, the Music Director at Grace NM.
     Music has always been one of my passions and pastimes, and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share my gifts with my sisters and brothers in Christ at Grace NM. My favorite part about praising God through song is the fellowship that follows it. When the entire congregation can sing along to a song and it fills the room and lifts their praise, there’s a Holy presence like no other. Outside of the church, I am a devoted single mother of two and a homeschool teacher. I truly thank God for His transforming love and grace! Praise Jesus!!!

Hi there! I'm Caleb Proctor, Grace NM's Tech Director and Web & App manager.
     I have been a part of the Grace family since I was about 8-years old. This is where my faith in Jesus Christ has developed and strengthened over the years. I'm so blessed to be apart of this church family! The first time I got involved at Grace NM was when I started drumming on the youth group worship team as a 15-year old and I've been drumming here ever since!
Today I'm a part-time staffer doing something I truly enjoy: creating art, managing our app and website, serving my church family with the talents God has given me, and doing my part to make the name of Jesus Christ famous in my sphere of influence.

Hi, I'm Mandy Romero, the Early Childhood Director for Grace NM.
     I am so thankful for the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with your little ones! I am a homemakerish wife and mom of four, fitness fanatic, and nature lover. My goal is to create a safe and fun environment for our children while sharing the Gospel of Jesus.