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Meet Our Teachers
Get to know some of the Adult Discipleship teaching team
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Ben Bythewood
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Ben came to faith in 2002, and quickly developed an interest in the early church and its progression from the first century through the present day. This led him to pursue an undergrad in history at UMass Lowell, specializing in the Greco-Roman period, so he could study the world in which the early church lived. Ben continued his studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, then decided to enter the ministry as a layperson. He has taught several Adult Discipleship courses at Grace Chapel, including a study of Genesis, Theology of the Old Testament, a New Believers class, and A History of the Early Church. Ben’s passion for teaching has also led him to serve on the Adult Discipleship Ministry Team.
Ben and his wife Kristin live in Billerica, though you can catch a hint of his native Texan twang when talking to him. Ben works as project manager for a government program office and enjoys cooking during his downtime. |
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Tim Castner
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Tim has a BA in History and Russian from Middlebury College in Vermont and a MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) in History from Boston University. He has fifteen years of experience teaching US history at the Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton.
Tim’s professional work has included leading sessions for local Teaching American History Grants where he has presented on the separation of church and state in Massachusetts, the role of religion in the Civil Rights Movement, and the role of race and religion in American political history. Recently, Tim contributed two chapters to Conflicts in American History, a documentary encyclopedia of American history on The Great Awakening and the Constitutional Convention.
Tim has been an active member of Grace Chapel for the past sixteen years and has served as a regular teacher in the Adult Discipleship Ministry for the past seven years. In addition to leading inductive manuscript Bible Study classes, and co-teaching in God and Caesar he has helped to spearhead recent classes including Turning Points in World Christian History and Timeless Truths, a survey of Christian doctrine. Tim and his wife Paula have been leading a LIFE Community in their home for the past eight years and are currently serving as LIFE Community Coaches. |
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Paula Castner
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Paula is married to Tim, and she is the mother to Emily (15), Hannah (11), and Jonathan (6). Since graduating from Amherst College in 1994, she has filled her time with raising the children and volunteering in their schools and with their extracurricular groups; working at Lexington Christian Academy for a year and with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for seven years; volunteering with children's ministries and leading Bible studies and Adult Sunday School classes at Grace for 15 years; and writing both fiction and nonfiction works. Though she has led classes on numerous topics at Grace, her heart is for helping others to love Scripture study as much as she does. She most enjoys spending time with Tim and the children, cooking, writing, and creating Bible studies.
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Mark Cannister
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Mark and Nancy Cannister both grew up in Pittsburgh, PA where Nancy was a high school teacher and Mark was a youth pastor before moving to New England in 1992. They have been active members of Grace Chapel for nearly a decade and have been involved in children’s ministry, women’s ministry, youth ministries, and adult discipleship ministries. Mark serves as Professor of Christian Ministries at Gordon College in Wenham and is Co-chair of the Department of Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries as well as Chair of the Division of the Humanities. He also serves as an adjunct professor for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Huntington University Graduate School.
Mark has been involved in student ministries for over 30 years serving in both church and parachurch organizations prior to joining the faculty of Gordon College. He has served as President of the North American Professors of Christian Education, Chair of the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, founding Chair of The Boston Project Ministries, and is the Editor of the Journal of Youth Ministry. Committed to reaching the next generation with the gospel, each year Mark leads a mission trip for college students to Swansea, Wales where they teach the basics of the Christian faith in several British high schools and middle schools.
The Cannister home is very busy these days with two teenagers in the mix. Ryan and Kasey are in high school, both are very active in the student ministries of Grace Chapel as well as a variety of school and community activities.
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Anita Erler
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Anita, her husband Dan, and three children, live in Lexington, and have been attending Grace Chapel for 12 years. Anita is new to the Adult Discipleship teaching team this year, with her class “Building Strong Families,” but not new to serving at GC. You may have seen Anita with her family at VBS, the Middle School ministry, Winterblast, or various other events at church, as her passion is building up the spiritual foundations of families and encouraging them to serve together.
Anita graduation from Mount Holyoke College, and currently works as a physician, specializing in women's health issues. She has a heart for building up teenage girls, and educating them on healthy living and relationships. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking and, of course, spending time with her family.
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Cynthia Fantasia
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Cynthia Fantasia serves as Grace Chapel's Pastor of Service and Women. You may have met her at the Joy Bible Study on Tuesdays, Mom to Mom on Thursdays, teaching at "The Service Network" on Sundays, or at any of the other service and women's programs she is passionate about.
A graduate and adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Cynthia has written several Bible studies and was a contributing author in Mothers Have Angel Wings by Carol Kent and What We've Learned So Far by Lucinda McDowell. In addition to her leadership of women's and service ministries, she enjoys partnering with scientists in congregations to bridge and link science and faith.
Cynthia is married to her best friend, Bob. They have three adult children and five "perfect" grandchildren. Her favorite activities are long walks, reading great books, vacation time in their beloved Kennebunkport, and learning about life through the eyes of her grandchildren!
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Skip and Catherine Galanes
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Skip and Catherine Galanes have been teaching biblical stewardship principles since 1999. They both serve as Assisting Elders and, in addition to teaching the Freed Up Financial Living Course, also provide one-on-one financial counseling. Skip has also served as Overseeing Elder and Chair of the Board of Elders, was Chair of one of the capital campaigns and serves on the Board of Emmanuel Gospel Center.
Skip has a BA from Georgetown University and a MBA from Bryan College. Skip currently works as Operating Officer for a financial planning firm. Catherine has a BS and a MS from Georgetown University. Catherine is on staff at Grace Chapel as Administrative Assistant to the Senior and Executive Pastors.
Skip and Catherine have been married for 39 years and have 2 children, Alexander and Christina, and 2 grandchildren. When they are not involved in stewardship ministry, they can be found fly fishing on a trout stream, hiking, or kayaking.
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Brad Gardner
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Brad Gardner served on the Board of Elders at Grace Chapel for two terms (1995 – 2003) and after a two year break, returned for an additional two terms (2005 – 2013). Brad is the liaison to the Assisting Elders in the Communion and Partnership ministry. He has served on the Nominating Committee multiple times and enjoys facilitating groups. He does as much ministry as he can partnering with his wife Denise.
The Gardner family came to Grace Chapel in 1985 and raised their four children (Andy, Stephen, James, and Megan) with the support of Grace Chapel Children's and Youth Ministries. Now grown, all four children remain local. Brad and Denise are also the proud grandparents of Savannah Grace and Carston James Gardner.
Brad is the Production Manager and a Partner of F.H. Perry Builder in Hopkinton, MA. where he leads a team of Project Managers who remodel some of the finest homes in the Boston area.
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Denise Gardner
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Denise Gardner came to Grace Chapel in 1985 and has served on staff since September 1995.
She loves to serve behind the scenes, managing the Grace Chapel data base and supporting the Finance Dept. She also volunteers as Communion Coordinator and serves on the Partnership Interview Team.
She's been married to Brad for 33 years. Together, they have four grown children, two whom are married (Andy and Dawn with Savannah and Stephen and Emily), and two who are still living at home (James and Megan).
Denise loves to kayak and go to her family cottage on Bustin's Island in Maine.
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Tim Ghali
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Tim Ghali recently joined the GC staff as the Pastor of Community Life. He and his wife Susan moved here from New Jersey at the end of this past summer and are now living in Billerica. They have three kids, Nathan (3), Dylan (2) and a newborn named Janelle. Tim has been serving with youth and young adults and various associate pastor duties for 11 years and is very excited about this new season of ministry. He completed his Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Seminary (Philadelphia, PA) in 2010. He loves reading, writing, blogging, the Yankees and good coffee. But more importantly, he loves being with his family, learning/applying Scripture, teaching, being in community and serving in the Kingdom of Jesus.
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Steve and Jackie Hamilton
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Steve Hamilton grew up in Lexington, graduated from Northeastern University, and married Jackie (who is from Lexington, KY) 38 years ago. Steve and Jackie have two children (now grown) and are known locally for their work as homebuilders. Steve began attending Grace Chapel as a 10-year-old, when a school friend invited him to Christian Service Brigade. Growing at Grace and in his walk with Christ has included 20 years mentoring boys through Brigade, teaching sixth-grade Sunday School, and serving several terms on leadership boards. Steve was coached in manuscript Bible study by John Ratichek and Doug Whallon beginning in the late 1980’s and has delighted in each class as it presses to go deeper into the principles of God’s Word. Steve enjoys motorcycling, spending time with his grandchildren and, along with Jackie, continuing in mission initiatives in Moldova, Foresight in Nepal, and at Living Stone Foundation (lettering God’s word in stone). |
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Warren Humphrey
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Warren and his wife Deborah are members of Grace Chapel and have been attending regularly since 1997. Warren grew up in a mainstream Protestant home and attended Sunday School when it wasn’t inconvenient. Warren and Deborah married and he joined the Air Force after graduating from Tufts University. They spent the next 20 years traveling with tours of duty in Utah, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and two tours in Germany. Warren also became a devout atheist during this time. After retiring from the AF, Warren and Deborah moved to Southern California. It was in California that Warren encountered God (“I was found by those who did not seek me.” Is 65:2), heard the Gospel message for the first time (“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mk 4:9), and was born again (“No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jn 3:3)
Warren and Deborah arrived at Grace Chapel in 1997, and when the Alpha course started a year later, they volunteered to be table leaders in the first Alpha classes. They also joined a LIFE Community and after several years began leading the group. During this time Warren teamed up with Mitch Foreman, who was returning to Grace from his work with Jews for Jesus. Mitch taught and Warren assisted for two years on the Jewish roots of Christianity Adult Discipleship courses. Warren joined the Discipleship and Spiritual Formation Ministry team in 2008. At that time he began teaching Adult Discipleship Bible study classes, teaming up with David Medeiros in 2010 to teach several Old Testament themed classes.
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Chris and Florence Lee
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The groom surprised the bride by singing to her as she walked down the aisle…so began the marriage between a Chinese-American guy and a Swedish-Japanese gal in April 2004. Chris and Florence continue to have fun though they recognize that marriage is hard work. They have been teaching the pre-marriage class since 2006 and are passionate about preparing couples for the commitment of marriage. They have been attending Grace Chapel since 1999 and also serve together as Assisting Elders. Chris works in software for the investment industry. Florence is a stay-at-home mom to their two children, 5 year old Harrison and 3 year old Caroline. They live in Melrose and enjoy cooking as a family.
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John Ratichek
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John and his wife Ellen have been members of Grace Chapel since 1983. They have raised their four children in the church and have participated together in church missions projects, particularly in Nepal. John has been involved in leading inductive Bible study classes for most of his years at Grace. Though his training is in business management, John spent 24 years in university student ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. His work in Nepal continues through a small non-profit that he leads, and he is employed by a small consulting company which helps extend financial services to poor people in low income countries, especially in Africa and Asia. He loves sports and used to drive a sports car. |
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Dori Rhodes
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Dori is a marriage and family therapist with a private practice located in Lexington. She is married to Richard, Grace Chapel’s Pastor of Outreach and New Campuses. Dori earned her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Masters in Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.
After graduating, Dori worked for 10 years with Charis Psychological Services and now has been in private practice for the past ten years. Dori thoroughly enjoys teaching on a number of subjects including: various marriage topics, communication, parenting adolescents, conflict resolution and having fun in your marriage. Her passion is to see families centered in Christ and thriving.
Dori and Richard live in Bedford with their 3 children: Haley, Andrew and Ryan. Dori enjoys hiking, camping, tennis and travel with the family. Richard and Dori recently took their family on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Dori also went with her daughter Haley this past summer on a mission trip to work with our Grace Chapel Partners in Thailand. |
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Richard Rhodes
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Richard is the Pastor of Outreach and New Campuses at Grace Chapel. Before coming to Grace Chapel he served for five years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC.
Richard earned a B.A. in Education at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and a Masters of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He is passionate about reaching people who are far from God and thoroughly enjoys outreach events and ministries which create opportunities for people to explore faith. Richard is also passionate about launching New Campuses which effectively offers people in the congregation the opportunity to reach out to their friends for Christ who live near them.
Richard and his wife, Dori, live in Bedford with their three kids: Haley, Andrew and Ryan. Richard enjoys traveling and being outdoors with his family. Richard and Dori recently took their family on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Dori is a marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Lexington. Richard and Dori enjoy opportunities to teach together.
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Dave and Erin Ripper
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Dave Ripper recently joined the GC staff as the Pastor of Young Adult Ministries. He and his wife, Erin, are graduates of Grove City College and Denver Seminary. Erin works as a psychotherapist, specializing in child, adolescent, and family therapy. They are passionate about helping people far from God become fully-devoted followers of Christ. The Rippers live in East Arlington with their yellow lab, Howdy, and love to scheme ways to travel anywhere they can. |
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Jim Wallace
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Jim is currently a Fellow and Senior Research Associate with Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs. He served as a pastor in the U.S. and Canada for over 30 years and also as a senior political advisor in Canada for 18 years. He is co-author of a forthcoming book with Oxford University Press (2013), Smarter Than You Think: The Surprising Emergence of an Evangelical Intelligentsia in America. Additionally, he is working on a second book project entitled Blowback of the Gods: The U.S. Government’s Covert Use of Religion as a Tool of Foreign Policy in the Early Cold War Years and Its Consequences.
Jim earned a doctorate in theology and ministry from Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School. And he has a PhD (ABD) from Boston University in Political Science/International Relations. His areas of expertise are international affairs and religion, Islamic political movements, and religion and politics in China.
Jim and his wife, Barton, have been a part of Grace Chapel for 3 years where Jim has taught in the Adult Discipleship program – “God and Caesar: The Ancient Modern Clash” – and Barton sings on the Worship Team. They have three adult daughters and two sons-in-law.
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Doug Whallon
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Doug is the Pastor of Discipleship and Community at Grace Chapel. Before taking up that position, he served with the college ministry InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 21 years, working with students at Harvard, then coordinating the ministry in Boston and New England, and eventually serving on the national campus steering team.
Doug was a history major at Princeton, then attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for a Master of Divinity degree. A decade later, he completed his Doctorate of Ministry. Several summers ago, he delighted in being part of the Malawi missions team, as he taught the pastors’ conference there.
Doug is passionate about helping people connect with God in a personal and life-changing way. Three of his favorite ways of encouraging this are through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, reflection, and Bible reading; through biblical community; and through dynamic Bible study. Doug loves teaching people to study the Bible on their own and in groups, in thoughtful and application-oriented ways.
He and his wife Mary live in Bedford, a simple 6-mile bike ride from Grace Chapel. Doug enjoys people, tennis, astronomy, and woodworking. Mary volunteers with the music ministry and has helped coordinate and teach adult courses on parenting and N.T. Wright’s Simply Christian series. They are both very proud of their four children: John, Laura, Katie, and Peter. |
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