Caleb grew up in Papua New Guinea as a tribal missionary kid to the Dinangat people. He and Alyssa met in 2019 at Hume Lake, after he attended the Joshua Wilderness Institute and they were married in 2020. They have Meadow (5), Liam (3), Goldie (1), and a baby on the way. Caleb has been working at The Summit PT for the past seven years, where he Co-founded and led ProTrain. His greatest delight is knowing the Lord and making his name known to believers and unbelievers. He and Alyssa have a huge heart for hospitality and helping people walk with the Lord in their daily life.

Caleb will oversee the ministries of evangelism and outreach at Grace Church of the Valley beginning June 22. He will use his gifts in public relations as well as leading, evangelizing, equipping, and coming alongside families to help them use their gifts in evangelizing the lost. Caleb's role is directly connected with the GCV Warehouse using it as a strategic tool for ministry through education, training, sports, and social gathering aligned with the mission of the church.

Aaron Logan and Brendan Tomassian have been praying and researching about the possibility of planting a church in the Fresno area. They have approached the elder team to be sent out as church planters from Grace Church of the Valley.

After much prayer, planning, and collaboration, the elders have affirmed to send out Pastor Aaron and Pastor Brendan as church planters in Fresno this coming fall.

There will be more dates and details to come but please begin to pray for this opportunity, for Aaron and Brendan, and how you can be involved through giving, prayer, or even being a part of the church plant.

Daniel and his wife, Ally, are blessed with three sons: Judah, Philip, and Shepherd. The Russell family is thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for his faithfulness, kindness, and grace toward them and look forward to loving and serving the church for the glory of God.

Over the past four years, Tara and I have been privileged to serve alongside the saints here at Grace Church of the Valley and these have been some of the sweetest years of our lives. Yet with our church being a training center for men pursuing pastoral ministry, the bittersweet reality is that some will leave to continue the mission of the church in other areas of the world where the Gospel has yet to mature.

It is because of this that Tara and I have decided, and been affirmed by the Elders, to move to Albania in the summer of 2026 to serve alongside our missionaries, Cory and Kristine Cramer. 

Our goal in partnering with the Cramers would be to see the mission of the Church go forth in teaching the whole counsel of God so that many would be saved and equipped to glorify the Lord as they walk with him. Some of the work I will be engaged in will be:

• Coming alongside Cory to see men in this church mature in Christ and pursue leadership within their homes, jobs, and in the Church.
• Provide support to the Mission of Thrive to see the church in Albania nationally established and strengthened.
• Bring stability and leadership to the fruitful youth ministry of Kisha e Krishtit Pogradec.
• Be an example in faith and conduct of what it looks like to daily live for Christ.

Ultimately, we all have been saved and sanctified in order that we may walk in good works that the Lord has prepared for us so that we may see God’s name magnified in all we do!

We praise the Lord for his kindness, grace, and for you whom we have labored alongside in the Gospel these past few years. As Paul says in Philippians 1:8, Tara and I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. Please pray that God’s name may be hallowed in all the earth through our continued efforts of seeing men equipped and sent out through GCV.

Please continue to support us through your prayers; the Lord will use them!

To support us financially, please go to: thrivemissions.org/give

In Christ,

Spencer and Tara Long

Isaias was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, where God graciously saved him and gave him a love for his Word and the local church. At the age of 21, Isaias moved to New Zealand. Brittany was born in Texas and grew up in Michigan, USA, where the Lord brought her to saving faith and gave her a heart for women’s and children’s ministry. She moved to New Zealand when she was 19. Isaias and Brittany met and married in New Zealand and have been serving at Riverbend Bible Church. The Cornu family is looking forward to serving the body at Grace Church of the Valley.

Upon returning, Jack will assume an Associate Pastor role at OBC where he aims to strengthen the church by focusing on training men, enhancing family ministry, and meeting shepherding needs. Supporting Senior Pastor Phil Henderson and Music/Children’s Pastor Benji Carey, Jack will work to develop leaders, bolster adult ministries, and provide servant leadership to care for OBC’s flock. His long-term vision includes building on OBC’s foundation to create a healthy church model for others to emulate. Additionally, Jack has accepted the role of Director of EDIFY NZ, a ministry partnered with OBC to strengthen New Zealand churches through biblical truth, sound doctrine, and courageous pastoral leadership.

As Director of EDIFY NZ, Jack will lead initiatives to foster unity among New Zealand pastors and enhance their pastoral training. The elders at GCV are committed to partnering with Jack as a supported church strengthener that will, Lord willing, have generational gospel impact in New Zealand through local church ministry and Edify NZ. Please begin to pray for the Barleys as they prepare over the next nine months to return to New Zealand and talk to Jack to find out more ways you can be involved.

GCV's Involvement:

• Bi-Annual short-term Mission Teams to NZ to help with strengthen local churches.
• Supplying speakers and pastoral training for EDIFY NZ conferences and retreats.
• Establishment of a bi-annual NZ/GCV internship program
• Kiwi group visits and updates at GCV
• The potential training of New Zealand seminary students at GCV TMS campus
• Regular prayer support for the Barley’s and the EDIFY NZ ministry
• Financial support for Jack and Michelle as church strengtheners in NZ

Please pray:

1. That we would be faithful in our mission.  In our small church and as the only pastor, I have a full plate shepherding and preaching every week.  Pray for my faithfulness to Christ!
2. Kristine has been given a new opportunity to go into a new prison for women that opened near our city.  She is evangelizing to these ladies each week.  Pray for their salvation.  Most have never heard the gospel and less have understood it.  
3. Pray for the men in our church to be matured and raised up to help shepherd this congregation.
4. Praise for the recent conference and pray that each family will apply all that we learned about God's love.
5. Pray that God provides abundant health, wisdom and endurance as we press on! Those three things keep us going here.”

Grace Church of the Valley Biblical Counseling • Member Care & Gospel Change

Every believer needs the body of Christ for discipleship and relationship. With God’s sufficient Word, biblical counselors offer intensive biblical discipleship for any issue: mental, spiritual, or relational. No problem is too big or too difficult for God’s Word to be applied in God’s transforming grace. Grace Church of the Valley’s biblical counseling ministry exists to glorify God through personal accountability discipleship by speaking the truth in love to direct and restore people to a right fellowship with God and others. If you or someone you know needs help, or to learn more about how to receive counseling, go to graceofthevalley.org/counseling.

Central Valley Biblical Counseling • Training Biblical Counselors 

Grace Church of the Valley recently launched Central Valley Biblical Counseling to provide ACBC-certified training to the Central Valley. We are preparing various levels of training for every Christian, no matter their ministry, to learn how to care for the people around them and shepherd them toward Christlikeness. If you have ever felt unsure of how to help someone navigate life’s difficulties, we can help you help them! To learn more or to sign-up for future training opportunities, go to biblicalcounselingtraining.com.

Global Biblical Counseling • Missions

GCV has partnered with Andrew Rogers of Biblical Counseling Ministries Worldwide which is working to train biblical counselors around the world. We are excited about future opportunities connecting biblical counseling with global missions.

Plural eldership blesses our church as it provides the gifting, oversight, and leadership of multiple men. Far from standing or falling on one man, plural eldership gives our church the security of multiple leaders. Plural leadership also protects our individual elders. No one man has to feel the sole responsibility of our entire church, nor does any one elder have final authority over our whole church by himself. As our church family grows, so too does our need for the blessing and protection of multiple elders.

We are confident that Jose Alcivar, Jack Barley, James Prendergast, and Brendan Tomassian are gifted and qualified to be elders at our church. We believe the Holy Spirit makes a man an elder (Acts 20:28), but that the church is responsible to recognize that appointment. These men have already been ministering with us and during that time, they’ve been part of monthly elders’ meetings, had elder training, and been observed as they have taught and led in our church. You as a church family have provided affirmation and shaping for these men as you’ve responded to them, and we’re confident in adding them to the elder team. That confidence comes from a deliberate process, as we recognize the vital importance of which men become pastors at Grace Church.

You’re invited to give us feedback over the next month. We’d love to hear your affirmation or concerns. You can email, call, or sit down with any of the elders. On February 2, we’ll have an examination time from 12:00 to 2:30 pm in the Warehouse Great Hall that you are all welcome to attend. We’ll examine all four men together in their doctrine, philosophy of ministry, and conduct, so come to be part of that examination. On February 9, the elders will pray and lay hands on them during our morning worship service as we ordain them to be pastors. Join us in prayer and evaluation as we add these four gifted men to our elder team.

Andrew and Jenny Rogers have served with Biblical Counseling Ministries Worldwide (BCMW) since 2013 but in the fall of 2019, Andrew took over as the Executive Director, overseeing the growth of BCMW and traveling around the world to teach and train elders, pastors, and other church ministry leaders in biblical counseling and discipleship ministry.  For more information on BCMW, go to bcmworldwide.org.

Andrew and his wife, Jenny, are both from the Central Valley but have lived in various places across the U.S. They are planning to relocate soon to the Bay area. The Rogers have four children: their eldest son, Zach, is married to Kendra and lives on the East Coast. Their younger son, Hayden, is married to Molly, and they have one son, Dean. Both of their daughters, Kailey and Paige are students a Boyce College in Louisville, KY.