Staff & Ministry Leaders

Arun Paul is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church. He is also the assistant presiding elder for the Central Illinois District of the Great Lakes Annual Conference. Arun is deeply passionate about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, nurturing Christian disciples, and cultivating Christian leadership to bring transformation in the world. Arun has lived in India, South Korea, and the United States. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Himachal Pradesh University, India; Master of Divinity from Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology in Seoul, South Korea; and his Ph.D in Intercultural Studies/Contextual Theology from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Arun is a lifelong learner. He enjoys hiking, cooking, socializing with friends, and spending time with his lovely wife, Ruth, his two incredible daughters, Ria and Vienna, and his adorable dog, Nino.

Brenda was born in Effingham, Illinois and at the age of three moved to Tacoma, Washington for six months. After returning to Illinois, the family settled in Decatur, Illinois. She grew up with grandparents on both sides and parents who loved the Lord and were faithful to be in God’s Word and serving in the church. Love for nature has always been a part of her desire for creating art and being inspired by God’s creations. That led to more than 20 years of managing an art gallery and custom framing. In that business, she also found enjoyment in the business of bookkeeping. In 2013, she semi-retired from an accounting firm. Since that time, it has become apparent the LORD was preparing her for serving in the church in many capacities.

Karyn was raised in Decatur, Illinois. As of 2025, she has been married to her husband for 31 years and they have two daughters and two grandchildren. Karyn loves to read and garden.

Jené is originally from Morgantown, WV and has made her home in Decatur with her husband Verl since 1987. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, hiking, and anything that gets her out in nature. She loves the Lord Jesus and is happy to be serving Him with the staff of Grace Community Church.

Carol is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a BA in Psychology. She retired at the end of the school year in 2025. She has worked for the Decatur Public Schools as a life skills teaching assistant for 20 years. Along with congregational care and social media at Grace Community Church since 2014, she is the Illinois Central District Prayer Leader for the Global Methodist Church. For fun she hosts the Sower’s Book Club and the Sowing Seeds of Prayer groups as an offshoot through Seedbed, Inc. She loves cats and enjoys making cards and being outside. Carol is married to Anthony “Tony” Perry

Karen grew up in Mt. Morris, and after college worked as a librarian for the Mt. Zion School District. She accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Saviour at a Billy Graham Crusade. She became a member at Grace in 2019. Since then, she has continued her volunteer work at New Life Pregnancy Center and also volunteers at Grace in many ways.

Mary Beth has led a multi-faceted career as a performer, educator, and director of music. She holds a M. M. in Opera Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University (2001) and a B. M. in Music Ed./Piano from Mercyhurst University (1992). Mary Beth enjoys RV living, science fiction, singing rock music, makeup design, and her two adorable cats!

Dave Mundy grew up in Lafayette Indiana. He met his wife here in Decatur and that is what brought him to Decatur. He has 4 kids and enjoys spending time with them. Dave enjoys buying and selling and enjoys going to estate sales, flea markets, and auctions. Dave also loves to cook and bake. Dave has worked here for 14 years and enjoys working with and planning events for various committees. He is anxious to see what God has in store for Grace Community Church.

Mitch says he took his time coming to God. He entered broadcasting television production and enjoyed quite a bit of success. Television production has changed a lot over the past few years. What used to involve seven people in a full control room now is served by Mitch each Sunday from the balcony in the sanctuary. That means equipment is more important than before. Our Sunday Grace Community Church service now airs at 7am, 11am and 2pm on WICS-20, and is also on YouTube each week. Mitch enjoys taking part in tv projects as needed. He is single, a lifelong cat collector, and collector of stuff.

Rosie Baker is from Mississippi. She grew up in Decatur, Illinois. She has 4 kids, and she loves being a mother. Rosie has a big heart and is very caring. Rosie enjoys outdoor sports like dirt bike riding, four wheeling, hiking and fishing. She is excited to be working here at Grace as part of the church staff. Rosie says the people here are friendly and the people on staff are amazing. Lastly, Rosie would like to thank everyone for giving her the chance to work here. God Bless!

Pete, and his wife Julie, have been members of Grace Community since 1979, and have raised three children here. Pete went to Asbury Theological Seminary, at age 62, in 2015, and graduated in 2019. Pete loves his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and loves to spread the Gospel message by teaching Bible studies and singing in the choir!

Julie and husband Pete have been members at Grace since moving here years ago. They raised their family here, celebrated marriages and held funerals in our sanctuary. Julie says that in many ways she has never felt as close to her Grace family as she does now. Sisters in Christ Bible study and Sunday School studies have connected her in fellowship with close friends as they grow in faith together, increasing their understanding and love for our Lord Jesus Christ day by day.

Judy has attended Grace Community for over 40 years. She enjoys working at the church’s thrift shop. Her greatest joy is working with children and youth and teaching them about Jesus.

Cindy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music, from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She has worked with the Children’s music program at Grace for many years. She firmly believes that singing is the best way to learn and memorize Scripture, and loves sharing God’s word with the children at Grace, through fun and Spirit-filled songs.