Jeff Bryan

What's your name?

Jeff Bryan

How old are you?

35

Where are you from?

Weatherford, OK; graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Physical Therapy in May of 1997

What do you do for a living?

I've been a practicing physical therapist for over 10 years and am currently employed by HEALTHSOUTH as a manager and lead therapist at the HEALTHSOUTH Rehab Centers in both Burleson and Cityview in Fort Worth.

Tell us about your family.

Married to Amy Bryan since April of 2000; we have two children: Reese (4) and Malley (18 months)

Tell us about your relationship with Christ.

I accepted Christ as my savior in Vacation Bible School in 2nd or 3rd grade. Being raised in a Christian family, following the Lord and going to church was normal for me and established a firm foundation of faith that I would have to call upon later in my college years. In college, like many young adults who experience a newfound freedom in their choices, I regretfully made some bad decisions thinking I could live my life without the help of God.

Fortunately, because of the foundation laid early in my life as a Christian, the Holy Spirit, through a series of events, stripped away my ego, showing me my dependence on God. During this time, God placed a mentor in my life who taught me the tools to study the Bible and to seek God on my own, which was something I had failed to learn throughout my early years. Because of this, I gained a passion for following God that has taken me literally half-way around the world to Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, and Turkey spreading His gospel.

Although my choices in college are regrettable, I would not change my past because through that time, God's grace and my dependence on Him became exceedingly apparent. My past has made me who I am, and God has been faithful in using it to help other believers going through the same situations. I praise God for the journey so far, and am humbled that He has called me to this new role as part of the Shepherding Team. I look forward to serving TCBC as I strive to follow God's will in my life.

How have you been involved in the ministry of Trinity Chapel?

At TCBC, my wife and I have both been part of "behind the scenes" types of roles: I have been involved in the parking ministry and as a Community Group coach for Young Families, and Amy is helps set up Trinity Cafe on Sundays. I have recently taken part in teaching Old Testament History and the book of Revelation in Trinity University, and Amy and I have also been part of Community Groups, as well as currently co-leading a Midweek Group for the college ministry.

What's your vision for the TCBC body?

Going forward, I see TCBC first growing in spiritual maturity, and then in numbers. I truly believe God has blessed this church with a strong core whose main focus is serving Him. This excites me as we, as a church, continue to live out the mission God has called us to, to glorify Him. This will become evident in the community as we learn to live out a missionally-minded lifestyle.

How do you view your role as an elder?

My vision of an elder is taken straight from scripture, mostly from 1 Timothy. As an elder, my main focus is overseeing "the souls" of our church. This is a role I do not take lightly, and fully know I bring nothing to the table; rather, it is by the strength and power of God that I will fulfill this role. My other role is overseeing the direction and guidance of our church. My gift strengths are teaching and understanding scripture, and I plan to bring these gifts with me into this role to ensure that all teaching and equipping of our members is always centered around the Truth.

Finally, if folks in the TCBC body want to get in touch with you during these pre-vote weeks, what's the best way to do so? Phone: 817.271.0530 (cell) or email: jeffrey.bryan@healthsouth.com.

**Note: Jeff was kind enough to send us some other pictures of himself, which we think he didn't really intend for us to use. But we are using them, so joke's on you, Jeff. So enjoy a good laugh (and yes, that really is his high school letter jacket):