Bill Whiteside (Nominee)
My story:
My story with God:
What drew me to TCBC:
My hope for TCBC is:
I was born and raised in Fort Worth and have lived here my whole life. Nicole and I met at a church in Burleson while I was attending TCU and we married the summer after I graduated in 1991. I have worked for an investment research firm ever since. Nicole worked as an administrative assistance for Student Discipleship Ministries and then was a stay at home mom for 15 years before taking current job as the assistant to the Dean of Admissions at TCU. We have two kids, our son Hayden and his girlfriend Cat, our daughter Mallory, and we welcomed our first granddaughter Charlie at the beginning of the year.
My story with God:
I was raised in a home where I learned about God and believed the Bible was true, but as a child I had little understanding of my own sin or my need for God's grace and avoided going to church whenever possible. During middle school, however, God used a quiet youth pastor and several faithful adult leaders to draw me back to church. Through their influence I came to understand that no amount of good behavior could make me right with God, and that salvation was found only through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. As a sophomore in high school, I publicly professed my faith.
Like many believers, my walk has included seasons of both growth and drift. After an early church split left me discouraged, I gradually became less involved, but during college God used a period of loneliness and isolation to lead me back into fellowship with other believers. It was there that my faith began to mature and where I met Nicole. From the beginning, we shared a desire for our marriage and family to be centered on serving Christ together.
Over the years, God gave us opportunities to serve in several churches and to experience both the joys and disappointments that come with life in the body of Christ. Those experiences taught me much about discipleship, leadership, humility, and the dangers of placing my confidence in people rather than in the Lord. Looking back, I can see that God was using both the successes and the painful seasons to reshape my heart. In more recent years, our family has walked through hard times, including job loss, caring for my parents through serious illness, my mother's death, my father's battle with dementia followed by his death, and my ongoing business uncertainty. Through those experiences, God has deepened my dependence on Him, strengthened my marriage, and taught me that joy is not found in favorable circumstances but in Christ Himself.
Like many believers, my walk has included seasons of both growth and drift. After an early church split left me discouraged, I gradually became less involved, but during college God used a period of loneliness and isolation to lead me back into fellowship with other believers. It was there that my faith began to mature and where I met Nicole. From the beginning, we shared a desire for our marriage and family to be centered on serving Christ together.
Over the years, God gave us opportunities to serve in several churches and to experience both the joys and disappointments that come with life in the body of Christ. Those experiences taught me much about discipleship, leadership, humility, and the dangers of placing my confidence in people rather than in the Lord. Looking back, I can see that God was using both the successes and the painful seasons to reshape my heart. In more recent years, our family has walked through hard times, including job loss, caring for my parents through serious illness, my mother's death, my father's battle with dementia followed by his death, and my ongoing business uncertainty. Through those experiences, God has deepened my dependence on Him, strengthened my marriage, and taught me that joy is not found in favorable circumstances but in Christ Himself.
What drew me to TCBC:
After moving back to Fort Worth from Burleson in 2010, we began looking for a church to join. We visited multiple churches but never found a place that seemed like home. Discouraged, we started watching various church services online. Covid further solidified this habit but 5 years ago, we became convicted that we needed Biblical fellowship and connection with other believers that God calls all believers to. We visited TCBC and quickly fell in love with the solid teaching and the authentic community here. Nicole and I have both been blessed and encouraged by the relationships we have found at TCBC.
My hope for TCBC is:
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. My hope for TCBC is that it will continue to grow into a place where people can learn to love God better, to love each other, and to show the world the love of Christ.
Joel Cox
My story:
In west Fort Worth I was born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days. After some years away for college and work, I returned in 2009 and worked at BNSF Railway for 8 years. This is also when I began attending TCBC (2009). While on a mission trip to South Sudan with other TCBCers (Hey Rick!), I discovered an organization called Seed Effect. For the next 9 years I led their microfinance and discipleship operations alongside many awesome South Sudanese and Ugandan staff.
I met Andrea here at TCBC and we got married by a TCBCer (Hey Rick!) in 2015. Andrea had a 10 year career in deaf education and is currently on TCBC staff as the Ministry Coordinator. We have 2 kids, Jay and Mac, in the children’s ministry - Jay loves sports and wants to be a professional baseball player. Mac loves stuffies and wants to be a gymnast and the Tooth Fairy.
My story with God:
I grew up in a Christian family and knew God in my childhood. In my middle school and high school years, I attended church sparingly - my faith was certainly not an active part of my life. In late high school/early college, Jesus became very real to me and my faith and trust in him became personal. I grew in my awareness that left to my own devices and desires, I could be pretty destructive and exclusively self serving. God has used each of my family members in very specific ways to show me who He is. He has and is changing me into someone who trusts Him and finds life to the full in being with Him in what He is up to.
What drew me to TCBC:
When I initially began attending TCBC in 2009, I was drawn to the smaller size and what that afforded in terms of relationships, being known, and opportunities to plug in and serve. I was also drawn to the solid Biblical teaching, but also felt like I was getting that other places. It was the teaching intertwined with the relationships and opportunities to walk out my faith in service that have all fed into each other and grown my faith and love for God and His people here. At TCBC, I have had the opportunity to befriend and learn from people across generations and have loved serving this community in various capacities over the years.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for TCBC is that it would be a place where people can ask and walk through big questions about God and faith, heal from hurt, and grow deep roots of trust in their savior Jesus Christ. I also believe that our relatively smaller size allows us to do things we couldn’t if we were larger and I love when we take advantage of that. In that vein, I hope this is a place where all ministry partners can discover and utilize their gifts to serve the body of Christ. I have been able to use gifts here that I never even knew I had and want that to be true for others here as well.
In west Fort Worth I was born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days. After some years away for college and work, I returned in 2009 and worked at BNSF Railway for 8 years. This is also when I began attending TCBC (2009). While on a mission trip to South Sudan with other TCBCers (Hey Rick!), I discovered an organization called Seed Effect. For the next 9 years I led their microfinance and discipleship operations alongside many awesome South Sudanese and Ugandan staff.
I met Andrea here at TCBC and we got married by a TCBCer (Hey Rick!) in 2015. Andrea had a 10 year career in deaf education and is currently on TCBC staff as the Ministry Coordinator. We have 2 kids, Jay and Mac, in the children’s ministry - Jay loves sports and wants to be a professional baseball player. Mac loves stuffies and wants to be a gymnast and the Tooth Fairy.
My story with God:
I grew up in a Christian family and knew God in my childhood. In my middle school and high school years, I attended church sparingly - my faith was certainly not an active part of my life. In late high school/early college, Jesus became very real to me and my faith and trust in him became personal. I grew in my awareness that left to my own devices and desires, I could be pretty destructive and exclusively self serving. God has used each of my family members in very specific ways to show me who He is. He has and is changing me into someone who trusts Him and finds life to the full in being with Him in what He is up to.
What drew me to TCBC:
When I initially began attending TCBC in 2009, I was drawn to the smaller size and what that afforded in terms of relationships, being known, and opportunities to plug in and serve. I was also drawn to the solid Biblical teaching, but also felt like I was getting that other places. It was the teaching intertwined with the relationships and opportunities to walk out my faith in service that have all fed into each other and grown my faith and love for God and His people here. At TCBC, I have had the opportunity to befriend and learn from people across generations and have loved serving this community in various capacities over the years.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for TCBC is that it would be a place where people can ask and walk through big questions about God and faith, heal from hurt, and grow deep roots of trust in their savior Jesus Christ. I also believe that our relatively smaller size allows us to do things we couldn’t if we were larger and I love when we take advantage of that. In that vein, I hope this is a place where all ministry partners can discover and utilize their gifts to serve the body of Christ. I have been able to use gifts here that I never even knew I had and want that to be true for others here as well.
Chris Harder
My story:
Born in California, grew up mostly in New Mexico and Missouri. After high school, I attended college in Indiana. My parents moved to Denton Texas while I was in college. I worked for the local water utility during the summers of my college years. After college, I worked in Kerrville, Texas for five years before moving to Fort Worth in 1999. I have been employed by the City of Fort Worth water utility for almost 23 years now. Christina and I met in 2002 and have been married since 2004. Christina works for Azle ISD teaching physical education. We have three children – Melanie (16), Rachel (13) and Benjamin (12). Christina and I both grew up loving sports and the outdoors. However, as I get older, I am transitioning to being content with watching sports, instead of actually playing sports.
My story with God:
I have wonderful Christian parents who raised me and my three siblings in the Church. I was saved when I was seven years old, being aware of my own sinfulness and God’s requirement that my sins be covered through the blood of Jesus. I was also motivated by a strong desire to spend eternity in heaven. Through junior high, high school, and college, I felt the Lord’s presence in my life and recognized his mercy and grace, though my attitudes, actions, and treatment of others frequently didn’t honor or glorify my Savior. As I have grown older, I have come to realize that the time and resources God gives us in our life is precious. Though I struggle with sin on a daily basis, I want to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, being ready to serve as my Savior sees fit.
What drew me to TCBC:
Christina and I came from different churches and different denominations. After we were married, we decided we needed to find a church that we were both committed to, involved in, and excited to attend. I’ll admit this was one of the early challenges in our marriage – neither of us wanted to feel like we were “sacrificing” in the selection of a church. Our prayers were answered in Trinity Chapel. We started attending regularly in the fall of 2004 and became ministry partners in 2007. Besides the biblical teaching and focus on corporate worship, we appreciate the children’s programs, men’s and women’s ministries and community groups. Most of all, we have grown to love the people, who we consider to be our extended family.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for TCBC is that as a body we continue to grow in our love and knowledge of our Lord that is demonstrated by our desire to share the gospel, to love, help and encourage each other and those outside of the church, and to teach and stand for truth as revealed in God’s word.
Born in California, grew up mostly in New Mexico and Missouri. After high school, I attended college in Indiana. My parents moved to Denton Texas while I was in college. I worked for the local water utility during the summers of my college years. After college, I worked in Kerrville, Texas for five years before moving to Fort Worth in 1999. I have been employed by the City of Fort Worth water utility for almost 23 years now. Christina and I met in 2002 and have been married since 2004. Christina works for Azle ISD teaching physical education. We have three children – Melanie (16), Rachel (13) and Benjamin (12). Christina and I both grew up loving sports and the outdoors. However, as I get older, I am transitioning to being content with watching sports, instead of actually playing sports.
My story with God:
I have wonderful Christian parents who raised me and my three siblings in the Church. I was saved when I was seven years old, being aware of my own sinfulness and God’s requirement that my sins be covered through the blood of Jesus. I was also motivated by a strong desire to spend eternity in heaven. Through junior high, high school, and college, I felt the Lord’s presence in my life and recognized his mercy and grace, though my attitudes, actions, and treatment of others frequently didn’t honor or glorify my Savior. As I have grown older, I have come to realize that the time and resources God gives us in our life is precious. Though I struggle with sin on a daily basis, I want to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, being ready to serve as my Savior sees fit.
What drew me to TCBC:
Christina and I came from different churches and different denominations. After we were married, we decided we needed to find a church that we were both committed to, involved in, and excited to attend. I’ll admit this was one of the early challenges in our marriage – neither of us wanted to feel like we were “sacrificing” in the selection of a church. Our prayers were answered in Trinity Chapel. We started attending regularly in the fall of 2004 and became ministry partners in 2007. Besides the biblical teaching and focus on corporate worship, we appreciate the children’s programs, men’s and women’s ministries and community groups. Most of all, we have grown to love the people, who we consider to be our extended family.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for TCBC is that as a body we continue to grow in our love and knowledge of our Lord that is demonstrated by our desire to share the gospel, to love, help and encourage each other and those outside of the church, and to teach and stand for truth as revealed in God’s word.
Mike Solari
My story:
I spent most of my youth in Kansas City where my wife Catherine and I both attended Kansas City Christian School. We began dating in our senior year of High School. Having a passion for airplanes I received a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology where Catherine also studied and received a degree in Architectural Engineering. Shortly after college we married and moved to Fort Worth brought here by my job at Lockheed Martin where I've worked since. We've since had three children, Josephine, Jedidiah, and Juliet.
My story with God:
I was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a young age. My mom worked hard to make sure me and my older sisters knew scripture. I struggled in my Middle and High School years straying from God. Thanks to intervention by my parents and the Holy Spirit my heart was recaptured by the Lord in my Junior year of High School. Living in a Christian men's home throughout college gave me extraordinary mentors and friends where my faith deepened. College is also where I discovered a love of teaching as I lead my first Bible studies. In my walk with Christ I have experienced his extraordinary grace, love, and faithfulness. Looking back it is so encouraging to see how he has guided my steps. My need for Jesus is more clear every day and his forgiveness despite my shortcomings is ever more amazing.
What drew me to TCBC:
TCBC was the first church we visited after moving to the near by apartments in 2011. We were brand new to Fort Worth at the time. After looking around for a few months we were drawn here by the depth of the teachers and leaders in the body. The founding lead pastor was on sabbatical that summer and the Elders and others in the body were rotating preaching responsibility during that time. We were so impressed by the depth of so many in a relatively small group of believers. Our affection for this body truly blossomed through a young families Sunday school class we attended during those years. I so cherish our focus on scripture, the strong bonds of love in the body, and the relationships we have developed through the years.
My hope for TCBC:
I spent most of my youth in Kansas City where my wife Catherine and I both attended Kansas City Christian School. We began dating in our senior year of High School. Having a passion for airplanes I received a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology where Catherine also studied and received a degree in Architectural Engineering. Shortly after college we married and moved to Fort Worth brought here by my job at Lockheed Martin where I've worked since. We've since had three children, Josephine, Jedidiah, and Juliet.
My story with God:
I was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a young age. My mom worked hard to make sure me and my older sisters knew scripture. I struggled in my Middle and High School years straying from God. Thanks to intervention by my parents and the Holy Spirit my heart was recaptured by the Lord in my Junior year of High School. Living in a Christian men's home throughout college gave me extraordinary mentors and friends where my faith deepened. College is also where I discovered a love of teaching as I lead my first Bible studies. In my walk with Christ I have experienced his extraordinary grace, love, and faithfulness. Looking back it is so encouraging to see how he has guided my steps. My need for Jesus is more clear every day and his forgiveness despite my shortcomings is ever more amazing.
What drew me to TCBC:
TCBC was the first church we visited after moving to the near by apartments in 2011. We were brand new to Fort Worth at the time. After looking around for a few months we were drawn here by the depth of the teachers and leaders in the body. The founding lead pastor was on sabbatical that summer and the Elders and others in the body were rotating preaching responsibility during that time. We were so impressed by the depth of so many in a relatively small group of believers. Our affection for this body truly blossomed through a young families Sunday school class we attended during those years. I so cherish our focus on scripture, the strong bonds of love in the body, and the relationships we have developed through the years.
My hope for TCBC:
My hope for TCBC is that we would be known by our love both within our body and for the community around us. Following Jesus today is more counter cultural than ever and we're called to the timeless truths found in scripture. My prayer for our body is that we hold fast to those truths while being full of the same love that God showed to us.
JEREMY SNYDER
My story:
I’m a native of Fort Worth and have lived here most of my life. By day I’m a licensed mechanical engineer and principal at a local consulting engineering firm working in commercial construction. I am blessed to have met my wife, Kaci, in my senior year of high school, and we’ve been married since 2009. We have two young kids, Isaac and Ruth, who both attend Southwest Christian School where Kaci works. With the little free time we have, I enjoy running and endurance sports. If you give me the chance, I would love to convince you that you’re a runner too.
My story with God:
Most of my childhood I was not active in a church but was aware of God and what Jesus had done at the cross. I briefly was active with a church in middle school and participated in a youth group but became disconnected late in middle school. My girlfriend in high school (Kaci) asked me to start going to church with her, and I connected with a few people within the church. During this time, I started to see the full picture of our faithful and redemptive God, and how He loves us. After one retreat, I called one of the pastors to meet up with me as I was ready to take the Christian life seriously. We prayed together that night, and that was my Holy Spirt moment when Jesus truly entered my life and the sanctification started. Since then, God has been “ruining” my life, and I’ve learned to never make plans as what God has planned is better. I became involved in our first church because someone asked if I would participate in an outreach activity, which led me to know Christ. Because of my own experience, I’m very passionate about outreach and how it can help bring people to God, through the people being served and the people serving. Early in my faith walk, reading about Jesus’s love of the poor led me to want to serve those in need, which began with making sack lunches and handing them out to those in need. It evolved into serving alongside ministries such as Salvation Army, and then into international missions. Kaci and I spent one year in the mission field in Mexico starting a community center with Christian Relief Fund, and we continue to support the center and the barrio it serves. I’ve continued to serve in short term mission trips as often as I can around the world with Engineering Ministries International. God’s Kingdom is moving here and around the world, and I want to be part of it. I love that the Gospel is cross-cultural, and experiencing God’s love in different cultures helps to show how big the God we serve is.
What drew me to TCBC:
After leaving the first church we were a part of and spending the next few years committed to a small group, I did not see the reason to join another church. We had a great spiritual community we were part of and were growing in our faith. However, when Kaci became pregnant with our first child, God put two things on my heart. One was that our children really need to be brought up within a faith community, one that I did not experience in my youth. The other was moving past expectations of the global church. One of my best friends is James Covey, who is a missionary in Spain the church supports, and he suggested TCBC. The community we found at TCBC was an answer to prayers and continues to be a blessing to me and my family. There are many things about the church to love, but the kindness and honesty of the people at TCBC is encouraging to my daily life.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for any person is that they come to know Jesus and experience God at a personal level. God is sovereign, and as noted before, His Kingdom is moving. Whether we choose to participate or not won’t stop what He’s doing in this world. I hope that everyone at TCBC wraps their lives and identities in being a child of God and an image bearer, and that they have a place in moving his Kingdom forward.
I’m a native of Fort Worth and have lived here most of my life. By day I’m a licensed mechanical engineer and principal at a local consulting engineering firm working in commercial construction. I am blessed to have met my wife, Kaci, in my senior year of high school, and we’ve been married since 2009. We have two young kids, Isaac and Ruth, who both attend Southwest Christian School where Kaci works. With the little free time we have, I enjoy running and endurance sports. If you give me the chance, I would love to convince you that you’re a runner too.
My story with God:
Most of my childhood I was not active in a church but was aware of God and what Jesus had done at the cross. I briefly was active with a church in middle school and participated in a youth group but became disconnected late in middle school. My girlfriend in high school (Kaci) asked me to start going to church with her, and I connected with a few people within the church. During this time, I started to see the full picture of our faithful and redemptive God, and how He loves us. After one retreat, I called one of the pastors to meet up with me as I was ready to take the Christian life seriously. We prayed together that night, and that was my Holy Spirt moment when Jesus truly entered my life and the sanctification started. Since then, God has been “ruining” my life, and I’ve learned to never make plans as what God has planned is better. I became involved in our first church because someone asked if I would participate in an outreach activity, which led me to know Christ. Because of my own experience, I’m very passionate about outreach and how it can help bring people to God, through the people being served and the people serving. Early in my faith walk, reading about Jesus’s love of the poor led me to want to serve those in need, which began with making sack lunches and handing them out to those in need. It evolved into serving alongside ministries such as Salvation Army, and then into international missions. Kaci and I spent one year in the mission field in Mexico starting a community center with Christian Relief Fund, and we continue to support the center and the barrio it serves. I’ve continued to serve in short term mission trips as often as I can around the world with Engineering Ministries International. God’s Kingdom is moving here and around the world, and I want to be part of it. I love that the Gospel is cross-cultural, and experiencing God’s love in different cultures helps to show how big the God we serve is.
What drew me to TCBC:
After leaving the first church we were a part of and spending the next few years committed to a small group, I did not see the reason to join another church. We had a great spiritual community we were part of and were growing in our faith. However, when Kaci became pregnant with our first child, God put two things on my heart. One was that our children really need to be brought up within a faith community, one that I did not experience in my youth. The other was moving past expectations of the global church. One of my best friends is James Covey, who is a missionary in Spain the church supports, and he suggested TCBC. The community we found at TCBC was an answer to prayers and continues to be a blessing to me and my family. There are many things about the church to love, but the kindness and honesty of the people at TCBC is encouraging to my daily life.
My hope for TCBC is:
My hope for any person is that they come to know Jesus and experience God at a personal level. God is sovereign, and as noted before, His Kingdom is moving. Whether we choose to participate or not won’t stop what He’s doing in this world. I hope that everyone at TCBC wraps their lives and identities in being a child of God and an image bearer, and that they have a place in moving his Kingdom forward.