Richard L. Blackwell, Jr. - Richard (Dick) Blackwell, one of the founding pastors of Grace Network, was born in Richmond, Virginia and educated at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering. After giving his life to the Lord in 1970, Dick worked as a professional engineer in the environmental field while obtaining a Master of Divinity degree from Erskine Theological Seminary. In 1976, Dick moved to Harrisonburg, VA, where he started Church in the Valley. In December of 1984, he began new work, which is now Grace Covenant Church Harrisonburg. Dick also helped plant churches in Fredericksburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, Virginia, as well as in Montevideo, Uruguay. Although retired from the status of Senior Pastor, Dick continues to serve in a leadership capacity at Grace Covenant Church in Harrisonburg and is the founder and Senior Engineer of Blackwell Engineering, PLC.

Dick’s heart for the network is to strengthen churches, to encourage those in church leadership, and to help churches advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. He and his wife Becky have been married 46 years and have 5 married children and 14 grandchildren.

David Butt - David Butt currently serves as a director with Grace Network and functions as a consultant for Leadership Development and Pastoral Ministry within the Network where his gift of administration, keen insight and genuine compassion for people has had a significant impact on network growth and activity. A native of Virginia, David received a B.S. degree from the University of Wyoming and taught secondary math and science for nine years. During this time, he also served as an elder at Raccoon Ford Christian Fellowship (RFCF) and attended Gordon-Conwell Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity degree and, subsequently, accepted a position as senior pastor of RFCF. David later assumed the role of Associate Pastor at Christ Community Church (Charlottesville), facilitated a church plant in Orange, Virginia, and planted Blue Ridge Community Church, where he served as Senior Pastor from 1998-2006. In addition to his role as director and consultant, David also serves as the Grace Network Missions representative for international Tri-Network dialogue regarding potential inter-network mission efforts. David has an extensive background in Missions and has served in Slovenia, Britain, and Haiti.  He continues to actively serve on the Grace Network Haiti Council, a coordinated effort between Grace Network churches for the purpose of assisting Eglise Baptiste in its ministry to the people of Haiti. David and his wife Amy have been married for 30 years and have two grown children.

Ernest Custalow - Ernest Custalow serves as senior pastor of Grace Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia, one of the fastest growing churches in the network. As a Native American Indian from the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, Ernest gave his life to the Lord at the age of 9 and began serving in leadership roles while still in his teens. He is a gifted leader with a sincere desire to see people grow in their relationship with God and fulfill God’s calling in their lives. He has a strong gift of exhortation and is actively involved in worship, leadership development and church planting. Those who know Ernest often refer to him as a “speaker of Truth and a lover of the Word.” Ernest and his wife Mary have been married for 26 years and have three children. They reside in Fredericksburg.

Jack Groblewski - Jack Groblewski has served as senior pastor of New Covenant Christian Community Church (Bethlehem, PA) since April of 1982 and, with the church, has been a member of Grace Network since its inception. He began serving as a Grace Network director during the 1990’s. A graduate of Moravian Theological Seminary, Jack is a gifted and insightful teacher who is known for his ability to mix humor with deep theological revelation. He has a strong passion and understanding for other cultures and is respected both nationally and internationally for his ability to reach across cultural lines and minister with great insight and compassion. In addition to his roles of pastor and network director, Jack also serves on the Apostolic Team of New Life Christian Fellowship Church in Lincoln, England, and represents Grace Network on an international level as a Tri-Network director with the directors from Ground Level (U.K.) and The Christian Network (S.A.). Jack and his wife Tricia have been married 36 years and have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. They reside in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

John Manzano - John Manzano is one of the founding directors of Grace Network and has been in pastoral ministry since 1969. He grew up in New York City and graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in philosophy. He also attended Elim Bible Institute (EBI), near Rochester, NY, and subsequently accepted a position at EBI, where he taught for five years. John and his wife Alyson relocated to Virginia in 1974, where John served as pastor of Oakleigh Christian Fellowship. It was during that time that he became acquainted with Dick Blackwell, and a friendship and strong peer-mentoring relationship quickly developed. This resulted in the beginning of Grace Presbytery and Ministries International, which is known today as Grace Network. John founded and currently serves as a pastor with Christ Community Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. He and his wife Alyson have been happily married for 40 years and have 4 sons and 6 grandchildren.