Senior Pastor Dale Brooks grew up in a Christian home in Guilford County, North Carolina, the second of four children, and received Christ at 8 years of age. He felt God’s call to the ministry and began to preach in area churches when he was 17. He has served in the pastorate for more than 30 years and has ministered at Grove Park Chapel since 1990. He earned a Bachelor of Theology degree at Piedmont Baptist College in Winston-Salem and a Master of Theology degree at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. In addition, he has completed all the class work toward a Doctor of Ministry degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. He lives in Durham and has been happily married to Karen since 1980. They are the proud parents of three grown children, Melody, Travis, and Courtney. Dale’s ministry for his Lord centers on prayer and biblical expository preaching and teaching, and he is currently leading the congregation on a journey chapter-by-chapter through the entire Bible. He is also heavily involved in all the other responsibilities of the pastoral ministry and serves on the elder board of the church. He has served as a clinic teacher/trainer with Evangelism Explosion. He loves studying and teaching the Bible, and also enjoys sports, hunting, fishing, gardening, reading, and spending time with his family.

Carisa Hicks is our church secretary, and Durham native. Carisa was a real estate & contracts paralegal in the triangle area for ten years, then went into the field of web design before coming to GPC. She has turned in her coat of many colors and traded it for "many hats". This means that she not only handles the weekly administrative duties of the church office but is also the resident web designer, as well as being responsible for other volunteer duties such as coordinating/manning the sound booth and heading up miscellaneous programs and/or committees at GPC. Carisa loves gadgets and all things technical--that is perfect for keeping the wheels turning!

Sandi Wheelis is our preschool director. Sandi is heading up an integral ministry at Grove Park Chapel, children are so important to us! Sandi has a BS in Psychology from Virginia Tech and a MS in Criminal Justice from NCCU. She has worked as a Juvenile Counselor and as a Financial Analyst. Sandi has been involved with GPC preschool since 2004 when her children started attending the preschool. She has been invaluable in growing the ministry, keeping everything running well and accomplishing the goals that maintain the growth of our preschool. Thank you Sandi!

Courtney Brooks is an administrative assistant, also a Durham native. Courtney handles a lot of the fine details for the church office, as well as volunteering her time in several different areas where there is a need for her array of skills. She has many hobbies, one of which is creating reborn dolls, each one requiring a very time-consuming and intricate process to complete. Her eye for such details is one of the many assets that Courtney brings to the table while working at GPC. We couldn't do it without you!