About Grace Chapel
Get To Know Us!
Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve, Go
Welcome to Grace Chapel. We hope that our church is a place where you feel welcomed. Grace Chapel’s mission is to find true life in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. There is so much available through Him. We will spend the rest of our lives and eternity getting to know Him more.
At Grace Chapel you will find that our ministry is focused on 5 key objectives:
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A Lifestyle of Worship
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Connect to God and Others
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A Place to Grow
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Saved People Serve Others
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His Message, Our Mission – Go
Relationships and learning are essentials as we experience life together in Christ. Connections at Grace Chapel are designed to provide spiritual and practical helps to each of us as well as our families as we pursue God together.
Ministry Team
Lead Pastor:
Mark & Cynthia Gardner
Pastor Mark has a teacher’s heart to help people understand the good news of Jesus Christ and live a champion’s life through the power of the Holy Spirit. In 2004 Pastor Mark returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom to become the full-time pastor at Grace Chapel. When it is time to relax, Pastor Mark enjoys working on his boat (sometimes fishing in it), fiddling around in the woodshop or yard, or enjoying a Texans or Bills football game.
Cindy ministers at the church in a multitude of areas from children’s ministry, to a vocalist on the worship team, prayer/counseling, and managing the office during the week. She is especially proud to be ‘Mimi’ to her four grandchildren. Two live with their son, Jesse, and wife, Jessica, in western New York. The other two live with their daughter, Brittni, and husband, Austin, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cindy would be happy to show you pictures of the grandkids, Joshua, Hudson, Judah, and Charlotte.
Pastor Mark holds a Master of Education Administration from Sam Houston State University, another Master of Bible and Theology from Southwestern Assemblies of God University, and is a retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 from the United States Army.
Assistant Pastor (Music Pastor/Christian Education Pastor) – Sonia Akers
Sonia Akers has been part of our Grace Chapel church family since 2002. She was the volunteer worship leader for many years as she taught full time in the public school system. In 2013 The Lord called her to be a part of the full-time staff at Grace. As the worship leader, her passion to touch the heart of God is reflected in our powerful worship services. In her role as the Family Life Pastor she is training and equipping children’s leaders to be the most effective teachers in their ministries. Sonia is also the Women’s Ministry Director. She loves connecting both with individuals and groups of women. With each ministry she leads, she loves watching people grow spiritually and encourages them to walk in the gifts God has equipped them with. Her education background ranges from Northwest (Assembly of God) University to Central Washington University with degrees in Music and Education. Sonia is married to Mark Akers, who is very involved in Grace Chapel Church and has two beautiful children, Caleb and Abigail who are future Grace Chapel leaders.
Little Lambs Preschool Director – Sonia Akers
The preschool is directed by Pastor Sonia Akers. Pastor Sonia is the Associate Pastor of Grace Chapel Assembly of God Church. She is the Pastor over the Worship Arts Ministry, Christian Education and Women’s Ministry. She is a certified teacher with certifications in Early Childhood to 8th Grade. She was a public school teacher at Smith Elementary in the Magnolia ISD for 11 years. She completed her education in Washington State where she taught for one year prior to meeting her husband and moving to Texas. Pastor Sonia had been on staff at Grace Chapel since 2007.
Pastor Sonia is married to Pastor Mark Akers. He is a Professional FireFighter for both the Houston Fire Department and the Magnolia Fire Department. He is also the chaplain for both the Magnolia Fire Department and the IAFF Houston Fire Department. They have two children. Their eldest Caleb and their youngest Abigail.
Her passion is for children's education and the development of the whole child- physically, emotionally, and spiritually.