Our Story
Serving God For 20 Years
Grace Harbor began as a church plant in 2002. In 2004 the church almost decided to close its doors, because a lack of funding and other resources had led the original church planting pastor to pull back from the church. A small group of people, however, decided to continue meeting together in the Courtyard Marriott in Downcity Providence for the next few years.
In 2009, the church replanted itself with the structure and documents that we are governed by today. In December of 2012 Grace Harbor moved into a historic church building on the edge of downtown where we currently meet together each Lord’s Day and throughout the week for special gatherings.
By God’s grace, as members of Christ’s body, we continue to be conformed into the image of His Son to display His character and His gospel in the city of Providence and the surrounding areas. We trust that this is our future as well, as we commit ourselves to loving one another and obeying His commands out of our love for Him.
We are a church that seeks to display God’s glory among ourselves, our community, and the nations, by being Gospel-centered and Word-driven as we worship God according to His commands in community together. We are a group of baptized believers that affirm what is written in our church statement of faith and covenant. We are a congregational church that is led by a plurality of elders and served by deacons and deaconesses.
Pastoral Bios
Elders/Pastors are men in the church who, according to scripture, are to devote themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer (Acts 6:4). Their qualifications are laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Kevin McKay, Lead Pastor
Kevin grew up in Northern Virginia where he came to see himself as a sinner in need of a savior under the ministry of Hamilton Baptist Church. After high school, he moved to Tennessee where he received a degree in Communications from Carson-Newman College. There, he met his wonderful wife, Melissa, and they married in 2003. He attended that school from a distance while working on staff at a church in Knoxville, TN, as a student minister. There, he and his wife were involved in inner-city ministry with high school students. In 2006 Kevin and Melissa moved to Washington D.C., where Kevin was a part of the internship program and then the staff of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Kevin was sent out by Capitol Hill Baptist Church in August 2008 to Providence, RI, to become the pastor of Grace Harbor Church. He completed his formal theological training at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Kevin and Melissa are thankful for the family that God has given them in Grace Harbor, and happy to call Providence home. They live in Elmhurst with their three children: Silas, Titus, and Malia.
Travis Rymer, Associate Pastor
Travis and his wife Rebeca originally come to Grace Harbor from Chattanooga, TN. They met working at Sam’s Club and have three children (two boys and a girl). He was educated at The Criswell College (BA Biblical Studies, 2002) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MA Old Testament, MA Biblical Languages, 2008). He had the privilege of learning from the pastors at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC as a pastoral intern following seminary. After a short stint in his home town, he and his family moved to Providence, RI in 2010. In addition to serving as an associate pastor here among Grace Harbor, Travis served under the North American Mission Board as The Protestant Minister at Johnson & Wales University. Travis and his family reside in Providence.
Jason Hsieh, Pastor of Discipleship and Counseling
A native of southern California, God used the divorce of Jason’s parents to bring him to faith in Jesus Christ. As Grace Harbor’s Pastor of Discipleship and Counseling, he considers it a privilege to walk alongside others amid life’s struggles. Prior to coming to Grace Harbor, Jason worked in health care policy and served in various counseling and discipleship ministries at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He also served as the pastor of counseling and discipleship at Trinity Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI, where he started a podcast titled Trinity Life, a ministry aimed at encouraging and equipping the congregation on various matters of the Christian life. Jason also currently serves as the executive director of Paradigm Biblical Counseling and writes regularly for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. He received a bachelor’s degree in clinical nutrition from the University of California at Davis, a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master's degree in biblical counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jason enjoys drinking tea, listening to classical music, lifting weights, and following pro basketball, tennis, and baseball. He and his wife Tracy love watching British dramas and raising their daughter together.
Jai Paul, Lay Pastor
Jai was born, and grew up in, Bangalore, India. After completing his Bachelor’s in India, he came to the US to pursue a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After that, he started working in the medical device industry. He also has a Master’s in Applied Mathematics, and has just finished a Masters of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jai is a huge fan of tennis and he loves watching and playing it as often as possible. He and his wife Beena have been married since 2003. They also have a yellow Labrador, named Pepsi, who is getting up in age.
Tom Hines, Lay Pastor
Tom grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where he met and married his wife Mary Jo. The Lord saved and called both of them in college at the University of Nebraska Omaha. They quickly became involved in campus ministry. Tom went on to medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha where he began a campus Bible Study that ministered to medical students, faculty, and staff. He received his pediatrics training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis Missouri. He and his wife came to RI in 1988 as a part of a church plant. They were involved in evangelism, college ministry, and adult ministry in their local church. Tom also had responsibilities of preaching and teaching. They became members of Grace Harbor in January of 2017. Tom and Mary Jo have a heart to see the Gospel proclaimed in New England, and in particular, Rhode Island. Tom currently works as a pediatrician at Lincoln Pediatric Associates in Lincoln, RI. He enjoys golfing, hiking, photography, and spending time with his family. They have four grown children: Bethany, Joy, Joseph, Benjamin, and three grandchildren.
Jonathan Crossman, Lay Pastor
Jonathan is a native New Englander and grew up in a Christian home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He heard the Gospel from an early age and doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t believe it. God has gifted Jonathan with musical ability and he loves to use it to bless God’s people by leading the church in song. Jonathan loves to collect instruments and will play anything he can get his hands on. In 2012, Jonathan married Debbie and they spent several years abroad under the ministry of Pastor Mike Gilbart-Smith. In 2014, God called him back to New England and specifically to Grace Harbor Church where he and Debbie have been members ever since. They live in Elmhurst with their four children – Phinehas, Emmett, Owen, and Hannah.
Deacon + Deaconess Bios
Deacons and deaconesses are men and women in the church who serve and uphold the ministry of the word and prayer by freeing the elders up to devote themselves to the ministry of the word and prayer. Deacons and deaconesses do this by giving oversight to particular ministries and in so doing protect the unity of the church. (Acts 6:1-4).
Joan Morse, Deaconess of Childcare
Joan was born and raised in the Philippines as a Roman Catholic. She started attending a protestant church when she was 12 because her parents had been converted, but she did not become a Christian until she was 24 after attending a Bible study held by her employer at work. Joan was sponsored to come to America by a family and studied Early Childhood Education in New Hampshire at Nashua Community College. While attending school there she met Rick, who she married in 2009. Rick has been very instrumental in her growth in the Lord, guiding and encouraging her to pray and be in the word since day one. They became members of Grace Harbor Church in January 2017, and Joan has served as the deaconess of childcare since February of 2018. She is currently finishing up her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and will graduate from Rhode Island College in May of 2018. She prays to be able to utilize her education to serve in the ministry the Lord had entrusted her by His Grace.
Ian Quinn, Deacon of Operations
Ian was born and raised in Rhode Island. During his high school years, Ian began to recognize the depth of his sin and the great love of Christ. He believed in Jesus’ death and resurrection, trusting that his sins were forgiven by God’s grace. In 2018, Ian became a member of Grace Harbor where he has been grateful for the church’s faithfulness to God’s word and the humility of the church body. He also met his wife, Sarah, at Grace Harbor. They currently live in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Providence.
Louis Burgin, Deacon of Financial Care
Louis was an Air Force brat who lived in 5 different states and Izmir, Turkey before graduating from high school and attending college in Missouri. He became a believer at 28 years of age and shortly after met his wife of 27 years at a church in the Chicago suburbs. They moved to Rhode Island in 2001 and began attending Grace Harbor church in 2014. After becoming a believer, Louis was exposed to the Christian Stewardship teaching of Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, Austion Pryor and Randy Alcorn and grew to love the practical financial wisdom found throughout the Bible. Louis and his wife Donna have 2 adult children and live on Warwick Neck where they enjoy the convenience of being within easy walking distance of Rocky Point Park (and Rocky Point Blueberry Farm).
Melanie Makin, Deaconess of Library Resources
Melanie grew up in Maine, and relocated to Rhode Island to study Library Science. She has been working in public libraries since her graduation in 2007. Melanie and her husband Malcolm have been members of Grace Harbor since 2018, and live near Pawtuxet Village with their children, Evangeline and Isaac. She loves finding information and connecting people with great resources in both the public and the church library.
Tim Hartman, Deacon of Technology
Tim relocated to Rhode Island in 2013 after studying Engineering Mechanics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and now works full time at a local company developing simulation software for other engineers. Having joined Grace Harbor in 2014, he is grateful for the church’s impact on his growth in the knowledge of the hope to which Jesus Christ has called him. Tim and his wife, Andrea, live in Providence with their four children.