Meet the Staff of Bridgeway

Matt Gruel, Senior Pastor

Matt came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as a child, but he started to live out his faith while a student at Butler University. In college, Matt was heavily involved and discipled through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. As a result of that involvement, he had the opportunity to minister to Muslims in a large Middle Eastern country. While there for a year, God instilled in Matt a love for outreach and diversity, which ultimately led him to Bridgeway.

Matt started his work at Bridgeway while a student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL. He has since received his Master of Divinity degree, and began working full time with the church. Matt also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Butler University which has proved very valuable with the worship and music ministry at Bridgeway Community Church.

Pastor Matt resides in Batavia with his wife Cynthia and two sons, Cameron and Caleb.

You may contact him via e-mail here.

Robert Paye, Pastor of Outreach

Robert (a Liberian national) was born and raised in a religious home, but it was not until he was 18 when he placed his faith in Jesus as his Savior and Lord. His early spiritual foundation and growth were laid and upheld by a Worldwide Evangelization Crusade planted church (United Liberia Inland Church) in Liberia, West Africa. Having been burdened to enter the pastorate, he entered African Bible College where he graduated cum laude with a major in Bible Studies, and then served the ULIC as a pastor and a recruiter of the Association of Evangelicals of Liberia. Most of his outreach and pastoral services were rendered during Liberia's long running 14-year civil war.

Robert came to Wheaton College (IL) as a Billy Graham Scholar (1999) and received his Master of Arts in Biblical Theology in 2001. His family worshipped with the Bridgeway family for two years before he took up the present position as Pastor of Outreach. He is an Intercultural Studies doctoral student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in Deerfield, IL.

Robert lives in Carol Stream with his wife Marie and their five children, Dato, Robin, Muabon, Dyeato, and Jiajay.

You may contact him via e-mail here.

Jerry Hwang, Pastor of Student Ministries

Jerry serves as our Pastor of Student Ministries, which includes Junior High, High School, and College students. Though born in Ohio, Jerry grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and served in pastoral ministry for 9 years in several Chinese-American churches in southern California. He comes to Bridgeway with a passion for cultural diversity and learning languages.

Jerry is studying for his Ph.D. in Old Testament from Wheaton College. Prior to studying at Wheaton, Jerry received his Master of Divinity degree from Talbot School of Theology, Biola University and his B.A. in Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley. He worked as a software engineer for four years before entering full-time ministry.

Jerry and his wife Jackie live in Wheaton with their two children, Josie and Jacob. After graduation, their family plans to minister in southeast Asia as theological educators. You may contact him via e-mail here.

Church Council:

Pastoral Leadership Team

Matt Gruel (President)
Brian Howell
Robert Paye
Robert Whitt, Jr.

Ministry Leadership Team

John Hall (Treasurer)
Tiffany Kriner
Dave Moore
Kirsti Nolberto
Theresa Teachman (Vice-President)
Matt Wolf (Secretary)
Bonnie Wolf

Leaders of Ministries

Matt Gruel (Senior Pastor)
Robert Paye (Pastor of Outreach)
Jerry Hwang (Pastor of Student Ministries)
Kirsti Nolberto (Worship Team Leader)
Marissa Sabio (ESL Ministry Team Leader)
Theresa Teachman (Office Manager)