Meet the staff
Rev. Brandon Candee (Senior Pastor)
A Spirit-filled believer in the Word of God, and an advocate for prayer and walking closely with Jesus through Christian community, Brandon has served in pastoral ministry since 2010 in KY, SC, and as an Army Chaplain. He's served as the senior pastor of Grace Community since August 2018.
Prior to coming to Grace Community, he spent a year in Afghanistan as a Task Force Chaplain. Before retiring as an Army Chaplain in 2021, he served as a Civil Affairs NCO and Combat Engineer Officer, with deployments to Bosnia (1996), Iraq (2003-2004), and Afghanistan (2017-2018).
Brandon is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary (M. Div.) and of the University of South Carolina. Before surrendering to God’s call to ordained ministry, he spent three years as a US Secret Service Agent in Miami and West Palm Beach, FL.
Brandon's been married to Angela since 2004. She previously served as the Associate Director of Youth Ministries for the SC Baptist Convention and has a deep heart for worship, people, and Scripture. Together, they have three awesome kids: Colton, Cade, and Caroline.
Gamecock football, golf, oyster roasts, and trips to the mountains for hiking and camping are near to his heart.
Favorite Bible Verse:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20, NASB).
Please check out our “About Us” page if you’re interested in some of Brandon's core beliefs.
Brian Arant (Worship Pastor)
Born and raised in Charlotte NC, Brian has over 15 years experience in music and pastoral ministry at churches in North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and South Carolina. Combining his love for The Lord and music, Brian has a passion for creating engaging worship services that clearly communicate the Gospel of Jesus and the mission of the local church. Brian is a graduate of Liberty University and resides in Gastonia with his wife Kimberly. In their free time they enjoy spending time with their children, hiking, exploring new places, cooking and cheering on the New York Yankees
and UNC Tarheels!
Favorite Bible Verses:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
"He has shown thee, O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah 6:8)
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)
"O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." (Psalm 95:1-7)
PJ Rodriguez (Youth Pastor)
PJ Rodriguez
PJ and his wife Dani just moved here to join us from Germany. They have been serving as kids and youth pastors for the past 7 years and have recently made the decision to move back to the states and join our team at Grace Community Church. They both have a huge heart for teenagers and want to see them grow into their own personal relationships with God. If asked what the most important part of youth ministry is, they would both say that the key of any good youth ministry is relationships then discipleship. Without a good foundational relationship with the teens we can’t make good disciples. We are excited to have them here with us and we are looking forward to seeing what they will do with our amazing youth.
Favorite Bible Verses:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Philippians 4: 4-7
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus.
Dani Rodriguez (Director of Christian Education, Children's Pastor, and Administrative Assistant)
Danila Rodriguez was born and raised in Germany in a German / American household and grew up loving and serving the Lord from an early age on. The past years of her life she has gained lots of experience and training in two areas that she is very passionate about: children’s’ ministry and administration. She trained in Germany to be an office manager and also served the past 7 years pastoring the children’s ministry in a large church in Germany.
Her love for Jesus and passion for people, and especially children, make her a wonderful fit for this ministry. She also brings innovative ideas for leadership within the congregation from her past experience.
She loves coffee, animals and nature – she won’t ever turn down an invitation to have a cup of coffee with her and talk about faith and life.
Danila and her husband PJ are passionate about serving the Lord and church together. They have been married since 2014 and just moved back from serving in Germany in March 2022.
One of her favorite songs is So will I ( 100 Billion X) by Hillsong:
And as You speak
A hundred billion galaxies are born
In the vapor of Your breath the planets form
If the stars were made to worship so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made
Every burning star
A signal fire of grace
If creation sings Your praises so will I
God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice
Meet the Elders
Brandon Candee
Elder Sr. Pastor
Gregg Johnston
Elder Congregational Care
Al Austin
Elder Finance