Roland Eskinazi was born to Egyptian parents in Harare, Zimbabwe.  His father, Salomon was a Jew who came to faith in Jesus Christ when Roland was a child.  Roland studied ballet from an early age, travelling to the UK when he was 16.  After performing professionally with the Cape Performing Arts Board in Cape Town (1979-1985), during which time he was converted, he went to study for the pastoral ministry at the Cape Town Baptist Seminary.  It was over that time along with Joachim Rieck (pastor of Eastside Baptist church), that he came to understand the doctrines of grace.  He is especially grateful for the years spent at Wynberg Baptist church – with Brian Stone as Pastor!  After spending a year as a National service chaplain, and a further year as associate Pastor of Mowbray Baptist church, Roland was called to Germiston Baptist church.  He served God’s people there from 1992 to 1999. He was subsequently called to Goodwood Baptist church and has ministered to the church family along with Hanlie (they married in 2001) for the past seven years.  Along with his pastoral responsibilities, Roland serves on the Organising team of the Grace Ministers’ conference and is a member of the Board of the Bible Institute of SA where he has the privilege of lecturing in the Christian Leadership Programme in the Cape Flats.

Denis Stephen was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and attended Wynberg Baptist Church until he married Lyn in 1976. He and Lyn moved to Goodwood where they joined the fellowship in 1977.  Jenny was born to them in 1980 and Christine in 1983.  Jenny is a teacher-counsellor at a primary school in Cape Town and Christine is doing her internship in Pietermaritzburg after graduating last year as a medical doctor.
Lyn passed away in March 2003 as a result of a serious motor accident.  The year following her death, was for Denis the most difficult one of his life, but also the one in which he grew more spiritually than ever before. God proved Himself over and over again, strengthening and sustaining him throughout that dark period.
A “chance” meeting, on a busy Friday evening in a small shop in the huge Canal Walk shopping centre in Cape Town, with a lady Denis had known for many years through Scripture Union activities and teaching, led to Glenda and he marrying on 31 December 2005. Glenda has three daughters: Sharon is married and is a preschool teacher, Wendy-Lynn is studying at a business college and Kirsty is in matric.
Denis has been a primary school teacher since 1975. His training was done at Paarl Teachers’ College and Stellenbosch University.  He is at present headmaster of Blouberg Ridge Primary School, a vibrant school in the middle of one of the fastest growing residential areas in the country, but also an area with the highest divorce rate.  The opportunities for ministry to children, their parents and the teachers are many.
His Christian ministry has been quite varied.  Denis began in high school being involved in the local YFC Club and Youth Group at Church.  When in Grade 11, he served for the first time at a SU Camp. The following years saw much involvement with SU through Beach Missions
(where he first met Glenda in 1973!), Holiday Clubs, Camps and Primary Schools’ Work.  When at GBC, he was involved as a deacon, running the first Sunday School and then the Youth Club for teenagers, being the Camp Director for the annual Family Camp for about 10 years, running a Couples’ Group, heading up the worship team and, for the past 11⁄2 years, as elder.
 
Colin Tomlinson was born in a gold-mining village west of Johannesburg in 1940.  He was raised as a nominal Anglican. Later, as an early teenager, he moved with his family to the South Coast, Natal where he in 1965 married Barbara McArthur.  He and Barbara moved to Cape Town in 1967. They now have four adult children and four grandchildren.
Colin and his wife accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour in the mid 70s and immediately committed themselves to serving God in church fellowship.  Colin soon felt called to mission and he and his wife have – after training at the Bible Institute of SA in Kalk Bay – spent the last 25 years working with Middle East Christian Outreach, most of the time in Istanbul, Turkey.  They retired from field service at the end of 2005 and Colin is currently the director of Middle East Christian Outreach South Africa.  Colin also leads the Missions Committee at GBC besides serving as an elder.

John Whaits’ high school years were spent in Mossel Bay and it was there that he began his banking career with Barclays Bank. He writes: “I retired 42 years later as a manager from the by now called First National Bank. After a stint at Mossel Bay and Albertinia I was transferred to Cape Town and it was here in 1956, by God’s wonderful grace that I came to know Him as Lord and Saviour.
I met and married my wife Margaret and together we were involved for many years (until I retired) in youth work of various forms. We were foundation members of GBC and from early days I was the treasurer of the church until 2001 when they set me aside to serve the Lord as an elder.
We have 3 children; Delmarie Blackbeard married to Richard and living in Pretoria, Trevor and Marié who live in Robertson and our youngest  Wendy Wyatt married to Barry and living outside of East London. All our children are following the Lord for which we thank God. We have been blessed with 7 lovely grandchildren who bring us much happiness and it was with much joy that we witnessed the baptism of our eldest grandchild Bronwen in Pretoria during June 2006.”