Tess Holechek

RESIDENT EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Nickname: Sillyfrenchy | Enneagram: 9 | APEST: Shepherd | Spouse: Stephen Holechek

Background: I was born and raised in France in an American Missionary family. My parents instilled in me a deep-seated, unshakable faith, however I struggled to walk closely with Jesus as a third-culture kid living in a significantly post-modern culture.

I moved to the states when I was 18 to go to college at a small Christian college in Arkansas. I graduated with a degree in Family Life Education, moved to Colorado and immediately and naturally fell into administrative/financial work. I met my now-husband on his first fund-raising appointment, as he was preparing to go into campus ministry with The Navigators, a worldwide Christian missions organization.

The Lord did a great and difficult work in me in 2009-2010, calling me out of patterns of sin and shame and into a life of freedom and radical redemption. Our wedding in December 2010 was the culmination and celebration of this work. Stephen and I are passionate about advancing the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of disciples. After ministering at UCSD for fifteen years, we are heading to SDSU in the fall (2025) to pioneer a new Navigator ministry with the aim of reaching many students with the good news of Jesus Christ and raising up disciples to change the world. We started attending Grace in the beginning of 2023 and I am SO excited to be serving on staff.

Current role: I exist to make Josh’s life easier! I help manage his schedule, streamline communication, and ensure seamless administrative operations. If you’d like to get coffee with him, let me know!

Hobbies: I hand-make and sell polymer clay earrings, am an avid- coffee drinker, and do not feel like my days are complete without a CrossFit workout!

Fun fact: In 2020 I was certified to be a cardio-dance fitness instructor (with an emphasis on world beats/hip-hop).