About Us

Danny Lewis - Senior Pastor

Pastor Danny Lewis is a native Texan and well-traveled ‘country kid’. He began the journey of life in May of 1954 in Cass County Texas. The town of his birth was Atlanta, Texas. However, his family lived in the small oilfield community of McLeod.

All of his public school, first through twelfth grade, attendance was at the same school, McLeod Independent School District. Graduating from high school as valedictorian in 1972, Danny was prompted by the Lord to choose ministry as his calling. Thus, his higher education was at Texas Bible College, a United Pentecostal Church college for ministers.

After Bible College, he went into full-time evangelistic work traveling and speaking in Texas and Louisiana. His wife, Donna, is from Eunice, Louisiana. They were married in 1975. Together, they continued to travel through-out the southern states preaching evangelistic meetings for various assemblies and doing volunteer youth work at summer church camps. Their first pastorate was in Tatum, Texas where they served for 6 years. For the next 6 years of their lives they were missionaries to Cameroon, West Africa.

Upon returning from missionary service they took the pastorate of Levelland United Pentecostal Church, in Levelland, Texas for 4 years. They resigned that work to take the reins of leadership at Call United Pentecostal Church, now Gateway Tabernacle, in 1995. Brother and Sister Lewis have traveled and spoken in most of the states of our great nation and several different nations. They are the thankful parents of two adult children: Major Joshlin Lewis, along with his wife Nancy and sons, Jathan and Bradley, Joni Mitchell, along with her husband, Shane and two sons, Daniel and Jace. Brother Lewis has served his church organization, the United Pentecostal Church International, in several capacities through the years.

Shane Mitchell - Pastoral Assistant

Thomas “Shane” Mitchell is a Kirbyville native. Shane has been married to his wife, Joni, since 1999. Together they have 6 wonderful children who are the pride of joy of their lives.  Shane came to Christ at the age of 21 and has been active in ministry ever since. He has done church lawn maintenance, taught all ages of children in Sunday School and kids church, taught classes for recovering addicts, and assisted the pastor.

Todd Francois - Outreach Director

I have been married to my wife, Traci for over twenty-three years. We have two beautiful children, Jeffery and Whitney, and they have been such an amazing blessing in our lives. We were married 11 years before the birth of our first child, so we believe they are both a miracle from God. I completed school in 1983 and I am currently in my last semester of EXCEL, a bible course offered by Texas Bible College.

I was born in Beaumont, Texas where my family lived for two years before moving to Richie, Louisiana, where we attended church at the Richie United Pentecostal Church. At the age of fifteen, I received the Holy Ghost and had a desire to be involved in outreach ministry. At the time, I was attending Rev. Ronnie Lacombe's church in Eunice, LA and I just began to let God use me in soul winning. Little did I know that this would begin a very important part of my ministry.

In 1985 we moved to Thompson, GA and I began to assist the Pastor of our church in home missions work, allowing the Lord to pour out his blessings. In 1991, we moved to Giddings, TX where I assisted Rev. Dean Wagoner for 5 years. As God began to give us new direction, we felt that He was leading us to our current home church in Kirbyville, TX. So, in 1996 we moved and began assisting Rev. Danny Lewis here at Gateway Tabernacle. We have been here now for 11 years and are still seeing the Lord's blessings change lives everyday.

Jennifer Walker - Children's Ministry Director

In 2013 Gateway combined its Wednesday night Kidz Church with the Sunday School ministry. While both of these vital programs continue, they are now operated under a single department; Children's Ministry. This has proven to be a positive step in organizing these programs and their activities. Kidz Church is our Wednesday night service to children under 12 years of age.

Wednesday Night Service starts at 6:30PM | Sunday School starts at 10AM

Jennifer Walker is our Children’s Ministry Director. Jennifer’s career is in the dental field. She is the office manager for Cammack Orthodontics in Jasper, Texas where she has worked for almost 13 years. She married her husband Bob Walker in 1995 and they have 4 wonderful sons and 2 beautiful granddaughters. She enjoys reading, traveling, and spoiling her granddaughters. She has been active in children’s ministry for many years and has filled various other roles over the years. She has a heart for missions and has been on several mission trips locally as well as in Canada and Africa. Through the years God has shown her the great importance of instilling His word in the lives of children. Her desire is that each child would come to know Jesus in a personal and tangible way. That they would be able to have the knowledge and certainty that only He can provide in this world, through the study and application of His word.

Donna Lewis - Music Director

Carylon Hatch - Mission Coordinator

It is a privilege to serve this church as the Missions Coordinator. God has blessed me with a rich Christian heritage. I was privileged to have been raised by godly parents who loved the Lord. I received the Holy Ghost at the age of 8, and God has blessed me richly through the years. Throughout my childhood I was always fascinated with the way that the Lord moved in the lives of our missionaries. I was privileged to spend 12 1/2 of the almost 18 years that my late husband and I were married working in foreign countries. The experiences we had in those countries and the ways that we saw God move gave me a love for missions and a desire to do whatever I could to advance the work of God around the world.

Daniel and Amber Farley - Media Directors

Daniel and Amber Farley are currently the Media Directors at Gateway Tabernacle. Bro. Farley received the gift of the Holy Ghost in December 2004 and Sis. Farley in January 2005 and both felt the call to Youth Ministry early in their discipleship training. In 2015 they both began their roles as Youth Ministry helpers and transitioned to full-time Youth Pastors in 2016; they have 4 children all filled with the Holy Ghost.

Both Bro. and Sis. Farley served as Youth Pastors from 2016 to 2021, Media Team assistants since 2013 and members of the church Safety and Response Team since 2015; Bro. Farley also served as Assistant Principal at Gateway Christian Academy. Bro and Sis Farley have been serving as Media Directors since 2023.

Joni Mitchell - Admin. Assistant

I was born 10 days before Christmas in 1979 to Reverend and Mrs. Danny Lewis. I spent the next 4 1/2 years between a little house and a wooden church pew in Tatum, TX, where my father was pastor until God directed him to Cameroon, Africa to preach. I traveled all over the United States and Canada listening to the same slide presentation for 18 months. Shortly after my 6th birthday, I boarded a KLM 747 jumbo jet and took the first plane ride of three to Africa.

Cameroon was a great playground for me and my 8 year old brother Josh. We enjoyed 4 years among the curious, slow-paced Africans, and then came back to a place of big cars and greasy food where my father settled back into a pastor position in Levelland, TX. In the 4 years that we spent in Levelland, I forged lifelong friendships and grew into a crazy teenager. We were then blessed to move 12 hours closer to family and roots when the Lord called my father to Kirbyville, TX.

Kirbyville is where I learned to drive, fell in love, and am still raising my two boys with my Heaven-sent, hand-picked, corn-bread fed husband, Shane Mitchell. Together we have ministered to many children through Sunday School and Kid's Church having been active at Kirbyville Apostolic church for several years before transferring to Gateway Tabernacle. I teach Kid's Church every Wednesday night and thoroughly enjoy singing and dancing before the Lord, teaching children that living for God and loving Him is the only way to really LIVE. I am also the administrative assistant for the Christian Intervention Program at Gateway Tabernacle where I have had the opportunity to help those who are chemically dependent find freedom from their addictions. I also serve as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Main Church Campus.

Traci Francois - Hospitality Director

I have been married to my husband, Todd for 37 years and two wonderful children, Jeffery and Whitney. They are both an answer to many prayers and we are proud to have them as a part of our ministry. I am a 1984 graduate of Jennings High School and have worked in business for the last 38 years. I am currently a Realtor, licensed in the state of Texas, and studying business at Angelina College. I was born in Jennings, LA, where I lived until marrying in 1984. I moved to Eunice, LA with my husband and then a year later we moved to Thompson, GA. I played the piano for the church there and assisted my husband in other ministries. We later moved to Giddings, TX where I was also the piano player and served in many other areas. As God led us to Kirbyville, TX, I became involved in various ministries of the church. I served as church treasure for 3 years before resigning to devote more time to my family and career. I have also served in Sunday School, Youth, Outreach, Drama, Bible Quizzing and Music. Fall Fest is now a big part of my ministry along with Hospitality. I believe we must become a part of our community if we are going to lead them to Christ.

Jimmy Denby - Men's Ministry Director

I have been married to my wife, Carrie, for over 50 years. We have been blessed with two children and four grandchildren. We are retired and busier than when we worked full time, but feeling more fulfilled working with other people, church projects, restoring an old truck and up-keep around the farm.

I was raised in Kirbyville, Texas and after graduation, moved to Beaumont and later Mt. Belvieu, Texas working in petro-chemical industry. We took a job working on a LNG project in Algeria for nearly three years. After returning to Texas in 1983, we settled back in Kirbyville.

I have attended Call United Pentecostal Church, now Gateway Tabernacle since 1983. Our pastor, Rev. Danny Lewis has been instrumental in expanding our vision in all areas of ministry. I am assisting with men’s ministry and it has been both challenging and rewarding.

Ryan and Whitney Riddick - Youth Directors

Brother Ryan Riddick is a young minister who has a passion to see revival in the students of Gateway Tabernacle. He comes from a family rich in Pentecostal history and foreign missions. He served alongside his parents in the country of Cameroon, Africa. It was in this nation that he first became involved in the student ministry, teaching Sunday morning classes to the children of a new church plant. Later in the country of Sierra Leone he preached at his first national youth convention. Ryan now carries a deep burden to see the young people of Gateway youth become involved in ministry and answer both the call and the potential God has placed upon them.

Sister Whitney Riddick is also blessed to have an upbringing grounded in this wonderful truth! Whitney has a readiness to serve the young people of gateway. She works diligently alongside her husband, using her musical talents to produce an atmosphere that is conducive for the moving of the spirit on Wednesday night youth services. She has a determination to see young people dedicate themselves in service to the kingdom of God, as well as reach their full potential in musical ministry.