There is never a time I can remember not knowing God. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home that modeled what being a disciple of Jesus Christ looked like, and I remember feeling called to some type of ministry as early as junior high. I have been in formal and informal ministry positions since high school, serving the church as a pianist, organist, youth director, and Director of Christian Education before responding to a call to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 2002. Prior to coming to Summerville, I served Great Bridge Presbyterian Church (Chesapeake, VA) for 21 years in various capacities.
In September 2019, I began my ministry as Senior Pastor at Summerville Presbyterian Church. I am blessed to serve a church with such a long history of faithful ministry in the community (over 300 years!). I am also excited about what God is doing in our midst today as we expand our worship opportunities, add a Mother's Morning Out program, and engage in missions both locally and internationally.
I received my Masters of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and my Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. My final project was on the emotion of wonder, and how sharing our experiences of wonder in the world and in the Word can foster our spirituality. I feel passionate about introducing people to Jesus Christ and then helping them grow through involvement in small groups, mentoring, and serving. For my final project I also did extensive reading about the challenges the church faces in a post-modern, post-Christian world, and believe we must be constantly thinking about how we communicate with and reach people from unchurched or “de-churched” backgrounds.
This is the second time I have the privilege of serving alongside my husband Ralph, also a PCUSA pastor, who retired from full-time ministry in August 2019. Ralph continues to be passionate about preaching and teaching God’s Word and serves on staff SPC part-time as our Discipleship Pastor.
Ralph and I enjoy being active together, whether it is hiking, running (more walking these days!) or biking. We also enjoy traveling to national parks, finding new places to eat and explore, going to a wide array of concerts, and working in the yard. I have two stepchildren, Aaron and Heather, who both live in Atlanta, GA.
Rev. Dr. Ralph Herbert has 35 years of ministry experience, most recently retiring as a PC(USA) pastor from Great Bridge Presbyterian Church in Chesapeake, VA, where he served for over 20 years. He loves to preach, teach, and mentor, and is filling a need at SPC by serving as our Discipleship Pastor. In this role, he offers Bible studies and supports our spiritual growth ministries, preaches and assists in worship.
Jennifer Grainger was born in Huntsville, Alabama, she moved to Summerville when she was five years old. A product of Dorchester Two schools, she graduated from Summerville High School in 1992. She graduated from Clemson with a BA in Elementary Education in 1996 and has worked on an MA in Practical Theology at Pfeiffer University. She has taught in the public school system in both Charleston and Dorchester Counties and has worked at multiple churches over the years. She started her career in ministry at Bethany UMC in Summerville as the Youth Director there. After serving there for several years, she went on to become the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at Trinity UMC in Blythewood, SC. During her time in ministry, she worked to bring new and engaging programs to the churches she has served, as well as to strengthen existing programs. She truly enjoys all that life in ministry has to offer and is excited to work with us.
Allison grew up at Summerville Presbyterian Church. She previously worked at SPC as a Volunteer Youth Director from January, 2014-February, 2015.
SPC’s Director of Music, William Bennett, is also the Director of Choirs at Cane Bay High School. He was selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2015 GRAMMY Music Educator Award, and was the 2009-2010 Cane Bay High School Teacher of the Year.
Jim Moore is a graduate of University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He studied Organ Working from Esther Delrich of Oxford, MS.
He also retired after 20 years as a Captain in the Air Force in 1987. He is a Vietnam Veteran. He spent the first 20 years in Intelligence and the last 20 years in training and education.
Julia attends Charleston Southern University, majoring in Music Education. Besides working for us, Julia also works part-time in the Music Department at her college.
She enjoys being part of the Praise Team and is excited for what’s to come at SPC!
She enjoys spending time with her dog Riley.
Joe Swisher taught general and choral music to over 20,000 students in four Berkeley County Schools for 31 years before retiring in 2018 to pursue a second career as a Realtor. A National Board-Certified teacher, he led a large award-winning choral program at College Park Middle school for 4 years.
Born in Moncks Corner, SC, Cecelia attended Baptist College at Charleston, SC where she received a BS in Accounting. Cecelia worked at several Certified Public Accounting firms around the Charleston and Summerville area as a staff and senior CPA.
Julie comes to us from sunny, southern California. Her husband Tom, has been employed with Boeing for over 27 years and that is what brought Julie to the Charleston area, a little over 10 years ago.
Shirley is from Rockland County, New York. She has lived in the Summerville area since 2006. Shirley has owned her own business and has extensive experience in the grocery industry, specifically in the area of schematics. She was interested in this position because she is retired and wants to keep busy. Shirley's other interests include spending time with her husband, Roy, and her grandchildren. Shirley and Roy are big music enthusiasts. She also enjoys crafting and home improvement projects. We're excited to have Shirley helping us out!
Bob and his wife Diane are originally from St. Louis, MO and have been here in Summerville for 40+ years. Both have recently retired. Bob worked as a Facilities Manager at Kiawah Island Golf Resort for 33 years. Diane is retired from banking and also volunteers at the Second Chance Thrift Shop. Both Ed and Diane enjoy many hobbies such as: wood working, sewing, walking and visiting their seven grand-children. Ed and Diane have three sons: Matt who resides in Austin TX; Rob, who resides in Washington, DC; and Chris who resides here and is a Summerville Police Department Captain. Bob will work with our current Sexton, Shirley Gay, making our campus look great! With Bob’s experience and strong work ethic, he will be a great addition to our team.
Rebecca moved to Summerville this year along with my husband, Chris and two young adult children. Previously, they resided in Hendersonville, North Carolina. As much as they loved the Western NC mountains, we are delighted to live near the ocean and experience what all the Low Country has to offer. Rebecca enjoys fishing with my family, long walks, reading, saltwater art, badminton and exploring. Rebecca brings to this directorship 15 years of assorted experience in education. Her most recent experience was serving on staff at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church as Weekday Preschool Director. She is honored to be the Director at Summerville Presbyterian Church’s MMO. It is her vision to help in building a program grounded in the truths of our faith sharing God’s love with families and our community. She is overjoyed to share in a program that provides a safe environment of hands-on learning while nurturing children’s social, emotional, academic, and spiritual needs.
