2018 St. James Vestry
Laura Brown
Senior Warden
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Ed Winkler
Junior Warden
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Monte Hudson
Sam Lyons
Kathy Walsh
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Nominees for the Vestry Class of 2019
Gigi Blackwell
Gigi Blackwell
Gigi Blackwell (Johanna DuBose Blackwell) has lived most of her life in Greer and Greenville. She is a Furman graduate with a degree in education and ran a store for teachers for 10 years. She has been a free-lance writer specializing in creative non-fiction that includes a church history. She spent several years on the Greer Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Greer Main Street program, and Greer Auditorium Board. She ended her professional career as a seminar presenter on writing grant proposals. In retirement, she and Reece have been bridge teachers and directors. They first visited St. James in 2002 and were confirmed as Episcopalian within two years. They are faithful attendees of the early service. Gigi served a term on Vestry [class of 2010] and has been active on the ECW board, Hospitality Commission, and the Gathering ministry for senior adults. She is a member of St. Mary Elizabeth Chapter, a Lay Eucharistic Minister (chalice bearer), lector, and helps in the office. She has a passion for people and enjoys making newcomers welcome and comforting the bereaved. |
Jim Ghrist
Jim Ghrist
Jim works part time at Utility Technology, Engineers-Consultants in Spartanburg and has lived in Taylors since 1996. He is recently widowed, having lost his loving wife Sandi last February. A cradle-to-grave Episcopalian, Jim has been a member of St. James since 1996 and attends the 10:30 service. He and Sandi tried a couple of parishes before settling into St. James because of the friendliness of the congregation and the location. They were initially doubtful because at the time, there were no pews, just folding chairs, and they had recently moved from Alexandria, Egypt where one of their tasks at the English Church was cleaning folding chairs every week. Jim served on the Vestry [class of 2003] and for several years on the Finance Committee. In 2002, he and Tommy King developed the structure for the Endowment Fund of St. James. He has been active in the Men’s Group, served on the Facilities Maintenance Task Force in 2005-2006 and until recently, was a lector. In Alexandria, Egypt, he was on the Church Council of All Saints, Stanley Bay, and also published the newsletter. He is passionate about his spiritual life and has joined the contemplative class on Sunday mornings. He also admits to a passion for golf. He believes that his analytic and problem-solving skills would be of value to the Vestry as well as his experience with financial matters. |
Marian Strobel
Marian E. Strobel
Marian is a native of Rochester, New York, and has lived in Greenville since September 1981. She is William Montgomery Burnett Professor of History and Chair of the Faculty at Furman University. A cradle Episcopalian, she has attended St. James since September 1981 and loves Rite I at the 8:00 service. She enjoys the people of St. James, especially their dedication to the many ministries that serve those in need. She also deeply appreciates the silent members who make the church function smoothly, from the vestry to the altar guild, to those who wash dishes after social events. Our ministers are enlightened, caring, compassionate, and preach excellent sermons! Marian served on the vestry [class of 2007] when the vestry authorized purchase of the new organ and also dealt with the septic tank, lightning protection, and real estate issues. Currently she serves as a lector at the 8:00 service. She is passionate about worship and private prayer as well as about the importance of family and friends. She frequently visits her hometown of Rochester, NY to be near her beloved Lake Ontario and her many friends there. She is also passionate about her students at Furman and finds it a privilege to have helped shape so many young minds over so many years. Marian would bring to the vestry clear thinking, fairness, a careful sense of organization, and a lifetime of experience in the Episcopal Church. |
Jeremy Williams
Jeremy L. Williams
Jeremy and his family—wife, Jaclyn, and two sons, Holden (age 5) and Foster (age 3)—moved to Greenville from Atlanta in January of 2017. St. James was the first and only church they visited in the area—they immediately felt welcomed and at home. They generally attend the 10:30 a.m. service. Also, Holden and Foster are students at the Day School. Jeremy serves as a Coffee Hour Host, on the Hospitality Commission, occasionally pops in on the Men’s Group Thursday night socials, and helps out with some of the activities with which they are tasked. Jeremy currently works for Hemophilia of South Carolina, where he does public policy and advocacy work. The organization serves the hundreds of people with bleeding disorders in the state. Before that, for about a decade, he was a senior policy analyst at the Council of State Government in Atlanta, where he worked with state lawmakers throughout the southeast region on a variety of policy issues, including public health and corrections. He also staffed the Border Legislative Conference, a forum for lawmakers from the four U.S. and six Mexican border states. Jeremy studied political science at Mississippi College, and received a Master of Divinity degree (which he uses only “pro bono”) from Wake Forest University. He enjoys hiking, especially finding new waterfalls around the Upstate with Holden and Foster; cycling (he recently began serving as advocacy chair for the Greenville Spinners board of directors); reading; writing; and brewing espresso. In addition to policy matters, Jeremy is passionate about social justice issues and non-profit advocacy. He looks forward to learning more about the functions of St. James through service on the vestry and hopes to bring some measure of theological insight and stewardship to the group. |
Alice F. Littlejohn
(to complete last two years of vacated term)
Alice, a Library Media Specialist at Stone Academy, is originally from Gastonia, NC. She and Ken have lived in Greenville and attended St. James since 1993 (26 years), most often the 10:30 service. She joined St. James when she married Ken, who was already a member. It was a good fit then and has remained a good fit. They enjoy the inviting atmosphere and the traditional style of worship and music that we both grew up with in the Episcopal church. She kept nursery before and while her daughter was of nursery age and taught Sunday School during Charlotte's elementary years.
She is a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King and participates in 5th Saturday Lunches for Southernside Community Center. She has served as facilitator for sponsoring Frazee kids to Camp Bob at Kanuga from 2010-present, Vestry from 2009-2012, and previously co-chaired Stewardship. She participates in Parish Fellowship Weekends at Kanuga. She currently serves as Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Coffee Hour Host, and on the Mission and Outreach commission; she recently joined the Hospitality Commission.
Alice writes, “I am passionate about making a difference in children's lives and helping to make memories that children will cherish. In my job, I get to introduce wonderful books to children and spark their desire for learning. Many of the children I work with at Stone are also served by the Frazee Center. I have seen firsthand what a difference the Camp Bob experience makes in the lives of children that St. James sponsors each summer. By combining the financial resources of St. James with the programming and facilities at Camp Bob at Kanuga, we can provide a significant outdoor and spiritual experience that children from our community will cherish. I have been part of this parish under the leadership of four rectors. Each of those rectors has had a unique gift and has made a positive impact on the life of the church. The experience I bring is a historical perspective for what has changed, when and why. The changes that have been made at St. James have been thoughtfully considered and communicated. I am willing to be part of the thoughtful and prayerful process that the Vestry undertakes in leading the church forward.”
(to complete last two years of vacated term)
Alice, a Library Media Specialist at Stone Academy, is originally from Gastonia, NC. She and Ken have lived in Greenville and attended St. James since 1993 (26 years), most often the 10:30 service. She joined St. James when she married Ken, who was already a member. It was a good fit then and has remained a good fit. They enjoy the inviting atmosphere and the traditional style of worship and music that we both grew up with in the Episcopal church. She kept nursery before and while her daughter was of nursery age and taught Sunday School during Charlotte's elementary years.
She is a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King and participates in 5th Saturday Lunches for Southernside Community Center. She has served as facilitator for sponsoring Frazee kids to Camp Bob at Kanuga from 2010-present, Vestry from 2009-2012, and previously co-chaired Stewardship. She participates in Parish Fellowship Weekends at Kanuga. She currently serves as Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Coffee Hour Host, and on the Mission and Outreach commission; she recently joined the Hospitality Commission.
Alice writes, “I am passionate about making a difference in children's lives and helping to make memories that children will cherish. In my job, I get to introduce wonderful books to children and spark their desire for learning. Many of the children I work with at Stone are also served by the Frazee Center. I have seen firsthand what a difference the Camp Bob experience makes in the lives of children that St. James sponsors each summer. By combining the financial resources of St. James with the programming and facilities at Camp Bob at Kanuga, we can provide a significant outdoor and spiritual experience that children from our community will cherish. I have been part of this parish under the leadership of four rectors. Each of those rectors has had a unique gift and has made a positive impact on the life of the church. The experience I bring is a historical perspective for what has changed, when and why. The changes that have been made at St. James have been thoughtfully considered and communicated. I am willing to be part of the thoughtful and prayerful process that the Vestry undertakes in leading the church forward.”
2018 Diocesan Convention Delegates
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Clay Allen
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Laura Brown
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Gail Burch
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Jerome Gorman
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