John and his wife Lynn moved to Chapin and joined St. Francis in 2017. The move was a homecoming of sorts for John considering he grew up in Florence, SC and left our great state in 1983 after graduating from Clemson University. John joined the Episcopal Church in 1988 when he and Lynn were married in Melbourne, FL. They started their family in Florida but moved to Austin, TX in 1998. John and Lynn have two sons, Drew who lives in the Harbison area and Casey who lives just outside of Atlanta, GA. Drew is married to his high school sweetheart, Sara and Casey is married to Emily whom he met at Georgia Tech. In Austin, John was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where he served twice on the Vestry. John and his family ushered once a month and he served on the finance committee as chairperson for 5 years. John also served on the St. Francis of Assisi Vestry as the Finance Liaison. John’s career was in electrical engineering in the semiconductor industry. He enjoys woodworking and home DIY projects as hobbies. John is active in Boy Scouts as an Eagle Scout Coach. He volunteers at We Care on one of the food pick up teams as well at our St. Francis of Assisi Thrift Shop. John and Lynn are really enjoying retirement and are delighted to be members of St. Francis of Assisi in Chapin.

Current Role: Enhancing our facilities and grounds to better serve the needs of the church ministries and provide an inviting and safe environment for our visitors. Past Roles: Senior Warden, Garden Angel, Marketing Guru Personal: My wife and I have been permanent members of St Francis for 7 years but Macie’s relationship extends to thirty years. We live 26 miles away and we looked at churches closer to our home but we are committed St. Francis members because this community is truly our family. Gail Wojtowicz is married to Meredith Macie Boyd. Gail served previously as Senior Warden and she rejoins the Mission Committee as Junior Warden. She is a retired USAF Colonel and aircrew member with 34 years of service, in active duty and as a federal civilian. She also serves as president to her neighborhood association—Sherwood Forest in eastern Columbia. She enjoys yardwork, DIY and woodworking projects. She holds two Masters Degrees: in Communication and USAF Air and Space Power Studies.

I first visited St Francis in 2021, shortly after moving to Ballentine from Maryland. I knew after my first visit that this would be my church home and was confirmed and joined St Francis in December, 2022. I find joy in serving on our Pastoral Care committee, the Board of the St. Francis Community Thrift Store and, of course, the Mission Committee. I am dedicated to helping young women receive assistance in attending college and am a member of Chapin Woman's Club and a Columbia-based chapter of PEO, both organizations who work to this end. My husband, Jim, and I are blessed with two sons, their wives and four talented, beautiful and kind granddaughters.

Mike was initially introduced to the Episclopal faith growing up in Florida. He and Susan were later married at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach. They moved to South Carolina after Mike's 7-year enlistment in the U.S. Navy came to an end. What was originally expected to be a relatively short term job with South Carolina Electric and Gas Company somehow grew into a 34 year career at the V.C. Summer Station in Jenkinsville. Both of their children currently live in the Asheville, NC area. Since retiring in 2015, Mike and Susan have been able to travel more. Mike also enjoys various home projects including automobile repair, maintenance, and refurbishment. Mike has served St. Francis as Assistant Treasurer for several years before his new role as Treasurer. He is also involved on the Buildings & Grounds and the Cemetery committees.

Current Role: Mission Committee member and Finance Liaison.  My wife Sherry and I have been members of St. Francis for over 10 years. I was baptized as an infant at St. Paul’s in Graniteville, SC, and have been a member in 5 different Episcopal churches. Through all those experiences I have served as Acolyte, Lay Reader, Chalice Bearer, and served on the Search, and Stewardship committees, was the Building Construction Chair, and a Vestry Member. After retiring from Kraft/Nabisco and moving here, I became involved with the Chapin We Care Center Outreach Ministry, serving as Treasurer and Board Chair. I continue to participate at We Care with the St. Francis supermarket food pick-up team on Fridays.

I am a cradle Episcopalian. My parents were charter members of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields in Columbia and I was an active member for over 50 years. St. Francis has been my church home since 2006. At this time I am a counter, serve on Altar Guild, the Outreach committee, the PETS Ministry, the auction committee and the Chrismon needlepoint committee and participate in FEAST Group, Fellowship & Games, and Church Chicks. Previously I have served on the Search Committee, Vestry for 2 terms, Building & Grounds, Cemetery committee, Small Group, and attended Cursillo. The Thrift Shop and We Care are also very important to me and I volunteer at both each week. Walking, with and without my dog, is my favorite time for prayer. Needlepoint, reading, and the beach also give me a time of peace. St. Francis is very near and dear to my heart, and I am very excited about the changes that are taking us forward.

Recently elected...

Recently elected, Diane moved to Chapin, SC from Louisville, KY in the summer of 2021. She was introduced to St. Francis by Katie & Roger Banta and has since become a member of this wonderful church family. Diane was blessed with two children Kevin (deceased) and Stephanie (David) granddaughter Poppy, who all reside in Chapin. She retired after 30+ years in Club Management and was an owner of a Bed & Breakfast. She enjoys sewing, reading, baking, walking and spending time with family. St. Francis has given her growing friendships, a family of support and a community that allows her the opportunity to give back to her church. She has become a Counter, a Thrift Store Volunteer and a participant in the GriefShare Program which she is eternally grateful to be a part of. She hopes to see more youth involvement in the church and looks forward to being of service in her growth process.

Current Role: Scheduling coffee hour, restocking the hospitality refrigerator, recruiting other Fellowship coordinators, serving on Buildings and Grounds Committee and Pastoral Care Committee, coordinating Memorial receptions. Past Roles: participated in FEAST groups, hosted Fellowship and Games, helped on work days, served on Vestry and a member and as clerk, painted many rooms, served a chair of “A Night in Assisi” – the church auction. Personal: I feel honored to serve as the co-chair of our Memorial Reception ministry. In this role I assist loved ones in honoring their family members who have died. Having lost both parents and all grandparents, I think these receptions are an important part of our service. Mack and I have been members of St. Francis of Assisi since 2007 when we moved to Chapin. We are both cradle Episcopalians and were married at Trinity Cathedral in 1973.

I strive to provide youth led engagement in their faith journey with the mission of assisting them in creating positive change. I have previously been on vestry, been a Girl Scout leader for 15 years at the church, and facilitated playground construction. To address the exponential growth in church outreach, I helped implement the Thrift Shop manager role and the charity status check for outreach donations. Over the past 20 years at St Francis, my two girls, Madeleine and Paige, have been baptized, engaged in spiritual growth and confirmed at St Francis. My husband has been received into the Epicopal faith here. As a high school teacher in Chapin, I strive to provide church initiatives which offer programs to meet the needs of families with children in Chapin. My husband Craig and I have attended St Francis since 2000 when we moved to South Carolina from Pennsylvania. Both of their girls Madeleine and Paige were baptized and confirmed in the church and are now in college. She is a cradle Episcopalian. She teaches technology and research at Chapin High School and has degrees in engineering, education and business.

Sharon was born in 1961 and raised in Western New York near Niagara Falls spending most of her adult life in Rochester, New York. She was married in 1993 and has 3 wonderful children, Ben 29, Rebecca 28, and Blake 25. They all continue to reside in New York. Although Sharon was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, she comes from a relatively long line of ordained Episcopal priests and spent many Sundays and holidays worshipping in her Grandfather’s Episcopal Churches in the Buffalo Diocese in New York, providing her with a strong Episcopal background. She was active in music and funeral ministry as well as youth ministry in the Cathedral Community, the center of the Rochester Roman Catholic Diocese, for 16 years beginning in 2002. Sharon created Matthew’s C.R.U.E. (Caring, Respect, Understanding and Education) a non-for-profit free summer program for at risk youth, providing nourishment for spiritual, physical and educational growth. After combining efforts with the Episcopal Church and having survived breast cancer which resulted in a double mastectomy, she felt called to pursue an education in ministry and entered Seminary. She was received into the Episcopal Church in January of 2016 and graduated with an MDIV and certificate in Anglican Studies from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in May of 2019. Sharon moved to Lexington, South Carolina in the Fall of 2020 and began an internship program for Clinical Pastoral Education at Prisma Health Baptist, completing her first unit in the summer of 2021. She entered immediately into a residency program at Prisma Health Richland, graduating August of 2022 with the completion of 4 units of CPE. She currently looking to secure a position in a Hospice setting and is actively discerning for ordination. She moved to Chapin in 2021 to be closer to Millie Jackson, her stepmother, and joined St. Francis and its choir. She loves the congregation and is enjoying forging new relationships and plans to be a part of the parish for many years to come.

I moved to South Carolina in 1981 when husband, Dennis, left the Navy for work at V. C. Summer. I was born in West Virginia and raised a Roman Catholic. After Dennis and I married I joined the Episcopal Church and I truly believe this is where I belong. As new residents in South Carolina we visited several churches looking for a church home. After our first visit to St. Francis we knew we had found our place. We have lived in Irmo and have attended St. Francis of Assisi all these years. We have two grown children, DJ and Angie. We were fortunate to have a very strong Youth Program when our children were growing up and I would hope that our youngsters could benefit from that again. Our future is bright here at St. Francis and I want to be a part of our growth and to help us all be beacons of Christ to others. Some of the Ministries that I have been a part of over the years include Thrift Shop, Lector, Vestry, Usher, Counter, Bread Baker, Pet Ministry, Auction, Coffee Hour, and Get Ready Program. I schedule some of these duties and served on the Board of the Thrift Shop. I had the honor of serving on the most recent Search Committee. I love to travel and I am very involved in the Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group. I would consider it another honor to serve on our Mission Committee. Ultimately I would like to see us strengthen our communication and listening skills as a congregation.