The Pastor's Corner

September 2025

Dear Friends,

I have met so many of you already and am looking forward to meeting all of you very soon. As a way of introducing myself to you as your new pastor, I would like to share a little bit about myself.

The words of Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” have very special meaning for me. As I look back, it is clear to me that God has been at work and guiding me all my life. Even before I knew Him, it is clear to me that He loved and cared for me.

I grew up in Great Falls SC and was baptized in the First Baptist Church. I joined my husband’s home church, Sion Presbyterian in Winnsboro SC in 1993.

Sion provided me with many opportunities to teach, preach, and participate in worship planning. They supported and encouraged me in discerning God’s plan for my life. Participation in the community of faith at Sion showed me how much I value nurturing others in their faith journeys. I enjoy learning and sharing what I have learned with others.

I attended the South Carolina Lay School of Theology and completed the Commissioned Lay Pastor requirements in the Spring of 2017. Participating in this training program ignited a desire in me to learn even more. My husband encouraged me to pursue seminary education. There was every reason not to do this – financial, time, etc. With his and Sion’s encouragement, I graduated from the University of South Carolina receiving a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Erskine Theological Seminary.

During the spring of 2023, I interned with Michael Bragan at Providence and Fran Bragan at Columbia Presbyterian Community. Until this time, I was not sure what God might be calling me to do. I am grateful for Michael’s and Fran’s mentorship. After completing four units of Clinical Pastoral Education, I was hired by Prisma Health as a Chaplain in October 2024.

Pastoral care is at the heart of my ministry. I view every encounter as a pastoral care opportunity. I endeavor to follow the example of Jesus who showed kindness and compassion to all people. The increase in the number of people who identify themselves as being “spiritual but not religious” breaks my heart because I know what they are missing by not being a part of a community of faith. I am also concerned about church goers who are “falling through the cracks” in terms of worship and spiritual formation. This may be due to their age, abilities/disabilities, or other limitations.

During the pandemic, we moved my mother-in-law in with us. She had Alzheimer’s Disease and other chronic health problems. I was her primary care giver for most of the three years before her death. This experience highlighted for me the need to be diligent in ministering to the elderly, disabled, as well as their caregivers. For many of them, worship and church activities are their main or only means of socialization. As a chaplain, I have had many opportunities to minister to the elderly population, people with cognitive disabilities, people who have experienced a traumatic health event, or have received a terminal diagnosis, as well as providing end-of-life spiritual care to patients and their loved ones. I believe God has gifted me with an ability and a desire to move toward those situations and relationships. Being a calm presence for those who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit can be more meaningful for them than a well-crafted sermon.

Facing death can elicit a different perspective on religious rituals such as prayer and the sacraments; rather than nurturing and growing faith, the focus becomes more on the reality of the desire for communion with God. Being with people in these sacred moments is a privilege and honor for me. I find this work simultaneously tiring and energizing.

The term providence means protective care and guidance. As I review my life, I can clearly see that God’s providence has guided me through each path along my journey and has equipped me for this ministry.

Guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, I look forward to being God’s ambassador in this community: teaching, preaching, comforting, and serving as your pastor. I am excited to get to know each of you as we travel our journeys of faith together. I pray that as we do, we will be salt and light for each other and for this community.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)

Peace and blessings,

Pastor Teresa