About Us

Our Team

Staff

Rev. Will Shelburne Senior Pastor

Will joined First Presbyterian Church in April 2021 as Senior Pastor. He comes to us after 13 years at First Presbyterian Church in Savannah where he served as Associate Pastor for Christian Education, Missions, and Youth. Will grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, and is a graduate of Presbyterian College and Columbia Seminary. He is married to Sara and they have three children. We look forward to the ways that God will work through Will in our congregation and in the Greer community.

Rev. Ally Pexa Associate Pastor

Ally joined the First Presbyterian Church community in May of 2023 as the associate pastor. She has a background in mental health chaplaincy, congregational ministry, and social work. Ally is a California native and graduate of Seattle Pacific University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Rutgers University. Ally met her husband, Jacob, while in seminary and the two are both serving as associate pastors within the Foothills Presbytery. Ally is excited to be serving among God’s people here in the upstate!

Lisa Dillard Director of Music

Lisa is a lifelong Presbyterian and has been on staff at First Presbyterian since 1995. She was hired as organist, began directing handbells one year later, and became Director of Music in 2002. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from Converse College and enjoys many facets of music-making, including teaching, performing, and adjudicating.

Lisa Johnson Administrative Assistant

Lisa is a lifelong Presbyterian and has been on staff here at First Presbyterian since October 2019.  She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Furman University and previously worked at Hartness International in the accounting department.  Lisa lives in Greenville and is a long-time member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian in Mauldin where she serves as the Clerk of Session and sings in the choir.

Lizzie McCallum Faith Formation Intern

Lizzie, a student at Furman joined the FPC Greer staff in early 2023 as a Faith Formation Intern working primarily with youth groups. She is a lifelong presbyterian from Columbia SC where she served as a Youth Elder in her home church.  Lizzie is active in campus ministry at Furman and has worked at and/or actively participated in Montreat summer conferences for several years.

Pam Turnage Associate Director of Music

Pam is a native of Gaffney, SC. She attended Columbia College and received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Limestone College. She has been in church music for some 30 years and taught piano since college graduation. She has two grown sons, Ryan and David, and one grandson.

Maggie Wentzky Director of Operations

Maggie joined our staff in March 2018 as Coordinator of Children’s Ministries before transitioning to her current position. A lifelong Presbyterian, Maggie has enjoyed learning the ins and outs of working in Christian Education and spending time with the children of FPCG. She holds a Bachelor’s in Journalism from Appalachian State University and a Master’s of Education from the University of South Carolina. Maggie, her husband Chad, and her son Ben are delighted to be a part of this vibrant community of faith.

Christi Yenser Financial Administrator

Christi grew up in Aiken, SC, but stayed in Greenville after graduating from Furman University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting.  Christi worked in the private sector until 2003 when she took a break to be a stay-at-home mom.  In 2017 she joined the staff at Advent UMC as their church accountant. Christi and her husband, Andy have two children – a son who is a student at the University of South Carolina and a daughter who will be attending Samford University in the fall.  In addition to being on staff at Advent, Christi and her family have been active members of their congregation since 2015.

Officers

There are two types of officers in the PC(USA): Ruling Elders and Deacons. Each has distinct responsibilities and work together to carry out the church’s ministries and God’s mission in the world. Both Elders and Deacons serve a three year term.

Ruling Elders

Ruling Elders are the officers of the church who make up the body known as the Session. Ruling Elders are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Together with ministers, they exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline. Each elder works with a particular committee that manages a certain part of the church’s mission and ministry.

A listing of our committees along with the chairs for each committee can be found here.

Class of 2024

Amy Couch

Heather Gordon

Carlton Greene

Nick Nicholson

Rick Turner

Patty White

Lucy Smith – Youth Elder

Class of 2025

Ed Driggers

Tricia Greene

Ann Lelo

Travis Olmert

Rudy Painter

Betsy Porter

Class of 2026

Jessica Bruce

Jim Caldwell

Rick Danner

Val Hendrickson

Sallie Smith

Bob Wiesner

Deacons

Deacons are the officers of the church who make up the body of the church known as the Diaconate. The ministry of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structure, or anyone in distress.

Class of 2024

Rebecca Aguirre

Jennifer Keller

Jenny Munro

Margaret Nesbitt

Marsha Painter

Amy Smith

Anne Marie Wall

Class of 2025

Beth Del Savio

Marian Hyslop

Kamin Lambertson

Susan Lynn

Becci Stedry

Chad Wentzky

Loralea Wright

Class of 2026

Diana Babineau

Marguerite DeMaria

Arnette Johnson

Doreen Magaha

Ginger Mauney

Ansley Wright

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