One of Three

Rachel grew up in the Presbyterian Church from infancy. She built a career as a graphic designer, and her artistic rendering of the entrance to her current church adorns the cover of its weekly worship bulletin. 

When her husband John began teaching at Clemson University, they joined a Lutheran congregation that supported a large campus ministry. Rachel became friends with the campus minister and volunteered to help with providing meals for weekly ministry gatherings, which regularly hosted 60 students or more. Through this service, she developed a deep appreciation for the sense of belonging campus ministry provided to students, and the ties they developed with the congregation.

When Rachel and John moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and joined St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, she volunteered to assist with meals for Jacksonville Campus Ministry. This service led to her being asked to serve as a member of the ministry’s board of directors after St. Mark’s previous representative came to the end of her term. She served in this role for ten years, including as the ministry’s secretary. 

This coincided with a very fraught time for the ministry due to the loss of a major funding partner and ministry staff. At one point, she was one of three board members remaining as plans were made to dissolve the ministry. Asked how she persevered, she says, “I just couldn’t give up on campus ministry!” At just this time a new campus minister arrived unexpectedly and revitalized the ministry. Before leaving the JCM Board in 2022, Rachel was able to see the ministry regain a stable footing and embark on a new era of service.  

Rachel feels that her service with campus ministries has driven home to her the importance of outreach by congregations to the wider community in spreading God’s love in a tangible way.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who uplift our ministry in a variety of ways, from providing meals on Tuesday nights to serving on our board of directors. We are so grateful for your partnership in this vital work.