Chapelwood has a number of pastors who would be delighted to officiate at your wedding. A little about each of them is included here, and while the wedding coordinator is the best person to contact regarding your wedding planning, the pastors are happy to answer your questions about how they conduct the ceremony itself.
John Stephens
What led you to ministry?
When I was in high school, I struggled for several years with a call to ministry. I fought the call for a few years, but finally when I was about 17 or 18 years old, God made it clear that ministry was my calling. I wish I could say it was a blinding light moment, but it was more of a gradual revelation that became more and more clear. Several people encouraged me to listen along the way. One of them was Jim Jackson.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
To me, weddings are deeply personal. If I don’t know the couple well, I try to get to know them before the ceremony so their wedding can be very personal and memorable.
Three facts about me:
Wife, Stephanie; Daughters, Sarah and Maddie
Grew up in Columbus, GA and knew Jim Jackson as my pastor when I was a teenager
I love golf!
Contact:
Karen Firenza, Executive Assistant, [email protected]
Sarah Barnett
WHAT LED YOU TO MINISTRY?
I love people, walking alongside them, and seeing what God is doing in their lives. Ministry allows me to do that as a full time job while encouraging people in their faith!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PASTORAL WEDDING STYLE?
I have a relaxed style that aims to be authentic and connect with everyone present. I use stories (of the couple) to demonstrate their love and devotion to one another as they enter into this covenant together.
THREE FACTS ABOUT ME:
My husband, Trevor, and I were married in 2019 in an old Fire Station (Trevor entered our ceremony via the fire pole!).
I have a Golden Retriever, named Millie, and a Boxer mix, named Scout.
I absolutely love stories and can often be found at the movies and concerts.
CONTACT:
Phil Grose
WHAT LED YOU TO MINISTRY?
I was led into ministry by the compassion I have for helping people connect with God through hearing and receiving the love of God in Christ Jesus. Many people are hurting and need help to push through the pain, be healed, and find the joy of God's love that is truly in the world today. I want everyone to see, feel and experience God's love.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PASTORAL WEDDING STYLE?
My weddings are respectful, joyful, fun and engaging. I try to make it a day that the bride and groom will remember. And as they grow in love, they will remember and smile with joyful hearts!
THREE FACTS ABOUT ME:
I was a Hippy in my younger years (LOL).
I love riding mountain bikes.
My favorite saint of old is Saint Francis of Assisi (he loved humanity and all creation. He believed we are all interconnected and have sacred worth, so do I).
CONTACT:
Tammy Heinrich
What led you to ministry?
My call to the ministry came from a Bible study I was teaching to women in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. I witnessed resurrection from one week to the next as I saw them literally come back to life. As my role in outreach ministry continued to grow, I decided to enroll in “graduate school” (seminary). I had no intention of becoming a pastor, but God had other ideas.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
I feel a wedding ceremony allows a couple to make public confessions of their faith and their commitment to one another in the context of the gathered community, where God’s presence can be found. I enjoy helping to plan the service and meeting with the bride and groom together and separately.
Three facts about me:
My husband, Tim, and I have been married since 1985. We have four adult children, two sons and two daughters.
I grew up in Houston, the youngest sister of three brothers.
My favorite activities are reading historical fiction, going to plays and musicals, and being outdoors with my hands in the dirt (gardening).
Contact:
Josef Klam
What led you to ministry?
The desire to share God’s love to a hurting world. I wanted to make a difference and be a part of transformation.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
I try my very best to make every wedding an experience that honors God, and reflects God’s love and the individual couple.
Three facts about me:
My wife, Amy, and I have been married since 1997 and we have three children: two daughters and a son.
I enjoy woodworking.
My favorite Vacation spot is Walt Disney World, with the Rocky Mountains a close second.
Contact:
Michael Sciretti
What led you to ministry?
I felt called to ministry my Junior year of High School. I sensed there was more to Christianity than what I had learned and experienced. Training for ministry eventually led me to discover and practice contemplative Christianity. My ministry now focuses on helping people experience inner growth and transformation.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
My sermons focus on the contemplative dimension of the Gospel, how it calls us to inner transformation that makes a difference in who we are with ourselves, God, others and the world. My wedding messages focus on seeing marriage as an opportunity to center our lives in love and to practice loving another person (our partner) as ourselves. I help couples craft a service that is worshipful yet unique to them.
Three facts about me:
I grew up in Shreveport, LA.
Married to Rev. Rachel Willoughby Sciretti, who grew up in San Antonio, TX. We have three children: Anastasia, Zoe, and Nathanael.
Exercise and healthy eating are important to me as a way of living into the spiritual teaching that we are a “temple” of Spirit.
Contact:
Rachel Sciretti
What led you to ministry?
I felt God calling me to some kind of ministry at the ripe old age of nine. There was just a “knowing” in my heart. I love the local church. This is largely based on my own experience growing up in congregations where I always felt loved and valued. They embodied God’s grace and blessing throughout my life – and I want others, no matter their age or stage, to experience this blessing as well.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
My nature is open and warm, and I believe my pastoral style reflects that. My “wedding” style is both reverent and tender, a mix of the traditional and the personal. I chose my words with special care so that the couple’s journey and personalities radiate throughout the service. To me, a “good” service is one where we have experienced laughter, tears, a brief yet poignant word, intentionally-chosen symbols, and God’s love woven through it all.
Three facts about me:
My husband and I are crazy-in-love with each other, even after three children and 20 years of marriage. (He is also clergy and we love to serve couples together).
I am Baptist (the kind that ordain women).
When life feels out of control, I do a load of laundry and cook a big pot of something reliable and delicious. They always turn out exactly as they are supposed to.
Contact:
Bill Stell
What led you to ministry?
I grew up in a loving Christian family and was nurtured by a close community and a small town Methodist church. I felt loved and encouraged to be successful and to do something with my life that would make a difference in the world. I wanted to pay it forward. After college I worked for the Texas State Employment Service. Counseling people and helping them find employment was rewarding but I felt the Lord calling me into a greater area of service, a place where I could help people struggling with not only physical but also spiritual needs. I responded to his call and completed a Masters in Theological Studies at Perkins School of Theology. I have been a fully ordained minister since 1994.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
I prefer a more traditional ceremony, using vows most familiar to the United Methodist Church and by many other Christian denominations. I am flexible as to how the ceremony flows and the placement of its components.
Three facts about me:
I have restored and own several classic cars including a 1955 Thunderbird.
My wife, Norma, and I have four grown children, two sons and two daughters, and also five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
I have failed miserably at retirement. After three attempts, it is officially off of my bucket list as I continue loving the work I get do as a pastor.
Contact:
Wick Stuckey
What led you to ministry?
I left the practice of law to pursue a deep sense of God’s call into ministry. I had been involved in ministry as a layperson since I was a college freshman, and sensed that I wanted to pursue it as my life’s vocation. I love working with people, getting to know their life stories, and sharing the love of God with them.
How would you describe your pastoral wedding style?
I like weddings to be warm, personal and sacred. They are celebrations of community where couples can feel the love and support of those who mean the most to them in life. It is an honor to walk with couples on the day of their wedding, one of the most sacred days of their lives.
Three facts about me:
I am drawn to Christian mystics and contemplative worship
I am a grandfather to seven incredible grandchildren
I love spending time in Colorado in the summers.
Contact:
Andrew Wolfe
WHAT LED YOU TO MINISTRY?
I have always loved preaching and teaching scripture. I was first called into ministry in high school after preaching at my home church for the very first time—it was the world’s greatest sermon, perhaps after only Joel Osteen. Throughout college I wrestled with my faith and calling in life. A beloved religion professor introduced me to Emmanuel Levinas and Martin Buber and they became wonderful companions along the faith journey . Throughout life, whether it was in college or seminary, in marriage, in parenting God has been faithful to my wrestling and continues to call me into ministry.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PASTORAL WEDDING STYLE?
Stanley Hauerwas says, “You always marry the wrong person.”…No one’s ever told me I have style, nor do I know why it’s necessary for a wedding, but I have lots of great one-liners to encourage and challenge your marriage.
THREE FACTS ABOUT ME:
Clemson University, Phys Ed- Bowling Elective’s “Most Improved Bowler”, 2009
Cameron Crazy, 2011-2014
My wedding proposal was both the most romantic and least romantic thing ever done
CONTACT:
Maggie Wood
