Meet our team here at St. James UMC
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10
Rev. Josh Tietje
Josh Tietje is a native of North Carolina and grew up surrounded by the love of God through the local church. Sensing a defining call to vocational ministry late in High School - Josh pursued the pathway to ordained ministry in The Wesleyan Church through Southern Wesleyan University. Soon before finishing his degree and ordination as an elder, he received his first appointment at the Johnathan Valley Wesleyan Church in Waynesville, NC.
A month after graduating in December of 2008 with a Religion/Christian Ministries degree, Josh and his wife were joined in marriage in January 2009, and subsequently, he was ordained as a full Elder in the NC Conference of the Wesleyan Church in 2010. In July 2011, Josh began his ministry at the Asheville Wesleyan Church until September of 2016, when Josh and his family moved to Conway, SC, after being offered a staff-ministerial position as Director of Christian Education at First UMC of Conway, SC.Â
In the spring of 2022, Josh was appointed as pastor of the St. James UMC congregation of Goose Creek, SC as a full elder of another denomination under appointment by the SC Conference of the UMC. Currently, Josh is fulfilling requirements for the full transfer of his ordination orders from the Wesleyan Church to the UMC.Â
Josh’s greatest joy in ministry is assisting people in their growth and commitment to their personal faith communities by helping them engage fully in mission and ministry. Josh is interested in the studies of churchmanship and liturgy throughout the historic church, especially those that emerged from England (Church of England, Episcopal, and Methodist.)
Curiosity drives Josh in work and leisure - enjoying engagement with new questions and concepts as often as possible. Aside from his work in church and community engagement, Josh enjoys flower gardening, bird watching, cooking, reading a good book, and anything to do with history. Landscaped Gardens and museums of art, natural history, and cultural history are the favorite places the whole Tietje family enjoys together.Â
Josh and Joy have two children, Nolan (12) and Emery (9).Â
Ginny Byrne
moved to Goose Creek, SC with her husband Tim in September 2007 from North Haledon, New Jersey. She started her employment with St. James UMC in January, 2011.
Ginny brings to us over twenty-one years of office administrative experience. She worked as Manager of Administration and Associate Vice President for Western World Insurance Company. In that capacity she managed Communications and Word Processing; Document Imaging and Workflow of Claims; Deductible Collections; Building and Office Services. Prior to that she worked as International Administrative Manager for Drew Chemical where she managed International Billing and Word Processing. She studied Business Administration at St. Elizabeth College and Caldwell College; received a certificate in Business Management from the College of Insurance; and received a diploma from Berkeley Secretarial College.
Taylor Eubanks
was born and raised here in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He has studied marketing and business. Taylor is a lifelong member at St. James UMC, with strong family roots. He has experience working with web design, small business marketing, and social media management. Taylor enjoys opportunities to be creative and work with technology to connect with people and serve the Lord.
Jill Jones
has been a member of St. James for 18 years. She has two children and has been married for 19 years. She loves working with children and watching kids grow in their knowledge of God and his love for us. Jill is also works as a Certified Trainer in Safe Sanctuary for the UMC’s Charleston District. Jill also believes that children and youth are not only the future of the church, but also the present.
Vance Ross
came to St. James in 2005 and joined the choir. Not long after, he approached the praise band about playing bass for them and is still ministering in that capacity today. Vance later accepted the position of Music Director at St. James. Vance started his involvement with music when he was seven years old, playing accordion. He also learned to play piano, and at age 12 the organ. Vance has played with a number of different bands, sung in church choirs and college choruses. He studied the directing style of Rev. Dr. C.G. (Sonny) Walden at White Bluff UMC in Savannah, GA. Vance's goal is to provide the most spiritually appropriate worship experience possible through music. Vance encourages people of all ages to share their gift of music to praise our Lord.
