• Seeking a Closer Relationship with Christ–Alpha, Small Groups, Spiritual Gifts Workshop, Daughters of the King, Cursillo
• Nurturing, Motherly–Childcare, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School
• Handy–Buildings and Grounds Team, Vacation Bible School
• Computer Whiz–Website, Newsletter, Membership Database
• Electronics Whiz–Sound and Recording Team
• Good Student-Adult Education, Lectionary Bible Study
• Traveler–Honduras Mission
• Female–Women of the Church, Kaleo, Women's Bible Studies
• Wordsmith-Newsletter
• Dreamer–Parish Life Team
• Sports Fan–Men's Ministry, Youth Group
• Caregiver–Phillip Minister, Spiritual Director
• Party Girl–Parish Life, Youth Group
• Adventurous–Honduras Mission
• People Lover–Usher, Newcomers Team, Prayer Team
• Musical–Choir
• Bookworm–Resource Center
• Artistic–Children’s Education, Outreach Fair
• Teenager–Acolyte, Youth Group, Noah’s Ark Leader
• Homemaker–Altar Guild, Bag Lunch, Kairos
• Gardener–Flower Guild, Memorial Garden Team
• Nurturing–Nursery, Prayer Chain
• Young-at-Heart–Golden Bunch
• Kitchen Wizard–Breakfast Team, Alpha, Loaves and Fishes
• Organizer–Parish Life, Kanuga Parish Retreat, History/Archives, Alpha, Wednesday Night Dinners
• Prayer Warrior–Intercessory Prayer, Kairos, Jail Ministry, Daughters of the King, Prayer Team, Spiritual Gifts Workshop
• Curious and Friendly–Cursillo, Newcomers
• Teaching–Children’s Ed, Youth Group, Lectionary Bible study, Recovering Sight, Stewardship
• Budget-minded–Finance, Planned Giving, Financial Peace University
• Reverence for God’s Word--Lay Reader

Acolytes: We have 21 dedicated young people who do a wonderful job serving the Lord as acolytes. Every young person in the church who wants to serve God by assisting in worship, and is in the 6th grade or above, is welcome to be an acolyte. Contact: West Jacocks, 469-9858.

Adult Education: Suspended for the summer months.

Altar Guild: We maintain and enhance our sacred places to help increase our parish family’s awareness of God. We prepare the altars for all services and are blessed by the peace and serenity of these places. We welcome new volunteers in a variety of capacities. Contact: Helen Hughes, 469-2467.

Bag Lunches: Emmanuel United Methodist Church sponsors a soup kitchen on Manning Avenue, adjacent to their church. They provide meals for their clientele (hungry and most of them homeless) at noontime during the week. Our church, among others, creates bag lunches for weekends. This is a very efficient process and a great service project. Join us on Saturday mornings at 9 am on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Saturdays and be a blessing to those of our community in need! Contact: Nelson Harrell, 775-5227.

Breakfast Teams: Gourmet breakfasts are prepared with love for the purposes of fellowship between those of us who attend the early service and the 11 o’clock service. Breakfasts are also delivered to homebound parishioners by volunteer drivers. Contact: Jim Reading, 773-6245.

Buildings and Property Team: Maintenance and care of our church and parish hall are part of good stewardship. Generations before us and those to come depend on our actions today. This team meets monthly to address short and long term repairs and improvements needs. Contact: Bucky Monroe, 905-7790.

Childcare: We offer a safe, clean environment for infants through 2-year-olds in our nursery, open during both Sunday services, Sunday school and special church events.
During the Wednesday Nights and Alpha events, childcare is offered for older children. Our Christmas Pageant offers our children a fun and educational way to celebrate. We offer a special program designed just for the kids at our annual parish weekend retreat (Kanuga). Children’s church is a special service for the kids while the adults remain in the main sanctuary. The kids sing, craft and learn Bible stories. If you have a heart for the youngest members of God’s kingdom, we welcome you to our group of fantastic volunteers! Contact: Lori Grimm, daisygirl@sc.rr.com, 773-3823

Choir: We make a joyful noise to the Lord and are very blessed to serve in His name! Join us in our newly renovated practice room. Contact: Chuck Wilson, chuck@holycomforter.net, 773-3823.

Communications (web site, newsletter): Got a flair for the printed word? Are you an effective communicator? Do you speak html? If you answer yes to any of these, your skills will be put to good use in God’s kingdom through this ministry. Contact: Meg Shinall, meg@holycomforter.net, 773-3823

Cursillos in Christianity: Make a Friend, Be a Friend, Bring a Friend to Christ. This short course in Christianity is designed to build up leaders within the church. Attendees travel to Camp St. Christopher (Seabrook Island, SC), joining with other Episcopalians for singing, worship, listening, and discussion. The Cursillo ministry is strong here at Holy Comforter. Many have attended these weekends and have been so blessed by them that they have returned to serve on teams. If you are interested in hearing more about the weekend, contact Katherine Monroe, 905-7790.

Daughters of the King: Women who are communicants of this worldwide order are devoted to extending Christ's kingdom through prayer, service and evangelism. As individuals, our goal is to grow closer to our Lord through prayer and Bible study so that we may serve Him in whatever capacity our gifts and talents allow. There is an 8-week training session prior to taking life-long vows. Contact: Valjean Jenkins, 464-5064.

Daughters of the King Bible Study (suspended for the summer): This Wednesday morning Bible study is open to all women. We meet at 10 am in the lounge upstairs in the Parish Life Building. Currently we are studing The Essential Jesus. Contact: Sue Griffin, 775-7736.

Financial Peace University (offered in the fall): Financial Peace University is a life-changing Bible-based program that teaches how to make the right decisions with your money. It provides the practical skills and confidence needed to achieve financial goals and experience true financial peace! Participants benefit from the services of a hostess and a financially-experienced leader. Contact: Suzanne Palmer, 773-3850.

Flower Guild: We work to beautify the church to the glory of God. We use our own gardens and our own hands and talents. We currently have eight teams and would welcome new volunteers. Contact: Dotty Kolb, 775-9700.

Golden Bunch: We are a group of 65+ "young old ladies and gentlemen" who attend Holy Comforter to learn more about the Lord Jesus, and to have fun.  John White is leading our Sunday School.  Any person in the church is more than welcomed to join us each and every Sunday morning at 10 am. Contact: Billie Chandler, 773-4425.

Honduras Mission: We are midway through a five-year commitment to the LAMB Institute and the associated ministries of orphanage, school and home business start-ups. Join us! Visit holycomforterhonduras.blogspot.com to see our missionaries in action. To lend support or join the next team, contact Sue and Angus McDuffie at 773-3357.

Intercessory Prayer: We gather to pray for our families, our church, our community and the world. Join us Thursdays at 7 pm in the Parish Hall. Contact: Ray Moran, 803-664-0243 or Pat Jones, 778-7391.

Jail Ministry: Disciples of Christ, taking the Gospel to prisoners. Jail ministry happens at the detention level every Wednesday evening. Most prisoners are first exposed to Jesus Christ at this level before entering the larger state correctional facility. At this stage in their lives, these men have nowhere to turn. They can only look up, confess to the Lord that they can’t make it alone, and pray, “Deliver me!” That’s when the power and love of Jesus Christ changes lives, creating disciples who make disciples. Contact: John White, 773-1893

Kairos: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
A Kairos weekend begins with cookies, lots and lots of cookies. Volunteers from churches all over the state meet to coordinate the event. Some prepare cookies, some prepare food for the volunteers who actually enter the prison and conduct a program for the inmates. Lives are changed as the Risen Lord works. Cursillo is a pre-requisite to volunteer for this powerful ministry. Contact: Sid Walton, 469-0185.

Kaleo (suspended for the summer): To call forth; the divine call to partake in the blessings of redemption. Open to all women of Sumter, we seek to create female disciples who in turn create new disciples. We host a monthly evening program and a weekly women’s Bible study. The evening program is a testimony, focusing on ways the Lord works in our lives. Contact: Ramona Jacocks, 469-3070.

Kanuga Parish Retreat: Special things happen whenever we gather as a church family. Our retreat weekend at Kanuga fills us with the Holy Spirit and the blessings of shared love and enthusiasm. Volunteers are welcome in many roles. Contact: Tom Greenman, 905-5251.

Lay Eucharistic Ministers/Lay Readers: We assist our clergy in worship services by reading the lessons, leading the prayers, and administering the chalice. Some also assist by taking communion to our members who are home-bound, sick, or in nursing homes. Contact: Wade Kolb, Jr, 775-9700.

Lectionary Bible Study: This dynamic group focuses on the lessons appropriate to each Sunday; Old Testament, New Testament and Gospel. It is lay-led on a rotation schedule and well-attended by parishioners who often offer valuable insights during the discussion time. Join us in the lounge, upstairs in the Parish Life Building, at 10:00 on Sunday mornings, 9:00 in the summer months. Contact: John Britton, 469-2211.

Loaves and Fishes: We offer  a midday meal on the day of any funeral held at this church that uses Holy Comforter priests. We work in teams and are so pleased to be in a position to offer an outpouring of love and comfort to those in need. Contact: Mary Gene White, 773-1893.

Memorial Garden Guild: We exist to glorify God in His garden where His saints rest and to make it as beautiful as it can be. This is a rewarding and vibrant ministry and volunteers are welcome. Contact: Elaine Broadwell, 778-2120.

Newcomers: We equip and empower greeters at all church events, looking for new faces to welcome to our church family. If you have a heart for hospitality, join us! Contact: Meg Shinall, meg@holycomforter.net, 773-3823.

Parish Life Team: We exist to enhance the fellowship of the parish outside of the traditional worship service. We organize the Parish Picnic in the spring and Kanuga Parish Retreat in the winter. Join us! Contact: Heidi Burkett, heidiburkett@yahoo.com, 468-1900.

Phillip Ministers: We are here to help spread the message that we care about our church family, whether homebound, hospitalized or elsewhere. We care and we want to be there for our church family members when needed. Contact: Juanita Williams, 934-2830.

Planned Giving: So much of what we have been able to do to maintain our church and help it to grow has been the result of planned giving from past members. Financial gifts of this nature insure our legacy as a church where God is known and has authority over our lives. Our ministry serves to assist parishioners with such arrangements and to remember the gifts of those who have gone before. Contact: Charles Alessandro, 469-9799.

Prayer Chain: This quiet ministry is privileged to join in God's care of his people through intercessory prayer for those in need. We strive to fulfill our mission with utmost confidentiality.
Contact: Sarah Louise Manning, 775-3274 or Betsy Acken, 773-2110.

Prayer Team: We provide a time for parishioners to lighten the weight of the burdens they carry by sharing them with brothers and sisters in Christ in a quiet and private time of prayer. Opportunities for prayer are offered in the chapel during communion and after both morning services on Sunday. We are also pleased to sponsor Healing Missions for the benefit of both our parish members and the general public. Contact: Mitchell Jacocks, sumterdoc@yahoo.com, 469-3070.

Recovering Sight Foundation: Training for legally blind individuals to use screen-reading software that allows them to get back to reading and writing. These new-found skills change their lives getting them back into the mainstream of information. They are able to accomplish almost anything a sighted person can do with a computer.
Since transporation is always an issue for blind individuals, Holy Comforter parishioners have been a great blessing in this area. Jimmy Cromer coordinates our rides for us and he can be contacted at 775-4123. Contact: Neil Towery, 775-3188.

Resource Center: More than a library, our resource center is being designed to meet the educational needs of our growing congregation. Join the beginning stages of this exciting project! Contact: Meg Shinall, 773-3823.

Small Groups: The purpose of small groups is to create disciples that make new disciples. We build relationships with each other, learn God’s Word together and through that come to know and love God more deeply. We show concern for each other’s needs and welcome new people into the group. Most groups meet twice each month for fellowship, study and prayer. Bible study guides are recommended by the clergy, and groups are given the freedom to choose from among these recommendations. It is believed that the best way to become a disciple of Christ is to grow within the structure of a small group. Many of us have seen first-hand the good fruit such groups can produce. Contact: The Reverend Marcus Kaiser, 773-3823.

Sound & Recording: We record the sermons for our CD ministry and the web site and keep our microphones and audio visual systems running smoothly to enhance worship and learning. Volunteers are welcome! Contact: Craig Justice, 778-1050.

Spiritual Directors: This ministry is sometimes called “spiritual friendship.” The biblical model is found in Acts 8 when Philip, moved by the Holy Spirit, journeys with the Ethiopian as he reads the scriptures. It is available to anyone who wants to have someone with whom to pray, journey and reflect. Training is available. Contact: Genie Towery, 775-3188.

Spiritual Gifts Workshop: Teachers, techies, discipes, hostesses and intercessors are all contributors to this extraordinary experience that helps us discover the people God made us to be. Our next workshop is Nov. 5-6, 2010. Contact Teri Griffin, 340-0291

Stewardship: We have more to do with learning to live Christ-centered lives than with asking for pledges. Teachers and witnesses are welcome! Contact: John Acken, 773-2110.

Ushers: Ushers are among the first to arrive at church, to prepare the church for the congregation; we see that the church is in proper condition to receive guests, and we see that required worship service items are distributed to the congregation as needed. Contact: Bill Stokes, williamhystokes@yahoo.com, 469-7272.

Youth Education: Our dynamic program offers our teens and pre-teens a place to learn to serve, understand the Bible, get along with others, and take their faith seriously. Volunteers are given opportunities to help through prayer, time, encouragement and financial support. There is a lot going on! We have a Wednesday morning Bible study, initiated by the teens’ desire to read the Bible in a year, thus achieving a deeper relationship with God. We go on mission trips, to adventure camps and help with Vacation Bible School. We participate in diocesan youth events, hold weekly youth group meetings on Sunday nights, Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Our teens serve as acolytes and crucifers. Our volunteers are treasured for their mentoring, cooking for us on Sunday nights, leading Sunday school lessons, and small groups. Have a heart for the young? We have a place for you. Contact: Timothy Rutherford, othyp121@yahoo.com, 565-6750.