Scott Neely (he/him)
UUCS Minister, August 2017
Scott Neely has served as minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg, SC since August 2017. Neely is a founding board member and strategist for Speaking Down Barriers, an organization that uses facilitated dialogue to build our life together across the differences that divide us. He is a graduate of Wofford College and Harvard Divinity School. In April 2015 he presented a TEDx talk on race and racism entitled “What Will I Teach My Son?“
In addition to Speaking Down Barriers, Neely has helped with the development of these community initiatives:
- The Fund to Support Latinx Immigrants, a statewide coalition of immigration advocacy groups to provide direct assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to individuals and families who are Latinx immigrants in South Carolina.
- LGBTQ Theologies, a coalition of people of faith – individuals, congregations, and clergy – building a network of support for the LGBTQ+ community and issues in Upstate SC.
- The Project for Community Transformation, an initiative to help individuals, organizations, and congregations energize and thrive, for the purpose of serving their communities more effectively. This project merged with Speaking Down Barriers in 2017.
Neely has been a lecturer in religion and the humanities at the University of South Carolina-Upstate and Wofford College.
A practicing artist, his work may be found here.
Contact Scott minister@uucs.org
Anne Garner (she/her)
Assistant Minister
Hospitality, justice, and radical love have defined Anne Garner’s work for the last two decades. She is a graduate of Furman University and earned her Master of Divinity from the progressive Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. A lifelong member of First Baptist Church-Greenville, SC, she has served there for many years, both as support staff and in various volunteer capacities, including the chair of deacons. What began in September 2018 as a one-year Supervised Ministry as part of her theological training evolved into Anne serving here at UUCS ever since, focusing on social justice, pastoral care and worship leadership. Her goal is to help build the Beloved Community wherever she is. She has co-developed and leads the LGBTQ Theologies project (www.lgbtqtheologies.org), a network of people of faith and congregations building support for the LGBTQ+ community in Upstate SC. Her colleagues describe her as a “theological logistician”: a visionary whose gift of practicality brings what we dream of to life.
Contact Anne asst.minister@uucs.org
Sybil Argintar
UUCS Director of Religious Education
Sybil is a native of Asheville, North Carolina, and brings a wealth of experience to her work as Director of Religious Education at UUCS. Sybil’s own children were raised in a UU church where she was an active volunteer in the program. From 2007 to 2014 Sybil served as the Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley in Black Mountain, NC, and has been at UUCS since 2016. Sybil is a Renaissance Scholar within the UU faith, having completed numerous training modules in religious education through the years, as well as being a trained OWL (Our Whole Lives) facilitator along with additional work in youth ministry.
Sybil would love to meet each of you and your children/youth and will be happy to hear any suggestions or concerns you have about the program. Drop-ins can be anytime between 1:00 – 5:00 pm on Tuesdays, and other times by appointment. You can also talk with Sybil after the church service on Sundays!
Contact Sybil dre@uucs.org
DRE Office Hours: 1:00 – 5:00 pm Tuesdays or by appointment
Ron Fowler
Sexton
Ron Fowler began work as our sexton officially in July 2013. He is responsible for the cleanup and basic security of the church building, primarily on Sundays after worship services and Wednesday evenings (two hours each), and may be asked to work additional hours at all-church and/or rental events.
Originally from Spartanburg, Ron has also lived in Key West, Florida, where he was a musician in various clubs, and in West Virginia, where he attended adult education and received his diploma in carpentry. Since moving back to Spartanburg, he has worked in carpentry and masonry and, more recently, as a quality control inspector. He has been part of the UUCS community since 2010.
