Search Committee Members

Lynda Clark

I have been a member of Holy Cross since 2006 and have served as a vestry member and representative to diocesan convention in the past. My current ministries at Holy Cross include media team, altar guild, and representative to diocesan convention. I love good books and interesting conversation. Every Sunday evening, I meet with The Dissent Daughters of Holy Cross, a covenant group of women whom I have come to think of as sisters. I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and as a young person was active in diocesan youth and Happening. I was also employed at the diocesan summer camp in Southern VA. I’m passionate about youth and campus ministries. I’ve has been married for 25 years and am a mother to two young adults. In my professional life, I am a Doctor of Audiology and provide service at Davis Audiology in Simpsonville.

Dennis DeFrancesco

I am a retired USDA soil scientist badly flunking retirement but enjoying doing the soils work I love. I enjoy anything outdoor or nature related. Other activities of mine include volunteering at Lake Conestee Nature Preserve as well as being a supervisor and instructor at Greenville Woodworkers Guild. Currently I am serving on the Greenville County Natural & Historical Resources Trust Committee, as a Clemson Master Naturalist, on the Soil Classifiers Licensing Board, as well as and being a proud Pop Pop, and just starting piano lessons. As a member of HC since 1998, I am responsible for Columbarium records and internments.

Luisa Gonzalez

As we embark in a search for a new leader may we be led by the grace of God, and the patience of Job. I was born, raised, and educated in Catholic schools. My birth parish in Cuba was the Cathedral of St Charles, in Matanzas, Cuba. I came to the US at the age of 16 as a refugee, leaving Communism behind. We joined the Episcopal church in the 1970s. During our 51 years of love, we raised 3 wonderful boys who gave us 9 grandchildren. My husband, Alfredo, was ordained a priest in Columbia, SC, at the young age of 71. He began the Hispanic Ministry of the Dioceses in Columbia and moved to Holy Cross in 2014. Personally I was focused on church work all my life. I loved assisting with all aspects of ministry, including altar guild, Christian formation, ushering, lay reading, and outreach. It was a blessing and a privilege to serve Christ and His people in His Church. My allegiance to the Daughters of the King has been very fulfilling for many years, and I have enjoyed becoming a DOK instructor. My passions, besides my family, are teaching and traveling. I have taught for 54 years at different levels. Traveling has brought us to Europe and to Spanish speaking America often to Costa Rica and to Spain to visit with our families. We also love to travel the great USA. Holy Cross is a generous parish; love, care, concern for each other in a deep rooted Christian community are abundant. We are very fortunate to be part of Holy Cross, and we hope to be here for many more years.

Marcia Jones

I am a cradle Episcopalian. My early church life was at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tampa, Florida. I was baptized and confirmed there. St. John’s was a very high church with all the whistles and bells, as it is said. My early schooling, until 9th grade, was at the school attached to the church. After our children were born we started going to a very small mission church in Miami and were pleased to be part of that church when it was blessed with its own building. I taught the young ones Sunday school classes until we moved to Greenville in 1996. At Holy Cross I became a Eucharistic Reader and then Eucharistic Visitor. I have been involved with pastoral care, both during my vestry time and as a representative on Program Council, for so many years I can’t count (10 or 15). As my involvement has changed, my spiritual journey has also. I have changed from learning about church to learning about myself doing the work that God would have me do.

William Lutz

I am a retired Episcopal priest having served for 43 years in parish and youth ministry in the Northeast. I attended Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio after growing up in New Jersey. Following college, I attended the General Theological Seminary in NYC. I have served parishes in the dioceses of New Jersey, Western Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Central New York. With a passion for youth ministry, I have also served as Chaplain to St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA, the University of Vermont in Burlington, and Elmira College in Elmira, NY. I received my Doctor of Ministry from Bangor Theological Seminary in New Member Ministry. I also served as a Trustee to the General Theological Seminary for 9 years. Following retirement, I moved with my wife Heather, a former school counselor, to Simpsonville to be near our son Ethan and his family who live in Fountain Inn. Ethan is a history teacher at Woodmont HS while his wife Gianna is an actress and screen writer. Their daughter Olivia is usually found with Heather in worship while I sing in the choir. I also sort and organize the food donations for the back pack ministry. We also have four other grandchildren in Kentucky and New York.

Michael McAllister

A native of Seneca, SC, I graduated from Clemson in 1982 and moved to Greenville working in the computer industry for different companies. I married my high school sweetheart, Linda, in 1984. We have two children and five grandchildren. Having grown up Southern Baptist, after marriage I tried the Presbyterian church but the church size was not a good match for my family. Eventually I found a small Methodist church that allowed my faith to continue the journey. The journey now continues with Holy Cross and it’s accepting and thinking view of Christianity. I enjoy Clemson sports, outdoor activities (hiking, hunting, camping, and gardening), photography, woodworking, and household remodeling. I like to take old laptops, wipe and refurbish them, and then donate them to children in need.

Cheryl Randall

I am a retired ED (Emergency Department) nurse, but I still teach classes for medical personnel. My first degree is in religious education, my second in emergency medicine and my last in nursing. I am divorced and have two grown children who live close to me and two grandsons. I love to travel and read. I’m a mediocre gardener, but I do enjoy playing in the dirt on sunny days. I’m an animal lover and do wildlife rehab. It’s not unusual for me to carry around orphaned fur babies when I am out and about as they have to be fed so often. I love Holy Cross, and am honored to be asked to serve on our search committee. I believe that together we can make a difference in the life of our parish.

Bonnie Schmidt

With my husband Phillip and our daughter Lauren (age 10), I have worshipped at Holy Cross since August 2010. I have spent the past eleven years serving as a youth group and youth formation leader, as an assistant in children’s ministry and VBS, and with the greeter ministry. I served a term on the vestry ending in January 2019. Having earned my accounting degree at Clemson University, I am currently employed as an accounting manager with a candle and home decor company in the upstate. I currently co-lead my daughter Lauren’s Girl Scout troop and cheer for her on the volleyball court. In my free time I enjoy all types of sports and spending time with my pup Charlie.