Our Team
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church
Trinity AME Zion Church
Jesus Our Risen Savior
Mt. Moriah Baptist Church
Central United Methodist Church
First Presbyterian Church
Episcopal Church of the Advent
Hub City Roots
Fernwood Baptist Church
Second Presbyterian
Spartanburg Food System Coalition
Silver Hill Memorial United Methodist Church
Bethel United Methodist Church
St. John's Lutheran Church
Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
The Salvation Army
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Trinity United Methodist Church
Life with Jesus Ministries
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
The Bridge at Green St. & BridgeWay Village
Life with Jesus Ministries
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Scott Neely
Scott Neely directs the Faith Initiative To End Child Poverty. He also serves as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina. A graduate of Wofford College and Harvard Divinity School, he has helped to develop several community initiatives including: Speaking Down Barriers, an organization that uses art and facilitated dialogue to build our life together across the differences that divide us; the Fund to Support Latinx Immigrants, a statewide coalition of immigration advocacy groups that provided direct assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to immigrant families of Latin American origin in every county in South Carolina; and LGBTQ Theologies, a coalition of people of faith—individuals, congregations, and clergy—building a network of support for the LGBTQ+ community in Upstate South Carolina. As part of the Speaking Down Barriers team, he presented a TEDx talk on race and racism entitled “What Will I Teach My Son? Neely has taught religion and the humanities at the University of South Carolina–Upstate and Wofford College. He is author of A Good Road To Walk (Holocene, 2001), editor of This Threshold: Writing on the End of Life (Hub City, 2007), and co-author of Into the Field of Suffering: Finding the Other Side of Burnout (Oxford University Press, 2023), written with David Schenck. A practicing artist, his work may be found at www.neelyprojects.com.
Rev. Dr. Mekeshia Bates
Rev. Dr. Mekeshia Bates returned to Spartanburg County to lead an innovative initiative increasing access to and reducing stigma of mental health services in the Black community through Black congregations. Dr. Bates is a retired United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer, CEO of Gift of Dreams Wellness and Consulting, LLC, Community Pastor with the Faith Initiative to End Child Poverty, and associate minister at Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs, MD. With over 20 years of experience in mental health, she specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry, adult psychiatry, pastoral counseling, geriatrics, forensics, and addictions. As the author of No Shame! Bridging the Gap Between Mental Health and Religion in the Black Church and its companion workbook, Dr. Bates is dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding mental health in faith communities. She serves on the boards of Neighbor to Family, Inc., the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention-South Carolina Chapter, and Spartanburg Area Mental Health.
Gianella Araujo, LMFT
Gianella Araujo is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a passion for building compassionate communities where children and families can thrive. As a community pastor with the Faith Initiative To End Child Poverty, she helps guide efforts to support immigrant youth, particularly unaccompanied minors, by providing insight on trauma-responsive mental health care, cultural responsiveness, and community integration. Her work emphasizes collaboration, resilience, and creating environments where every child and family feels supported and valued.
Stan Williams
Stan Williams grew up in underserved, segregated neighborhoods in the city and county of Spartanburg just at the time of integration. Stan earned a doctorate in the School of Life, learning the challenges of our society and the goodness of people in our schools, prisons, and addiction recovery meetings. As a community pastor with the Faith Initiative, Stan travels throughout our city and county interacting with people in neighborhoods, addiction recovery meetings, on buses, and on streets. He engages with more than 400 people a week, offering direct support and facilitating resources.
Rev. Ginger Shuler
Rev. Ginger Shuler is an ordained Presbyterian minister in Foothills Presbytery. She serves as co-chair of the Spartanburg Interfaith Alliance, a community network developing interfaith connections and sharing throughout Spartanburg County. A lifelong educator, philanthropist, and Rotarian, Ginger serves as a community pastor with the Faith Initiative to develop connections with institutional partners and community agencies to build our network.