Pastor
Frederick Bartelt
The Reverend Frederick Bartelt was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he grew up loving the Tampa Bay Rays and Lightning. He holds a BA in Mathematics from the University of South Florida.
Pastor Fred first heard God’s call to ministry while working at Luther Springs camp. He attended Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) of Lenoir-Rhyne University, in Columbia, SC. After seminary, Reverend Bartelt served his first call in Brookings, SD at Ascension Lutheran. While there, he began a luncheon Bible study, taught confirmation classes, and helped the congregation navigate the challenges of the pandemic. Before accepting the call here at St. James, Pr. Fred served as a supply preacher for the synod of South Carolina while helping to care for his young daughter. He completed the Spiritual Director Certification course through LTSS in order to help others deepen their faith.
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Pastor Fred and his wife, Christianne, live in the Lexington area with their daughters, Adelaide and Victoria. Christianne holds a Masters and Doctorate Degrees in History from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. Pastor Fred is an avid runner, reader, and disc golfer, in addition to playing highly competitive board games.
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Director of Music and Parish Administrator
Jeff Clearman
Jefferey Clearman (Jeff) is a native of Petal Mississippi. He holds the Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the University of Memphis where he studied with Dr. John David Peterson. Jeff attended the University of Mississippi where he was a member of the Concert Singers, accompanist in the voice department and also accompanist for the Spirit of Ole Miss, the university’s show choir. He has sung and played under the baton of Robert Shaw, Alan Balter and Jerry Jordan. Jeff has done additional organ study with Diane Meredith Belcher and Dr. Jeff McLelland. He has been organist/choirmaster at St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church in Oxford MS, All Saints Episcopal Church in Mobile, AL, All Saints Memorial Church in Navesink, NJ, and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Somerville, NJ. Jeff also has been musical director for musical theater; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Once Upon a Mattress for the Stone Church Players in Navesink. In Mobile he was musical director for the Joe Jefferson Players production of Avenue Q and the Chickasaw Community Theater’s production of Mary Poppins and Oklahoma. Jeff lives in Columbia with his husband Kevin Davis, who is Organist/Choirmaster at Mount Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia, and their cat Midnight. They have one daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. They live in Pope, MS just south of Memphis, TN.
