That smiling voice is often the one you hear when you phone Immanuel Church. As Minister of Congregational Life, almost all of the life of the church connects in some way to Carol. Want to know where to put the garbage cans? Ask Carol. Have a family member in the hospital? Let Carol know. Wondering what this or that committee is doing? Ask Carol. Want to know who is in charge of the church calendar, monitoring small groups, welcoming visitors, planning evangelism, outlining the Sunday night lecture series, comforting someone who has lost a family member, creating publicity, managing complaints, guiding a lonely person into a warm niche within the church, speaking at the next brunch, helping to lead worship, that all would be Carol-or someone to whom she has delegated the task.

Carol believes that God has used many of her previous experiences to prepare her for staff ministry at Immanuel. She earned a B.A. in sociology and an M.A. in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College. She worked as book editor for Harold Shaw Publishers and has co-authored with husband Jim a number of books including their recent Witnesses to All the World: God's Heart for the Nations from Genesis to Revelation (Waterbrook Press). During the thirteen years when their two children were school age, Jim and Carol took a break from foreign mission work. During that time both parents served in many capacities at Immanuel Church. Carol was Small Group Coordinator, Day Camp Coordinator, Sunday School Superintendent, as well as elder. When the family moved to Charlotte to head up SIM, Carol continued her dedicated work in the church, this time at Forest Hill EPC where she chaired their Evangelism and Outreach efforts and again served as elder. In 2004, the people of Immanuel Church felt blessed to welcome one of their own back home--this time as staff.