Who We Are

John Warren became the Senior Pastor at John Wesley in June of 2026. A native of Columbia, S.C., John is married, has four children and nine grandchildren. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, John attended Emory University where obtained his Master of Divinity degree. He has served churches across South Carolina, including five years at Bethel United Methodist in Charleston.

Margaret Downs, our Director of Music Ministries, is a native of Charleston. She graduated from Middleton High School in 1986 and then pursued a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree, Margaret returned to Charleston to teach chorus in the Charleston County School District for eight years before joining John Wesley as organist. In 1993, she became Director of Music. Margaret directs the Chancel Choir, four handbell choirs, two youth choirs, and three children’s choirs in addition to the Ladies’, Men’s and Senior Adult Ensembles.

Our Director of Children’s Ministries, Hope Murphy, is a lifelong Methodist, raised in Hampton, SC. Having graduated from College of Charleston with a BA in English, Hope taught in Charleston County Schools District for ten years. After several years of volunteering at John Wesley, Hope joined the staff in June of 2002 as Director of Children’s Ministries. Her duties include coordinating programs for children and integrating the children of the congregation into the body of Christ.

Director of Youth Ministries David Boudolf grew up in John Wesley UMC. After graduating from Clemson University, David relocated to Atlanta as the Director of Activities Ministry. In 2002 David followed God’s call to St. Andrew By-The-Sea UMC on Hilton Head Island as Director of Youth and Relational Ministry. In 2007 David joined the John Wesley UMC staff as Director of Youth Ministry.

Director of Christian Education, Missy Cario, is a lifelong member of John Wesley UMC. After spending her entire career in education with Charleston County School District, Missy accepted the position with John Wesley UMC.

Office Administrator Cindy Covington, who joined the staff in 2020, came to us from Atlanta, GA. She is the smiling face you will see upon entering our office suite. In addition to Cindy’s recent experience as an office administrator with a Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, she taught elementary school for 15 years in both Georgia and South Carolina.

Dawn joined the staff at John Wesley UMC as Financial Administrator in the summer of 2024. A NASA professional career took Dawn & her family to Texas and Florida where she lived and worked until recently returning to South Carolina. An invitation by a friend brought her to church at St. Andrew UMC in Titusville, FL where she attended and worked for many years within the Florida Methodist Conference. She now happily works as our church Financial Administrator.

Day School Director Shannon Carosone is always smiling as she greets parents and children at our Day School and in her role as Nursery Supervisor during worship services. She leads a team of teachers and helpers who love children and believe in learning through play. She has served as Director of the Day School since August 2021.

Jocelyn Lawton joined the John Wesley staff in 2019 and tackles the tough job of keeping the church clean every day. Jocelyn grew up in Walterboro and attended a Baptist church where her grandfather was a deacon.

Anne has been the Associate Director of Music since January 2023, but her roots in the music ministry run much deeper—she was a committed volunteer for 13 years before joining the staff. This long history gives her a unique perspective as she leads several vital programs. She joyfully directs the Covenant Singers, working with 2nd through 5th graders to instill a lifelong love of music. Her work with the children culminates each year in the beloved "May Day Play Day," a mini-musical on the first Sunday of May where she directs, stages, and choreographs the performance. She also lends her expertise to the adult program, directing the Adult Chancel Choir and assisting the English Handbell Ringers.

Charlotte has attended John Wesley United Methodist Church her entire life and currently serves as the Music Ministry Communications Coordinator. A graduate of Charleston County School of the Arts, where she majored in voice, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies from the University of South Carolina in 2023. She has been active in her current role within the music ministry at John Wesley since 2023, helping to lead the youth choir and youth handbell choir on Wednesday nights and supporting the music ministry through communications, social media, and graphic design. In addition to her work at John Wesley, she also serves full time as Brand Manager & Region Event Coordinator for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, where she combines her love of music and communications to support musicians and church leaders nationwide.