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Michael Cusack

I was born and raised in the Baltimore/Towson area of Maryland, where I completed my education with a BA in Economics from Towson University and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in French-speaking Cameroon, West Africa. Following that, I had a 38-year career in international banking, where I specialized in ship financing globally, as well as export and project financing throughout Latin America, primarily in Spanish-speaking countries and Brazil.

I have been an active volunteer and board member at The Baltimore Station for over 20 years. This men’s shelter provides residential care to support addiction recovery and serves a significant population of veterans. Additionally, I have mentored for Big Brothers Big Sisters and tutored at The South Baltimore Learning Center. Currently, I volunteer for Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and ReStore.

Having been raised Catholic, I joined the Episcopal Church in 2018. After my retirement, I moved to Lancaster in November 2019. As someone new to the area, I am captivated by the history, architecture, theater, music, art, and especially the kindness and generosity of the people. I discovered Saint James through an Early World Music concert in 2021, and I feel truly blessed to have found a spiritual home here.

I am extremely thankful for the wonderful experience I had during the Saint James pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May 2022. I also enjoy ushering and taking part in the Upper Room Men's Group and the occasional CWS meals and presentations. Recently, I completed the Portuguese Way of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and I love sharing stories with other parishioners and pilgrims.

I consider myself an internationalist who appreciates cultural and linguistic diversity. I would love to see a platform for parishioners to share their volunteer experiences and foster cooperation among different churches and faiths. Inviting organizations to speak would help us learn the best ways to impact our community. Together, we can build a house of prayer and service.

Lisa Groff

I was born in Lancaster and have had Saint James in my life from the time that my parents started taking me there to be baptized and confirmed. As a little girl, I climbed over snowbanks because my dad, Bob Groff, felt that nothing should stop us from getting to church, even if we couldn’t get there in our own car. That kind of example and determination by my father made such a lasting impression on me.

Saint James community has been there for me with health challenges as a young adult, during Covid. Compline services have remained in my life post COVID. I have witnessed the church’s changes and challenges for over 60 years. It is a very special community that I feel blessed to have.

In addition to serving many Saint James families for funeral services, I have previously served on the endowment committee.  My community board work has included the American Red Cross, Rotary Club of Lancaster, Lancaster History, Tennis Central, Neighborhood Services, Mayor Office of Special Events(MOOSE) and Elizabethtown College Leadership Council. I am honored to run for vestry and serve the church in that capacity.

Barbara Hough Huesken

The spiritual journey that led me to Saint James is rooted in rural Southern Illinois, where my Lancaster-reared mother, a registered nurse, and my dad, a Congregational Christian pastor, began their shared life of marriage and ministry. My growing-up years crisscrossed the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic before I started a journalism career at Lancaster Newspapers. Raised in the United Church of Christ, I joined my mother’s home church, a United Methodist congregation in downtown Lancaster, after settling here in the 1980s.

Over the years, I often slowed my pace when walking near the shaded corner of East Orange and North Duke streets. Sometimes, en route to a newspaper interview, I would slip into the Saint James graveyard to relive America’s early history by deciphering the worn letters on the headstones. Other times, I attended a funeral or joined friends at a concert. On Holy Weeks, I sat contemplatively in a side pew as I listened to the last words of Christ at the community Good Friday service.

Because of the people, the sacred surroundings, the music, and the fact that Saint James stands tall and strong structurally and faithfully in a city I had grown to love, I knew it was time to deepen the relationship. I joined Saint James in 2018 and was married here six months later. I am actively involved in the Altar Guild ministry and seek opportunities that grow my faith, expand my perspectives and serve others.

I recently retired as director of legislative affairs at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association in Harrisburg, where much of my time was spent advocating for First Amendment freedoms and an open, accessible, transparent government for all Pennsylvanians. I live in Warwick Township with my husband, Gerry, a Saint James Catholic Church member in Lititz and retired Conestoga Valley School District superintendent. Our family includes three grown children, two grandchildren and a cat named Chessie. Together Gerry and I celebrate a life made extraordinarily meaningful through church and community service.

Eric Schwarz

I was raised in southern Florida, where I graduated from high school. In the fall of 1997, I joined the US Navy and served as a submarine reactor operator. I was brought up in the Catholic faith and continued to practice it while in the Navy, even serving as a eucharistic minister at sea.

After my active duty service, I moved to Pennsylvania in 2004 to enroll at Penn State University. I was looking for a major university with a big library, a strong football program, and a nuclear reactor on campus. I completed my BS in Chemistry, minoring in Physics, to prepare for a future in nuclear energy.

In 2008, I attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned my MS in Chemical Engineering, focusing on high-temperature molten salt chemistry. During my time in graduate school, I met my wonderful wife, Ashley, and we began a long-distance relationship. In 2010, I rejoined the Navy Reserves and was commissioned as an officer.

I eventually moved to Lancaster, PA, for work and married Ashley in 2012. I started working as a nuclear chemical engineer for Peach Bottom, and in 2014, our son Henry was born. We sought to find a spiritual home and community, which led us to Saint James. I left the Navy Reserves in 2016 and transitioned to TMI for work until it closed in 2019. I was fortunate to return to Peach Bottom, which marked the beginning of my personal journey to add value to my community and the industry. In 2023, I started my own nuclear technology company, which is progressing slowly. Meanwhile, Ashley is finishing her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Since 2017, I have volunteered as a Senior Research Associate at Franklin and Marshall College, studying air and water quality. I also became a Cub Scout den leader in Lancaster City in 2022 and volunteer with Junior Achievement, helping elementary and middle school students learn about civic engagement and STEM topics. I am passionate about engaging boys and men to improve their participation and opportunities in our local industry and community.

Rosemary Krill

Saint James Church is a mainstay of spiritual growth, both as a place and as a congregation. The insightful preaching; the meaningful, well-planned, and music-filled liturgies; the opportunities for contemplation; the learning sessions; and the consistent support of mission and justice work both in Lancaster and beyond . .  . all these activities contribute to a vibrant community. People reach for their best here. That is how the church appeared to my husband and me when we retired to Lititz in 2015. And so, we joined.

Many individuals undoubtedly find a sense of comfort and nourishment at Saint James. From the Church’s history displayed during its 275th-anniversary celebration, I understand that people in previous decades have experienced this too. I would appreciate the opportunity to contribute my skills to the Church’s mission and help shape a future enriched by the qualities we find engaging.

My skills and perspectives have been shaped by my work in nonprofit, mission-driven institutions focused on public history. This journey began in graduate school and continued through positions in museums in New Jersey and Delaware. Ultimately, it culminated in twenty-five years of employment at Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, DE.

I developed educational programs for children and adults, led visitor services that included welcoming, ticketing, and guiding in the house and garden, and managed various aspects of academic programs, such as mentoring students, teaching graduate courses, and overseeing a research fellowship program.

My volunteer work in Lancaster has given me valuable insights into nonprofit funding, budgeting, and planning. I am currently serving my third three-year term on the board of LancasterHistory, where I have also been a member of the Executive Committee for several years and led a team to enhance access to research collections. Furthermore, I recently completed six years as the secretary of the Lancaster Branch of the NAACP. At Saint James, my volunteer work has centered on worship, serving on the Altar Guild since 2019 and as a Eucharistic Minister since 2023.