About Us

Enjoying Christ

We are a community of worshipers who passionately gather together for life-shaping worship and continually grow in Christ’s knowledge, character, and ways.

As beneficiaries of God’s love, it thrills us to gather for worship on Sunday mornings. Our worship service is the highlight of our week. We never tire of receiving fresh grace and passing it along to others.

Encouraging One Another

We are a community of worshipers who relationally connect and then happily commit to become members of our spiritual family.

God has created each of us with a longing for authentic community, and at Horizon Church, we are loving what God is doing. He is turning neighbors into family, and there is always room for more.

Engaging Our World

We are people individually sharing the Gospel with our neighbors, jointly serving with Upstate ministries, and ambitiously supporting global partners in pursuit of the vision of Christ.

We love finding opportunities to tell our family and neighbors the Good News we have found. And you have never seen anyone celebrate like we do when someone becomes a Christian brother or sister in Christ. At Horizon Church, we are all missionaries all the time—sharing Christ’s love, proclaiming his Gospel, making more disciples, and delighting our Father in heaven.

Meet our staff

Joe Franks

senior Pastor

Tori Hough

admin assistant

Scott Jacobs

Director of Worship

Cheley McDowell

Children's Director

Gordon Carpenter

Director of STUDENT Ministries

Tara Jacobs

Student Ministries Coordinator

Erik Bianchi

video production

If you are searching for a church, it’s important to know the beliefs subscribed to by that particular congregation. At Horizon, one of the things we think the Bible teaches is the idea of a connected church. For that reason, we are a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America. Below you’ll find what we believe, along with believers all over the world, and especially our brothers and sisters in the PCA.

Horizon Church is a community created by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone. What binds us together is not common education, common race or common politics, common jobs or common accents, or anything of that sort, but the One who was crushed and pierced that we might be made whole and healed (Isa. 53:3-5).

We are a community that believes all of life should be interpreted through the lens of the Bible, that we might apply the wisdom of God to life’s joys, challenges and sorrows, in honest, encouraging and committed relationships. Horizon is connected with other like-minded churches in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) through the Calvary Presbytery.

Calvary Presbytery is one of 76 Presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church in America, which is a conservative, reformed, Bible teaching denomination. There are 44 Churches in Calvary Presbytery located in the upstate of South Carolina. Calvary Presbytery was formed on July 1, 1973 as the eighth Presbytery in the PCA. At that time Calvary Presbytery included the whole state of South Carolina. We grew to over 100 churches, and on January 1, 1984, we were divided by the formation of Palmetto Presbytery, comprising the lower part of South Carolina. Then on July 1, 1994 Fellowship Presbytery was formed out of Calvary Presbytery, this comprising the northeast counties of South Carolina.

We are a church committed to the inspired Word of God. It is more important to us than creeds, counsels, and any religious traditions of man. As a congregation in the PCA, our doctrinal views are stated well in the Westminster Confession of Faith which can be reviewed here.

Bill Weathers

ELDER

Dave Satterlee

ELDER

Kurt Heitman

ELDEr

Paul Weathers

ELDER

Mark May

ELDER

Bill Rogers

ELDER

David Williford

ELDER

Shamgar McDowell

ELDEr

Chad Mangum

ELDER

Mark Goldsmith

ELDER

When Horizon Church was birthed in 1998, the name “horizon” was chosen because of our emphasis on the awesome passion shown by the amazing person—Jesus of Nazareth—the eternal Son of God, and only Savior. In common understanding, the visual horizon is the point where heaven meets earth. That was perfectly personified in Jesus, who being God, entered into his own creation, became a man, with human appetites like the rest of us, yet without sin. A wise man once said: “He (the eternal Son) became what he was not (man) – without ceasing to be what He always was (God).” Heaven came to earth in one unique person—Jesus of Nazareth! He is our horizon—where heaven meets earth.

That is a bedrock belief of historic Christianity. When the Son of God was nailed to a Roman cross in the spring of 29 AD, he hung on the horizon between heaven and earth as the only redeemer for sinners. He is the only hope for earthbound mortals desiring real purpose and a future beyond our wildest dreams!

The horizon is also where we fix our gaze, dreaming and praying for the advancement of Christ’s glorious kingdom—here and around the world. Our investment in the global enterprise of getting the great, good news out to the nations is significant and we are thrilled to be a part of that worldwide operation!

If you are searching for significance and a future, we invite you to Horizon!

Dan Polstra

DEACON

Scott Choi

DEACON

Jeremy Brown

DEACON

Mark Lyons

DEACON

Tim Williams

deacon

Carl Daves

DEACON

Jeff Callahan

DEACON

Joe Siatkowski

deacon

Thomas Baer

DEACON

Erik Bianchi

DEACON

Joe Franks

senior pastor

Before coming to Horizon Church, Joe Franks served at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, as the National Missions Pastor. He was responsible for Briarwood’s Church Revitalization, Church Planting, Parachurch Partnerships and Urban Ministries. Prior to Briarwood, Joe was the Senior Pastor of Palmetto Hills Presbyterian Church, a church he helped plant and where he labored for more than twelve years. Joe also ministered in Palm Beach County, Florida for seven years. For 27 years, he has been happily married to Laura. Together they have three children. Joseph is 23, has recently married and lives in Chattanooga with his wife, Schuyler. Ashlyn is 20, a senior at Covenant College. Andrew is 18 and is a high school senior. Joe holds a Master of Divinity degree from Knox Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology degree in Church History from Westminster Theological Seminary. His favorite passage in the Bible is Psalm 2, and his favorite quote comes from the English Puritan, John Preston: “Spend your fat and sweetness for God and man; wear out, not rust out; flame out, not smoke out; burn out, be not blown out.”

Tori Hough

admin assistant

Email: office@horizonchurch.org

Tori is a native of Charlotte, NC but the mountains of NC and Upstate SC have been her home since 2014. She and her husband, Jeremy were married in February 2004 and have three children: Lillian, Claire and Shepherd. Raised in church, she made a profession of faith at eight years old, and loves growing in her walk with Christ and is excited about seeing His plans for her and her family’s life unfold. Tori holds a BA from Wingate University and has mostly served in the administrative field since college. She and her family are animal lovers and enjoy a small homestead in Travelers Rest. They love visiting the SC coast and the many beautiful state parks in SC. A few of Tori’s favorite scriptures are Psalm 91 and Colossians 1:13-17.  

Scott Jacobs

Director of Worship

Scott Jacobs is a worship leader and songwriter from Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Tara, have been married for 15 years and live in Simpsonville with their children, Trey and Hannah. After college, Scott spent a decade touring as a professional gospel music artist. He’s recorded 20 albums and written over 100 songs. In 2005, Scott and Tara felt the Lord leading them to step away from the gospel music industry and begin a full-time, missions driven ministry called Commandment 11. At the onset, most of the band’s engagements involved leading worship at churches, retreats, and youth events. However, in 2007, the Lord began opening up opportunities for them to share the gospel in prisons and rehab centers across the United States. For the last 12 years they have spent 65% of their time ministering in these desperate settings and witnessed countless numbers of inmates and addicts trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. Before joining the staff at Horizon, Scott and his family were members at North Hills Church in Taylors, where Scott served as an elder. He is passionate about helping people grow as worshipers and desires to come alongside other believers to help them discover how their unique gifts can be used to make disciples in the community. His life verse is Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Cheley McDowell

Children's Director

Cheley McDowell was blessed to grow up right here in Greenville, SC, in a home where her mom, dad, and grandparents taught her about Jesus and took her to Bible believing churches.  She came to faith in Jesus when she was nine years old. She graduated from Furman University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education.  Six months after graduating, while teaching in the Greenville County school system, she met Shamgar through mutual friends.  A year and half later they married, and she “joined the Army” as an officer’s wife.  They spent most of their newly wed years living in Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Rucker, Alabama.  In 2005, two babies and five years later, the McDowells moved to Greenville, Cheley’s hometown.  Sensing God’s leading they made Horizon their home church shortly after moving here.  Cheley is now a mother of five children, one girl and four boys.  She has been deeply engaged in the home education of her five children and has also served in a variety of leadership roles within Classical Conversations over the last ten years.  The McDowells love sports, and she spends a lot of time by the pool, soccer field, baseball field, and basketball court cheering on her tribe. It is a great joy to partner with the parents of Horizon as they seek to teach their children about God and disciple them in the truths of Scripture.

Gordon Carpenter

Director of Youth Ministries

Gordon grew up in Greenville, but has lived all over the United States in recent years. From the mountains overlooking Chattanooga, TN, where he played collegiate soccer and received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies at Covenant College, to working in various youth ministries in San Diego, Memphis, and Charlotte, he is happy to once again call Greenville his home. He is currently pursuing his Master’s of Divinity at North Greenville University. Gordon loves most sports, being outdoors, and more importantly, ministering the Word to students. Please contact him if you would like to get connected at HYP.

Tara Jacobs

Student Ministries Coordinator

Tara was born in Spartanburg, SC but grew up on Lake Meade in rural Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Scott, married and moved to Simpsonville in 2003 and have two children, Trey and Hannah. Tara has spent most of her adult life working in the field of Education, as both a classroom teacher and an Assistant Principal. Ten years ago, she transitioned from the public school setting to the world of homeschooling, where she has delighted in home educating her own two children as well as working in directorial roles within several homeschool organizations. While Tara’s primary stewardship is to her home and family during this season of life, she continues to stay busy with both volunteer and freelancing opportunities for Commandment 11 Ministries, the Greenville Hurricanes Athletic Program, Miracle Hill Ministries, and the Metropolitan Arts Council. She is most passionate about using her experiences and skillset to partner with the Student Ministries department here at Horizon. She finds great joy in working with Gordon and the phenomenal team of youth leaders to provide a youth group setting where young people feel cared for and can enjoy fun & fellowship, but most importantly, where they can grow in their knowledge and love for God and His word. One of her favorite verses is Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Whether she is working, teaching, crafting, or cheering at her kiddos’ baseball and volleyball games, that continues to be her prayer.

Erik Bianchi

Videographer

Email: erik@bvideo.com

Erik Bianchi was born in Irwin, PA (Pittsburgh) and grew up in Frederick, MD. He was one of those kids blessed with two VCRs during the 1980’s and made quite a few edited home movies. He accepted Jesus as his Savior at a YoungLife Camp, Saranac Lake, when he was 18. Erik was very involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship throughout his college years and graduated with a Visual Arts degree, with a concentration in Film/Video, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). After college, Erik entered the broadcast TV world. He spent 10 years as a Commercial Editor, Senior Newscast Director and eventually Production Manager. One of the many different TV stations he worked at was in Greenville. Sensing it was time to step out on his own, Erik moved back to Greenville (he loves it here), started his own production company in 2002 and has been enjoying the ups and downs of ownership ever since. Erik loves to play soccer and you will often see him out at many of the adult fields, playing coed and men’s rec soccer. He also loves going to many of the lakes in the area and enjoys boating and water sports. Most importantly, he loves spending time with his daughters, Elizabeth and Annabelle. His favorite verse is Micah 6:8; “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Bill Weathers

elder

Email: billweathers@gmail.com

Bill is a native of South Carolina and has lived in Greenville since 1987. He is married to Nancy and they have raised 3 sons, the oldest being Paul (married to Emily and with two daughters Annie and Emma Kate), who is also a member of Horizon Church. Their second son, Mark is married to Tara and they have three sons: Walker, Liam and Stephen Paul; and he is a PCA pastor of a church in Concord, NC. The third son, Steven has made his home in Shanghai, China for the last 16 years, and works various jobs and shares his faith when given the opportunity.

Educated as a behavioral Pediatrician, Bill worked most of his career at the Greenville Hospital System (now Prisma) as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatric Education. As such, he helped train pediatric residents as they spent three years preparing for their careers. A portion of that time was also spent as Pediatric Medical Director of Shriners Hospital.  Even though he is officially retired now, he still works part time as the medical director of The School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg.

Raised in a Christian family, Bill committed his life to Christ at age 12 and in medical school prayed earnestly about medical missions. However, he concluded through a summer spent in Niger Republic on a scholarship that the Lord wanted him in the states. Still, throughout his career, he and his wife have been privileged to serve on many short term mission trips with Campus Crusade, MTW, and another organization called Resource International, allowed him into North Vietnam on three trips.

Bill has been with Horizon Church since its beginning and was one of the elders who helped start the church. He has been blessed to see God use this assembly in changing many lives over the years, and looks forward to even greater things in the future as we  “press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14)

Dave Satterlee

elder

Email: dsattjr@gmail.com

Dave works for Lumen Technologies as a Software QA Engineer, and received a Masters of Divinity Degree from Columbia Biblical Seminary. He loves studying and teaching the Bible, and learning languages. He is fluent in Spanish. He and his wife, Cessy, have two grown children, Trey and Briana, and enjoy spending time with their 8 grandchildren.   

Kurt Heitman

elder

Kurt Heitman is a former flight surgeon and ophthalmologist with the US Air Force. He resides with his wife, Robin, in Greenville, SC where he practices comprehensive ophthalmology and is an associate clinical professor of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He is an owner of Southern Eye Associates and a co-founder of Servants for Sight, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation meeting the vision needs of the disadvantaged in the upstate of South Carolina through the love of Christ. Kurt and Robin have two grown sons: Andrew is an attorney in Greenville and Peter is a Dentist in the US Army.  

Paul Weathers

elder

Email: paultweathers@gmail.com

Paul moved to Greenville the summer before third grade (and decided to stay). After graduating with a BA in Graphic Design, he pursued an artistic career, working at various Greenville agencies. He is now the Creative Director for Drum Creative, a local web design and branding company. In 1998, he was excited to be a part of the original team that planted Horizon Church. He and his wife, Emily, have two daughters. He looks forward to weekend movie nights with the family and will drop anything for coffee, a good book, and outdoor activities.

Mark May

elder

Email: marklmay@verizon.net

Mark May was born in Knoxville, TN and grew up in Atlanta. He graduated from Georgia Tech in Mechanical Engineering and served on the staff with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) at Georgia Tech. Mark is married to Paula and they have 3 grown children. He received his MBA from Clemson and has worked in engineering in Anderson, SC and Richmond, VA. In 2019 he was happy to accept a position at Michelin and return to the Upstate. He immediately felt at home at Horizon. He enjoys leading a community group and dreaming big about Horizon’s outreach in the upstate.

Bill Rogers

elder

Email: wh_rogers@yahoo.com

Bill grew up in Aiken, SC where he attended Millbrook Baptist Church and accepted Christ as his Savior during an alter call at age 12. His biggest growth time as a Christian came during his college days at Clemson with RUF while adopting a reformed view of faith. He graduated in 1988 with a BS in Financial Management and in 1990 with a MS in Business Administration. He has been married for 31 years to his wonderful bride Elizabeth. They have 3 children. The oldest, Adam, lives and works in Auburn, AL with a hospitality company. Their oldest daughter, Mary Catherine, attends law school in Charleston and plans to serve in U.S. Navy JAG Corp. Their youngest, Marisa, attends Clemson University. Bill has been employed at Mount Vernon Mills for 31 years, currently serving as their CFO/COO. He has served on the Diaconate and Session of Covenant Presbyterian in Easley, SC and the Diaconate of First Presbyterian of Augusta, GA. Since moving back to Greenville in 2016, Bill and Elizabeth have attended Horizon and have been involved small group ministry as well as the session since 2020. Bill enjoys piddling on work projects around the home and section hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail (his trail name is “man of the cloth”).

David Williford

elder

Email: david@willifordlehn.com

David is a lawyer who primarily represents physicians, nurses and other health care providers in medical malpractice claims as a partner in the Greenville, SC office of the law firm Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC.  He lives in Greer with his wife, Carrie, and their four children – Claire (14), Lyla (12), Joshua (10), and Zachary (7).  David and Carrie joined Horizon in 2007 while Carrie was pregnant with their first child, Claire, and have called Horizon their home ever since.  In addition to serving his family, church and work, David helps Horizon’s worship leader, Scott Jacobs, coach high school and middle school baseball with the Greenville Hurricanes.  David is excited to see Horizon continue to grow as a place of refuge to worship our Savior, connect deeper with one another, bear one another’s burdens, and celebrate not only our families worshiping and enjoying Christ together, but new families and new believers as well.

Shamgar McDowell

elder

Email: shamgar.mcdowell@gmail.com

Chad Mangum

elder

Email: chadrmangum@gmail.com

Chad was born in suburban Philadelphia into a Christian home, coming to know the Lord at an early age. He moved with his wife, Mandy, to the Greenville area in 2019. He teaches mathematics at Clemson University and has pursued research projects in mathematics and apologetics. Outside of work, his hobbies include drumming and exercising. He has been humbled to see the Lord’s work in his life and is excited for Horizon to grow in love for Christ.

Mark Goldsmith

elder

Email: mgldsmith@gmail.com 

Born and raised in Asheville, NC, Mark moved to Greenville in 2009 after graduating from Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando. He and his wife Jennifer have been blessed with 4 children.  He is currently a licensed professional counselor in private practice here in Greenville.  In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time in the mountains, a good book, and a great bike ride.

Dan Postra

deacon

Email: danpolstra@gmail.com

Dan Polstra grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.  He worked as a sales engineer with The Trane Company for 35 years before retiring in 2018, spending the first half of his career in Atlanta before moving to Greenville in 2001.  Dan and his wife Karen have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren.  Dan and his family came to Horizon in 2002 and he has served as a deacon since 2007.  He enjoys the fellowship of his men’s group, the Chickmen, boating at the lake, teaching swimming lessons, woodworking, and exercising.

Scott Choi

deacon

Email: scott@gmricpas.com

Jeremy Brown

deacon

Email: jeremyandjessbrown@gmail.com

Mark Lyons

deacon

Email: mdlyons618@hotmail.com

Mark originally moved to the Greenville area in 2000, but shortly thereafter pursued a career in the U.S. Marine Corps. After medically retiring in 2013, he and his wife Stefanie eventually landed back in Greenville and—following the advice of friends—decided to visit Horizon Church; they became covenant members in 2019. Currently, Mark manages the east coast training operations for North American Rescue Education & Training in Greer. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four children as he strives to lead them all towards Christ through the very real adversities and struggles of this world. When time permits, cooking meals for the family while listening to music or podcasts is at the top of his list of enjoyable activities.

Tim Williams

deacon

Email: TLW919@bellsouth.net

Carl Daves

deacon

Email: carl.daves@shawinc.com

Carl was born in Charleston, but grew up in Greenville, SC. He graduated from Clemson University and is a Regional Vice President for Shaw Industries. When he is not serving the church, Carl enjoys time on his homestead with his wife Tracy and their children. He is an avid hunter and enjoys football. He loves to be on his tractor and help take care of the family garden and chickens. 

Jeff Callahan

deacon

Email: nicholasc@charter.net

Joe Siatkowski

deacon

Email: jsiatkow@gmail.com

Tom Baer

deacon

Email: tbaer@triangleconstruction.com

Erik Bianchi

deacon

Email: erik@bvideo.com

Erik Bianchi was born in Irwin, PA and grew up in Frederick, MD. He accepted Jesus as his Savior at a YoungLife Camp, Saranac Lake, when he was 18. Erik was very involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship throughout his college years and graduated with a Visual Arts degree, with a concentration in Film/Video, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). After college, Erik entered the broadcast TV world. He spent 10 years as a Commercial Editor, Senior Newscast Director and eventually Production Manager. Erik moved to Greenville and started his own production company in 2002. He loves to play coed and men’s rec soccer. He also loves going to many of the lakes in the area and enjoys boating and water sports. Most importantly, he loves spending time with his daughters, Elizabeth and Annabelle.