Photo by Milton Morris
John Glenn Creel
Age: 54.
Hometown: Cottageville.
Claims to fame: In 2020, he was elected chief of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Native American Tribe of South Carolina, and, for the past 25 years, he’s served as pastor of Little Rock Holiness Church in Cottageville.
Day job: Owns Walterboro Adult and Pediatric Medicine, where he’s a family medicine physician. Mentors students as an associate professor of family medicine for his alma mater, the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Co-op affiliation: Creel is a member of Coastal Electric Cooperative.
What’s the best way to address a man who’s been pastor at his hometown church for the past 25 years, is a longtime family physician and chief of one of the state’s largest Native American tribes?
“Servant,” says John Glenn Creel, who has always called Colleton County home. He and his wife, Charlene, still live in a house next to his parents, where a midwife delivered him on Halloween as Andy Griffith played on the TV.
As chief of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe, which numbers 756 members, it’s his goal for the tribe to achieve federal recognition, clearing the way to expand the hours and services provided at the Four Holes Edisto-Natchez-Kusso Indian Free Clinic. The tribe also plans to build a new museum to “teach future generations who we are and to be proud of who we are.”
Being a self-described “master delegator” helps him manage a full schedule. His mind is in constant motion, even when he gets away for one of his favorite activities—hunting.
“I’m probably the only one who will sit in a deer stand and do continuing medical education questions,” Creel says. “I try to use my time wisely. When I’m sitting, I just can’t sit.”
Faith is a constant companion during a life that hasn’t always been easy. The first of his three children, John Charles, was born with spina bifida. Doctors didn’t believe he’d live past the age of 2. “JC” is now 37 and ministers alongside his father. Creel’s wife was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2020, but the family’s faith never wavered.
“Part of this life for Christ is to carry that cross,” Creel says. “Sometimes you’ll begin to feel the weight of that cross. It’s then that I’ll say, ‘Lord, I need your help.’ And then he gives grace. It’s the touch of His hand that makes the difference.”