church leadership

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I am a lifelong Episcopalian called to lay leadership in the Church. Although not baptized at St Stephen’s, I started attending St. Stephen’s with my family while I was in kindergarten. I was active in the Youth and Acolyte programs while in middle school and high school and have fond memories of the Youth trips and Acolyte bonding experiences. While I was away at UNC Chapel Hill getting a degree in Physics, I continued to serve on the Altar and in the Handbell Choir.

I especially enjoyed my expanded responsibilities to Thurifer for Christmas and Easter services as the first woman to sling the thurible at St Stephen's. Upon graduation, I worked at St Stephen's part time as the Youth Director (4 years) and Acolyte Director (6 years). To cap my time as Youth Director, I gave my first Sermon at St Stephen's specifically addressing the changes that would be coming to the church at that time. Even though I now have been at St Stephen's nearly 30 years, I know that change must happen when the spirit calls for change.

Following my time as Youth Director, I served a three (3) year term on vestry (2015-2018), the last year of which as the Clerk. Up to that point, I was the youngest person to serve on St Stephen's vestry, but that was not to last. In starting a trend, St Stephens looks to continue to provide space for Young Adults to take leadership positions when called. I currently serve on the Finance Committee, co-led the most recent pledge campaign, and assist as Server when needed.

I have been honored to serve four (4) times as a St Stephen's representative to the Diocesan Convention and enjoyed serving as a Deputy from the Dioceses of North Carolina at the forth-coming 80th General Convention in Baltimore. As for other church leadership positions that I have held with the Diocese, Ijust completed a 3 year chairship with the Committee on Campus and Young Adult ministry which oversees the Diocese 10 campus ministries and partial support of the Chapel Hill/Durham Episcopal Service corps. I have learned a lot about lay leadership in the Episcopal church since my initial term on the Vestry. I am excited at the possibility of applying that learning with the next Vestry.

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I am a native of NC, have lived in Durham for over 50 years and have been a member of St. Stephen’s for 30 years. Previously, I was a member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham.

At St. Stephen’s I have served on the vestry twice, as chairman of the Prayer Network and on three search committees. I also went on two Honduras missions that St. Stephen’s sponsored which were life-changing experiences. At the present time I am serving on the Education Committee and the Missions and Outreach Committee. Christian education and outreach are important to me as I believe Christian formation is important to becoming people who desire to serve others.

I have a husband and three grown sons and four grandchildren. I taught elementary grades in public schools before my children were born and taught kindergarten at Durham Academy for 21 years before retiring in 2008.

I am excited about the future of St. Stephen’s with our new rector, Fr. Sandy Key. I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of these new beginnings and to serve on the vestry at this exciting time.

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I have been a member of St. Stephens for nearly 13 years, and was confirmed in this sanctuary. My children attended the pre-school, and we have raised them in the church since they were infants. My wife and I are very devoted to church activities including teaching Sunday school, serving on the Strategic Planning Committee, and Sydney served on the vestry. We love the music, the comradery and the spirit of St. Stephens, and I would personally like to see that continue in this wonderful place of worship.

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I grew up in South Florida attending St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove. I am married to Kara Keedy and we have 3 boys (Christian 11, Collier 8, and Colton 2). Kara and I became members of St. Stephens in 2017 and we were on the RenewalWorks committee in 2018. When I am not with my family, I am the Managing Partner of Guardian Wealth Partners & Guardian Wealth Advisors in Raleigh. I have enjoyed becoming a member of the Durham community and St. Stephen’s parish, and I look forward to helping the church grow and evolve.

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While I am not a cradle Episcopalian, I am a cradle member of the Anglican Communion, having been born and raised “across the pond” in the Church of England before moving to America and joining the Episcopal Church. I have lived in Durham since 1995 and currently work as a Registered Nurse at Campus Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. I have been attending St. Stephen’s for 25 years, and during that time the church has provided an environment in which my daughters were able to grow and thrive as well as much-appreciated support to us after my husband’s death.

As a member of the church I have been a Sunday School teacher, served two terms as a delegate to diocesan convention, and am currently a lay reader and involved in the music at St. Stephen’s as a member of the choir and the concert series board. While I have served terms as an interim member of the Vestry I have never been in a position until now to serve a full term due to work and school commitments. As a member of the Search Committee for the church’s new rector I was involved in bringing Rev. Key to St. Stephens, and I am honored to be able to support him in his new position as a member of his first Vestry.

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My family has called Durham home for the last 16 years. My husband Michael and I have two boys, Mick (5), and Walter (8). Our boys attend Pearsontown Elementary, a year round school here in Durham. Mick was fortunate enough to attend St. Stephen's Preschool prior to starting Kindergarten this past year. I work as a Physical Therapist and specialize in geriatric care for Bayada Senior Living Division. For this role, I travel to local independent and assisted living facilities and perform therapy within those communities to help older adults maintain safety and independence. I absolutely love what I do.

Michael and I joined St. Stephen's in 2014. I have participated in a few smaller committees and roles thus far—New Baby Ministry, Newcomers Committee, planning meetings for fundraising events, helping organize for the Yard Sale, trash pickup duty for our Adopt-A-Highway program and serving on the Coffee Hour committee. I am honored to have an opportunity to serve alongside the new rector on the vestry. I am most interested in growing membership (especially among young families), increasing engagement throughout the parish, re-focusing our missions and developing youth programs.

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My name is Martina Gardner Woods. I am a native of Wilmington, DE. Norm, my husband, and I moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Durham, 17 years ago. Together, we have 4 adult children and 6 grandchildren. I am a fourth-generation Episcopalian and have been continually active in each parish I moved around the country. My faith gives me a solid foundation for my life. This is an exciting time to serve on the Vestry with our new rector, Reverend Sandy Key, and other committed Vestry members.

The many ministries, committees and clubs have enriched my spiritually and nurtured my soul. I would like to help to develop more and encourage my fellow parishioners to become active. I am also a team player.During my time at SSEC, I have or have had the pleasure of being the Junior Warden, a Diocesan Convention Delegate, the Lay Warden for the Durham Convocation, the Chair of the Property Committee, the Greeters’ Ministry, the Prayer Network, and the Reception Committee. I have also served on the Rector’s Search Committee and volunteered for several other events. I earned a BA in Education from Cheyney University in Cheyney, PA and an MA in Speech Communication from WestVirginia University.

Prior to moving to Durham, I taught on every level from Pre- School to College. I was the Director of the Corporate Services Department for Baker College, Flint MI, a Director for Family Services of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA, the Director of Race Relations and Anti-Racism Training for the YWCA of Pittsburgh, PA, and the Vice-President of Education for Gardner Consulting Planners in Los Angeles, CA. Additionally, I have served on several national and community boards.

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I have been a member of St. Stephen's since being confirmed here in 1 975. Having grown up in the immediate neighborhood, this was the local Episcopal church to attend. I have been active as both an acolyte as a youth,and served as head usher for twelve years, ending that run in 2016. That was also my last time on the Vestry, for one term, ending in 2016. I am excited for the new beginnings at the church with Fr. Sandy at the helm and seek to add value where I may. I am a Durham Academy graduate and hold degrees from Colgate and Duke. I am now retired,having been mostly in corporate communications, as well as a stint managing my family's restaurant, Claire's on Chapel Hill Road for seven years. I am a newlywed, with my wife, Nancy with whom I worked twenty years ago at RTI (formerly Research Triangle Institute). RTI still uses the logo Nancy created for them at that time. Fr. Sandy officiated our wedding at the beach. My axiom is to help where I can and stay out of the way of the clergy and lay ministers, all of whom are doing God's work. Thank you.

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I retired in 2016 after working as a physician assistant in the Department of Defense for 20 years. Phil and I had attended the Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia before moving to Chatham County. We have two daughters who both lived in the Triangle at the time. Our youngest daughter has two children both of whom were baptized at St. Stephen’s. I have been active on the mission and outreach committee and worked to organize a response for Afghan refugees.

This February I will be leaving for my fourth medical mission trip to Honduras. I was invited to this trip by a friend I made while working at Ft. Belvoir. She is a member of the sponsoring Roman Catholic parish, Gesu, in Cleveland. Many St. Stephen’s parishioners have been very generous to the hosting orphanage, loading my suitcases with gifts for the children and supplies for the patients.

I have volunteered to set up the yard sales and several receptions and volunteer in the nursery as well. I use the time before service (since I come early to drop off Phil for choir warm-up) to weed the gardens, water the indoor plants, and trim dead wood out of the azaleas. I know that there are Angels walking among us and I aspire to walk in their footsteps. I have seen how effective the Filter of Hope is in preventing intestinal diseases while working in Honduras and will continue to an advocate for this charity.

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After moving to Durham in 1975, I joined St. Stephen’s the very next year. It has been my spiritual home since. This was back when we were having services in the Parish Hall! During these years, I have served in various capacities for the church: acolyte director, Sunday School teacher, choir member, and co-chair of the Every Member Canvas. I have also served two terms on the Vestry, during which time I served on two search committees and the position of Junior Warden. All of my three children were baptized and confirmed here. My oldest, Lucien, Jr., and his family became members after moving back to the area. Lucien himself just completed a term on the vestry. My wife Haven and I live just minutes from the church and attend regularly. I am honored to serve again.

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My name is Mark Biggers. Originally I was born & raised in Birmingham AL. I graduated from Auburn University with a major in Liberal Arts (French). Post-graduate studies included Biochemistry and undergrad Computer Science at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Shortly after, I attended & graduated with an M.S. in Computer Science at Rutgers University New Brunswick, in New Jersey. I am now semi-retired, with the Pandemic abruptly ending my career in software engineering after 35 years.

I have one son Lucas B. (married) from my 1st marriage. Lucas is now the Director of Learning for Lenovo in Morrisville.

Raised in a Southern Baptist Church (Homewood AL), I had the blessing of a complete cycle of singing in their children's and youth choirs in that Church. Since (mostly) leaving the Baptists, I have attended churches in various denominations, and had the blessing of singing in some good choirs in those churches. I "discovered" the Episcopal church while attending with my singer wife Mary Anne Tanner and often singing in choirs with her, at St. Joseph's Durham; St. Andrew's Canton NC, St. Luke's Asheville, St. Paul's Winston-Salem, and St. Timothy's Winston-Salem. After she passed, I attended & sang at the 5 p.m. service, at Chapel of the Cross Chapel Hill, until 2022.

At Chapel of the Cross (11 yrs), I was a quite active Episcopalian. I directed CotC's Habitat ministry, helping organize workers (and doing on-site building) at home-build sites for Orange County Habitat for Humanity. As a long-time member of the Outreach Committee, I did my Habitat service, volunteered at their ABC (attic) spring Sales, and assisted with InterFaith Council food-drives at the Church, among other Outreach activities.

I have now attended St. Stephen's Durham since later March of 2022, thanks to a "choir call" by Bob Brewer at a service that I watched on the SSEC channel on YouTube! Our church's wonderful choir members and the strong leadership of Bob Brewer has really impacted my singing and my life - thank you, all!

I very much enjoy Lay Reading at St. Stephens, and attending services when I am not Choir singing otherwise. I have a strong "support" for the Music Ministry and any outreach work that is ongoing. It's a humbling honor for me to be considered for the St. Stephens Vestry.

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My name is Tammy Sofield. I moved my family to Durham from South Florida in 1996. My husband Bill and I have 2 grown sons and 6 grandchildren. I worked for IBM over 20 years and now I'm a full time caregiver for my husband, who is a disabled veteran. I have an AS degree in computer and information systems and a BBA.

Faith has always been important to me. I was raised in the lutheran church through my confirmation. I switch to the episcopal church in high school when I met my husband. We were both acolytes together. We joined St. Stephen Stephen's this past Easter. I served as a scout leader for the cub scout pack at the church we went to in Florida for 6 years.

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My name is Malchus Watlington. I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and lived in West Virginia and Delaware before my parents moved back to Kinston, North Carolina. As an adult, I’ve lived in towns across North Carolina, and later moved for work to Michigan, Washington (state), Ohio, Massachusetts and Maine. My wife Amanda and I moved from Boston to Durham in 2014, where we joyfully joined St. Stephen’s. Although baptized and confirmed as a Presbyterian, I found my true home in the Episcopal Church as an adult. While living in Wilmington, NC., I began attending the Church of the Servant (Episcopal), where I was received after renewing my commitment to my baptismal vows. My wife Amanda (a lifelong Episcopalian) and I have been active in the church wherever we have lived, most recently at Trinity Church in Boston and St. Georges in York, Maine before our move to North Carolina. At St. Stephen’s, I’ve served on the Kaynor Courtyard Committee and the Lay Committee for seminarian Amanda McMillen. I’m an active participant in the Men’s Bible Study, and am returning, post-pandemic to weekly renewal at Sunday services where I have served in the past as a reader and usher. Serving on the Vestry would be an honor, a spiritual commitment and an opportunity to serve and collaborate with fellow members of the church community. I am a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina (BSIR, MPA), and have served as a local government official, corporate executive and management consultant. As a Principal with CSC Index and Associate Partner with Accenture, I was a leader in Human Capital Development and Change Management in the US, Europe and Australia. For the past 20 years, I’ve served clients as President of City Square Consulting. Both Amanda and I have served for over 25 years as Judge/Referees for United States Rowing. I have served as an officer on a variety of civic boards and professional organizations. Currently, I’m a member of the Board of Visitors for UNC-CH, and serve on the Advisory Board for Carolina Public Humanities.