Staff
The Rev. Andrew Phillips, Vicar
Andrew’s life with God has been nurtured by the Duke Youth Academy, the Society of St. John the Evangelist, and the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola. He grew up in North Carolina, studied at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke Divinity School, and was a Micah Fellow with the Life Together Community – part of the Episcopal Service Corps. Andrew has served parishes in Massachusetts, Michigan, and North Carolina, and has also worked as a hospital chaplain and a campus minister. He is married to Dr. Sarah Jean Barton, who teaches at Duke Divinity School and Duke University’s School of Medicine. They live in Durham, NC with their human child Amos and their furry children Jed and CJ the Maltipoos. Andrew is a 4 on the Enneagram, and finds joy in being outside with family, listening to folk music, and exploring the world of books and podcasts.
Deacon Sherry Storrs
sherrystorrs@graceclayton.org
Sherry Storrs was born and raised in the Carolinas. She has lived in the Raleigh area for over 40 years. Currently, she works for UNC REX HEALTH/ Cancer Centers as a Clinical Chaplain, where she shares her passion for helping others and ministry calling. She has earned Masters Degrees in Divinity (MDiv) and Social Work (MSW), as well as a BSW with a minor in Criminal Justice. Her passion for building community and sharing God’s compassionate love is also reflected in her volunteer work as a Disaster Chaplain with two national disaster relief organizations.
Sherry has a deep love for nature and enjoys photography, traveling, kayaking, and writing. She has written, illustrated, and self-published two children’s books, which she enjoys sharing with children throughout the area.
Deacon Robert Thomas
rwteagle1@aol.com
Bob worked over 40 years in professional and community theatre. During much of that time, he paid the bills by enjoying his second passion, teaching. After graduating from Rutgers University with a K-12 teaching certificate, He spent 34 years in New York and New Jersey classrooms teaching preschool to college classes.
Bob’s areas of expertise were English, theater, speech, journalism and creative writing. he led my students in all kinds of extracurricular activities, from football coaching to theatre, yearbook and newspaper.
When he met with Bishop Sam for his ministry review last May, he learned he was welcome to follow a call to become a part of the ministry team at Grace joining Rev. Teri and Deacon Sherry to serve the parish while he continue his ministry as Dean of the Raleigh Convocation.
Music Minister: Gayla Turk
Dr. Turk’s education includes: B.M. in Church Music, Westminster Choir College, M.M. in Voice Performance, University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Ph.D. in Music Education, University of Kansas.
Dr. Turk began her career in music touring as a soloist with the Westminster Choir traveling across the U.S. and performing in the Spoleto Music Festival in Spoleto, Italy. Over the years her work has included teaching all levels from preschool to college. For twelve years, she served as Director of Music Education at Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. She has served numerous churches as organist/director and has been active in state and national music
education associations. While teaching, she has continued to perform as a guest soloist, art song recitalist and a choral/orchestral conductor.
Dr. Turk is the founder and Executive Director of the ProMusic Conservatory Community Music School located in Wilson, NC.