Father Robert Black has served as the Rector of St. Luke's since September 2014. In his own words, his job is about telling people that God loves them and that there is always a seat at the Table for them. The term "Rector" is "Episcopal-speak" for "Senior Pastor" or "Head Priest." The Rector is the authority in the parish with responsibility for worship, the pastoral care and spiritual formation of all, promoting fellowship and beloved community, managing the staff, overseeing buildings and grounds, and chairing the Vestry.

 

He has been active in our community as a leader around racial healing and has been recognized for this work as one of the Salisbury Post's "10 to Watch in 2020, received the Elizabeth Duncan Koontz Humanitarian Award in 2022, and gave the address at the 2023 MLK breakfast.  He is a founding member of Racial Equity Rowan and teaches at Hood Theological Seminary as an Adjunct Professor of Homiletics. Father Robert also serves on several Diocesan committees and boards.

 

Father Robert has degrees in religious studies from Wake Forest University (B.A.), Virginia Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and The University of the South: Sewanee (D.Min. in Preaching). Before being called to serve at St. Luke's, he served as the Assistant Rector at St. Francis in Greensboro, North Carolina, and St. John's - Lafayette Square, Washington, DC. He was ordained as a Deacon in 2009 and as a Priest in 2010.

 

He has been married to Tyler, a CPA, since 2008 and they have two daughters, Eleanor and Rowen. Father Robert's interests include reading and kettlebells, and he is an RKC-certified kettlebell instructor. 

 

You can reach Father Robert via email or schedule a meeting with him. You can find the text of his sermons at a blog called Continuing the Conversation and he also hosts the Behold & Become podcast.

Deacon Bonnie has served at St. Luke’s since 2016. As a deacon, Bonnie is called to ”interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world,” and she is to help us connect the church’s message of Christ’s love through the lives we live beyond the church doors. Every deacon has unique calls and gifts but each is called to engage the faithful in ministry by linking the gathered community with the wider community. In her ministry she is directly responsible to the Diocesan Bishop. Ordained as a deacon in 2004, Bonnie has served in this role in two other placements in the diocese before being assigned here. Previously she served as Deacon of the Yadkin Valley Cluster of churches and later as Deacon and Pastoral Associate at Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington. At St. Luke’s she has reactivated the Mission Committee, coordinated the Pastoral Care Committee, and developed the Pathways small group experience. She has facilitated women’s retreats and led Lenten book studies. She loves walking beside people in their spiritual journeys as they wrestle with the questions of life. On the diocesan level she has served on the Bishop’s Committee on the Diaconate, the Liturgical Commission, and as co-chair of both the Commission on Ministry for the Diaconate and the Mission Resource Support Team.

 

Bonnie has a bachelor’s degree in music from Appalachian State University, and she did graduate studies in music composition at Salem College. She attended the Diocesan Deacon School, completed the Education for Ministry program from the School of Theology at The University of the South, was certified as a Stephen Ministry Leader, and has received national certification from the Servant Leadership School and received the Presiding Bishop’s Certificate in Church Music. She is a published composer. She is a widow and has 2 children and 5 grandchildren. She lives in Lexington.

Stephen Williams oversees and encourages the many opportunities for music-making in this wonderful space. In addition to coordinating music for services and liturgies of the parish, he plans for, prepares, and conducts the Adult Choir, Choristers, TeenVoices, Evensong Choir, and Canterbury Ringers. He also implements and often performs collaborative concerts and other musical offerings for the community such as the Concert of Remembrance, Advent Lessons and Carols, Noon-Ten Concerts, Christmas Day Organ Noëls, Tuesdays in Lent, and the First Friday summer series of organ concerts.  

Stephen studied organ performance, choral conducting, and church music at Brevard College, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, The Juilliard School, and West Chester University. Before coming to St. Luke’s in July of 2022, he was Canon Precentor for Music and Fine Arts at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for eight years, and Artist in Residence at Moravian University. He had previously served as Director of Music and Organist at St. John’s Lutheran Church in downtown Allentown PA for twenty-six years and was concurrently Director of Chapel Music and College Organist at Muhlenberg College.

Caroline's work at St. Luke's focuses on ensuring that our parishioners and the community are informed about opportunities, events, and updates. She collaborates with the staff on evangelism initiatives, helping to implement programming and supporting worship. Caroline also serves as the point of contact for individuals, organizations, and vendors in the community that we partner with. She compiles our weekly enewsletter, manages our social media accounts, and creates promotional materials. Keeping track of the church calendar and overseeing setup and preparation for events is also part of her job. Caroline enjoys helping with formation programming for all ages, assisting with the Choristers program, and singing with the Evensong Choir. She has been on staff at St. Luke's since 2018.

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Before coming to St. Luke's, Caroline was an adjunct instructor in music at Catawba College and several NC community colleges and a teaching artist in drama and music for various theatre companies. She has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from Winthrop University and a Certificate in Theology and Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. She has served on the Bishop's Task Force for Schools and Formation Programming in the Diocese of NC. Caroline is married to Mark with two children, James and Emma.

Christine assists with financial and record-keeping duties, as well as other administrative needs. She works in the Canterbury House (church office building) Monday-Thursday, 9am-2pm.

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Christine  earned her BS in History from Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus and holds an Associates Degree in Legal Secretarial Science from Nassau Community College. Christine grew up on Long Island, NY. She moved to Salisbury in 2012. She has two grown boys and four grandchildren. 

As Director of The Children's Space at St Luke’s, Daphne works with some of the youngest members of our community. She manages staff, plans themes and activities, and encourages growth in physical and emotional skills. Daphne spends her days learning through playing with children and her evenings planning crafts and games. She joined TCS (then MMO) as a teacher in 2022 and became the Interim Director in June of 2023.

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Daphne attended UNC-Charlotte where she studied Anthropology. Following graduation, she worked with children with Autism in Charlotte before returning to Salisbury to manage the children’s section of The Literary Bookpost. After six wonderful years of working with children in a literary environment, Daphne became a stay-at-home mom to three daughters. She now enjoys having the best of both worlds, working with children while hers are in school, and being an at-home mom when school is out.

Father Tom has been Priest Associate since moving to Salisbury in

retirement in February of 2017. 

- A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary in 1992

- Served as retired Priest Associate at St. Mark’s on the Hill in Baltimore, MD (2013-2016)

- Rector, The Church of the Nativity, Baltimore, MD (2000-2013)

- Founding Priest, St. Matthias Episcopal Church, Rock Hill, SC (1996- 2000)

- Assistant Rector and then Priest in Charge, Church of the Ascension, Hickory, NC (1993-1996

- Assistant Rector, Grace Episcopal Church, Anderson, SC (1992-1993)

- Before seminary, was a salesman for 20 years selling industrial piping products.

- Married to Patricia (Pati) since 1971 with three grown children and adore their twelve grandchildren.

- Father Tom and Pati love to travel in their RV and visit family all over the country when not at St. Luke’s. Since retiring, they have traveled to all of the lower 48 states.