Annual Meeting and Vestry Elections
Sunday, February 12
8 AM: Eucharist in Chapel
10 AM: Eucharist with Voting and Annual Meeting in Church and on Facebook, YouTube
Download a bulletin
Following 10 AM service:
– Annual Report in Parish Hall (Download the annual report)
– Children’s formation, 2nd floor Parish House
Following Annual Report: Lunch!
Our annual meeting is Sunday, February 12, when we’ll elect new vestry members and hear about the work of St. Philip’s over the past year. Join us for our first in-person voting in three years!
The annual meeting and voting start during the 10 AM service in the Church. Confirmed members age 16 and older may vote. Voting starts immediately after the 10 AM procession.
After the service, we’ll move to the Parish Hall for the annual report and any remaining voting. Then we’ll eat lunch!
Questions? Ask Senior Warden Connie Semans or the Rev. Maryann D. Younger.
Meet the Vestry Nominees
Lowell Riggs Dargbeh
Preferred personal pronoun: He/him
Year joined St. Philip’s: 1996
Occupation: Nursing
Ministry involvement: I currently serve on the outreach ministry, Global Mission Committee (GMC), forging partnerships between Bromley Episcopal Mission School for girls, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, both in Liberia, and mission in Haiti with St. Philip’s. I also serve on the hospitality ministry as a member of the social hour committee, and as an usher when scheduled to serve. I also served on the vestry several years ago.
Personal Statement
Serving on the vestry is a call to serve the church in a greater capacity, an opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the church at large, and an opportunity to broaden one’s understanding of the inner working of the church. It is an honor to serve on the vestry. I am an objective pragmatist. I believe in teamwork. I believe that God has a purpose and a mission for each of His created beings, but we must find that purpose and fulfill it to His Glory.
Erin Gasch
Preferred personal pronouns: She/her
Year joined St. Philip’s: 2009
Occupation: Senior director, External Relations, Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University
Ministry involvement: Music Ministry (adult choir), Visioning Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, J2A Auction, Stewardship volunteer, hiring committees for various staff and clergy positions
Personal Statement
St. Philip’s is a very important part of my and my family’s life. We felt welcomed and at home the first time we crossed the transom (thanks, Mina Hampton!) and our connections and involvement have grown ever since. I live three blocks from St. Philip’s and feel passionate about the positive relationship and leadership St. Philip’s can continue to cultivate with the Durham community. We are at a pivotal point in Durham’s growth, and St. Philip’s has an important role to play in helping Durham become an even stronger, healthier, and more equitable place to live. As churches are increasingly losing membership, St. Philip’s has the chance to truly live into the mission of being a church for all people, especially and importantly young people and families with young children who will be our lifeblood going forward. I am called to serve on the vestry to share my strategic planning, communication, and relationship-building skills with my church home in hopes that St. Philip’s remains vibrant into the next century.
Sarah Johnson
Preferred personal pronouns: She/her
Year joined St. Philip’s: I joined St. Philip’s in 2000. I am a life-long Episcopalian and grew up a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rocky Mount, NC.
Occupation: Elementary school counselor with Durham Public Schools
Ministry involvement: Altar Guild member and team leader (currently); Altar Guild chair (2012-2014); Vacation Bible School Planning Committee (2003 and 2012-2018); Funeral Guild; Women’s Book Club (2002-present); Children’s Ministry Committee; Mother’s Day Tea
Personal Statement
While I was growing up, we sang a song in junior choir that stuck with me. Perhaps you have heard it: it starts with “I am the Church, You are the Church, We are the Church together!” and ends with “The Church is a People!” This belief has stuck with me and proved itself during the most difficult time of my life when the people of the church literally kept my family fed and held in prayers. I believe people of all ages are looking for connection to others. St. Philip’s offers a place for us to connect with others in a safe space and feel God’s love. After the worst of the pandemic, it has been a struggle for many, including my family, to re-connect in meaningful ways. My interest in serving on the vestry is to help find ways for people to connect, especially the youth of our congregation, who were particularly hard hit by the shutdown of the pandemic. While I feel other programs are back up and running, the youth have been slower to re-connect. As the parent of a 14-year-old about to enter high school, this age is especially important to me personally, and I see the youth as a vital part of the congregation.
Alec Motten
Preferred Personal Pronouns: He/him
Year you joined St. Philip’s: 1999
Occupation: Retired Duke biology professor
Ministry Involvement: Current: Environmental Stewardship; St. Philip’s core team for Durham CAN; UMD Support; Sandwich Brigade; Usher at 11 AM services; occasional assistant leader for Level 3 Atrium; St. Philip’s delegate to Diocesan convention; regular participant at Beer & Bull and Old Guys Breakfast men’s groups activities; dinner support for Episcopal Center at Duke
Previous: St. Philip’s Vestry (2003-2006, 2015-19, appointed to fill vacancy then elected to full term); Rite 13 co-leader (2019-2021); Interfaith Hospitality Network ministry coordinator; Ryals Committee, past member and chair (environmental stewardship); lay reader
Personal Statement
I reconnected with the Episcopal Church and joined St. Philip’s because of the welcoming, non-judgmental, and caring community I found here. This nurturing environment with a commitment to outreach has continued to grow. I have been heartened by our commitment to environmental stewardship and the opportunities offered by St. Philip’s in the Trees, and I would seek to further encourage these initiatives. Having served in the J2A youth program, actively participated in adult education programs, and joined with fellow parishioners to address environmental and social justice issues, I appreciate just how vibrant the St. Philip’s congregation can be. I support efforts for intergenerational mixing and as we, hopefully, emerge from the pandemic isolation finding ways to reconnect. If elected to the vestry I would work to enhance parishioners’ awareness of our many ministries and invite further participation. As a scientist and teacher, I believe I have an analytical mind and am open to new ideas. I am also a good listener who values building consensus, and believe I have a good sense of what makes St. Philip’s so special. I remain committed to our strong outreach efforts while also nurturing the spiritual needs of our diverse members.
Donna Rewalt
Preferred Personal Pronouns: She/her
Year you joined St. Philip’s: 1996
Occupation: County Extension Director, NC State University and Durham County
Ministry Involvement: Global Missions member & former co-chair, Missioner to Liberia/Bromley School, Hospitality/Sunday Social Hour Ministry, J2A Auction Committee, YAC (Young Adults in the Church) Leader, Capital Campaign Committee, Rector Selection Committee, Vestry, Senior Warden, Delegate to Convention, Environmental Stewardship Ministry, Ryals Garden Committee, Discernment Committee, UMD Volunteer, Women’s Book Group, ECW, Co-chair for Deacon Jill’s Farewell Liberian Dinner
Personal Statement
We were first drawn to St. Philip’s in large part because of its commitment to our downtown city neighborhood and community service along with the people of the parish, all reasons that still keep me engaged. My husband Jeff Pitts and I have raised two, now college-age, young adults at St. Philip’s who benefited from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and J2A, which have shaped and molded their lives and faith. These next years at St. Philip’s are a time of renewal and forward movement with newer staff and a renewed commitment to each other. I would like to be of service in this next phase and will contribute my professional background in community development, organizational administration, fundraising, financial and building management. My hopes for St. Philip’s center on continuing the work of re-connecting and moving forward together on what this parish cares about – racial reconciliation, community concerns like affordable housing, being good stewards of the gifts that have been entrusted to us, and continuing to shape our outdoor spaces both on our main campus and at The Trees. As part of my life at St. Philip’s, I love a festive Liberian Dinner, enjoy walking the labyrinth, and appreciate a good coffee hour.
Bynum Walter
Preferred personal pronouns: She/her
Year joined St. Philip’s: 2011
Occupation: City Planner
Ministry involvement: Altar Guild (2023-present); Lay Reader (2020-present); Chair/Co-chair, Campus Study Committee (2018-present); Women’s Books Group (2016-present); Diocesan Property Task Force (2019-2022); Diocesan Council (2019); Chair, Rector Search Committee (2020); Small Group (2020); Vestry (2017-2019), served as Clerk, Senior Warden; Circle of Support (2013-2019); Campus Utilization Study (2017); Parish Discernment Committee (2016); Stewardship path guide (2014-2015); Delegate to multiple annual diocesan conventions
Personal Statement
I am a lifelong Episcopalian and came to St. Philip’s when Matt Walter and I moved back to North Carolina from Baltimore. We had been attending Cathedral of the Incarnation, and friends there highly recommended St. Philip’s. Circle of Support was discussed during announcements one of the very first Sundays I visited St. Philip’s. Hearing about that ministry drew me in, and participating in it kept me here. Through that ministry I had the chance to put my faith in action by walking year-long paths with a number of families as each acclimated to new homes, jobs, and habits. To use some old-fashioned stewardship language, I was giving my time and talent to help others. But it also helped me, and that’s been my experience with every ministry I have engaged with at St. Philip’s. Every time I give, I get just as much (if not more) back in strengthened faith and fellowship. Giving my time and talent to St. Philip’s is an important part of my practice of faith, so I welcome the opportunity to serve on the vestry again.
Richard L. Williams
Preferred Personal Pronouns: He/him
Year joined St. Philip’s: September 2021
Occupation: Retired
Ministry Involvement: Lay Eucharistic Minister, Verger
Personal Statement
When I was asked to serve on the vestry, I was surprised and honored. To be asked to take on the responsibility of the care of the church’s needs was humbling. To be recognized for having the gifts of time and talent for the enriching and uplifting of St. Philip’s is a joyful feeling. I believe my past experiences at my previous parish where I served on the vestry and was junior warden for two terms have given to me a knowledge into how the business of a church is conducted, including the finances, care of the physical plant, needs of the congregation, as well as the needs of the surrounding communities. Individuals who know me personally and professionally can attest to my steadfast and stick-to-it attitude in finding solutions and resolutions that satisfy all sides and parties involved. As I believe that all things matter, I carry hope as my tool to fulfill that belief, and I pray for patience in achieving that hope.