Rector

The Rev. Dr. N. Brooks Graebner brooks@stmatthewshillsborough.org 

The Rector, Brooks Graebner, came to St. Matthew’s in the spring of 1990, having previously served as the Assistant to the Rector at St. Peter’s in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He moved to North Carolina in 1973 to attend Duke Divinity School, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1976.  He then continued his studies at Duke, earning a Ph.D. in American Religious History in 1984.  By then, Brooks had become an Episcopalian and had entered the ordination process in the Diocese of North Carolina, a vocational decision very much shaped by the time he spent as organist & choir director of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Durham, his sponsoring parish.  Before ordination, Brooks also completed a year at Virginia Theological Seminary and a year in the Chaplain Residency Program at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.

Brooks’s love for the study of church history is very much reflected in his extra-parochial involvements.  He currently serves as the Historiographer of the Diocese of North Carolina.  He is a past president of the local historical society and for ten years served as an officer & director of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church.  He teaches Anglican and Episcopal history in several formation programs of the diocese.  He also is a steering committee member of the Durham-based Pauli Murray Project, which is devoted to honoring and extending the influence of this civil rights pioneer, historian, lawyer, and Episcopal priest.

Brooks and his wife, Chris, were married in 1972 in Charlottesville, Virginia, having met as students at the University of Virginia.  They have one son, Martin, who currently is studying Mandarin and teaching English in Beijing.

Assistant to the Rector

The Rev. Lisa Frost-Phillips lisa@stmatthewshillsborough.org

Lisa Frost-Phillips first came to St. Matthew's as a parish intern in the ordination process in 1992. She completed her studies at Duke Divinity School along with a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1996 and was ordained to the priesthood that same year. She also holds a B.A. in British History from Sewanee. She lives in Carrboro with her husband, Dickson, and their three children, Jonathan, Abigail and Emmaline. She enjoys playing with her children, baking, traveling, reading, running and hiking.

Deacons

 The Rev. Katherine B. Johnson jhj.kbj@frontier.com   

 Hugh Tilson was ordained deacon in 2006, at which time he came to St. Matthew’s Church. Prior to that time, he was a member of Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At St. Matthew’s, he is a member of the Social Ministry and Pastoral Care Committees and a team leader for one of the parish’s Food for All Program Meal teams.  Hugh also serves as a mentor for an Education for Ministry group that meets at St. Matthew’s and is involved in the Bible Study and Adult Education groups.  Hugh was trained in experimental psychology and pharmacology at the University of Minnesota and was an active researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for 11 years. He served as a research program manager at the Environmental Protection Agency for 19 years. In 2008, he returned to NIEHS to become Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly journal that focuses on the environment and human health. Hugh’s wife, Jean Harry, is a research scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.  They met at a research conference in 1980 and were married in 1981.  They live outside Chapel Hill.

Director of Music

Megan Whitted

Megan Whitted has been St. Matthew's organist since 1999. She has been a member of the Episcopal church since birth. An interest in the piano and hymn playing led her to major in organ performance at Davidson College. She received a Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill and worked as an elemenatry school music teacher in Chapel Hill. She also teaches piano lessons. Megan and her husband, Al, live in Hillsborough with their two sons, Benny and Luke.

Coordinator for Youth Ministries

Hannah Jacobs hannahlj@gmail.com   
Hannah returns to St. Matthew's after a four-year hiatus during which she attended Warren Wilson College and completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English/Theatre. Her family joined St. Matthew's in 1999-2000, and she served as an acolyte and was a member of the Youth Group, Youth Council, and Diocesan Youth Council throughout her middle and high school years. Hannah is thrilled to be returning to St. Matthew's as the Youth Coordinator and feels lucky to have the opportunity to give back to such a wonderful program.
 

 Coordinator of Children's Ministries 

 When I came to St. Matthews 2 years ago, I was looking for a warm community that welcomed children. My daughter and I loved going to the Children’s Worship together and my youngest daughter also came to enjoy the wonderful volunteers and staff in the nursery. It was the first time I felt “at home” in a church since I left Christ Church Glendale in Cincinnati, Ohio, over 14 years ago!  I wanted my children to get a strong Christian Education and feel the support of a faithful community, a church family.  I accepted the Coordinator of Children’s Ministries in July of 2010.

My other “roles” include Senior Exercise Physiologist with the Duke Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, mother to two wonderful girls, and wife to my husband of almost 11 years, Dana Kenyon.  I love reading, dancing, singing, running, biking, yoga, hiking, cooking, and anything that brings me closer to friends and family!

 Parish Administrator

Mary Rocap welcome@stmatthewshillsborough.org

Singer/songwriter, quilter, chronicler of the life & travails of her flock of backyard chickens, bookkeeper, and former restaurateur, Mary Rocap brings her varied skills and experiences to the task of being Parish Administrator of St. Matthew’s.

Sexton

Pelham Jacobs pelham9@gmail.com

The Rev. Dr. Bruce Lawrence

The Rev. Canon George Poffenbarger

The Rev. Canon Jean Vail

The Rev. Dr. Gabriel A. DesHarnais