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Clergy

Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast

The Rt. Rev. J. Russell Kendrick

 

Bishop Russell was elected the 4th Bishop of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast in February of 2015 and was ordained Bishop on July 25, 2015. 

 

A native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Bishop Russell earned a Bachelor of Arts in architecture and marketing from Auburn University in 1984. In 1995 he received a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to his election, Bishop Russell was Rector of St. Stephen's in Birmingham, Alabama, where he served since 2007. Russell is married to Robin, and they have two children, Aaron and Hannah.

Rector

The Rev. Linda Suzanne Borgen

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     The Reverend Linda Suzanne Borgen came to serve as Rector of St. Thomas, Greenville after serving as Curate at the Church of the Nativity in Dothan, Alabama. Linda Suzanne attended seminary in Berkeley, California, earning her M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Prior to attending seminary, Linda Suzanne taught anthropology at the University of West Florida and eTroy University. She holds a B.A. in interdisciplinary humanities and an M.A. in anthropology.

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     Linda Suzanne is passionate about St. Thomas living out our call as the body of Christ and sharing the Good News of God’s love for all people. Our shared life is not through attending a church, but through being the church. St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a community focused on discipleship and growing in grace as we together learn to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ Our Lord.  

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Staff

Director of Music

James Warren

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A native of Oklahoma, James is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a bachelor’s degree in church music and of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in religious education. He was a children’s magazine editor of a national religious publication, an event planner, and the executive assistant to Tony Campolo. Currently James is the executive assistant to Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy. James has served in various leadership roles in the Baptist and Episcopal churches. He has two grown sons, William and David. He moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in May, 2014 and came to St. Thomas in the fall of that same year.

Organist

Gary Mather

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Gary grew up in the shadows of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, skyline. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, and majored in French. A cradle Episcopalian, he began his ministry as a church musician while still in high school by serving as a substitute organist in his home parish, St. Mary’s, Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Since college he has served as an organist in Episcopal churches in several parishes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. He is a faux-finish painter and is principal owner of Mather-Smith Designs, LLC. He served in theatre administration with a major east coast production company as well as decorating and painting retail sales. He moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in August of 2014 and came to St. Thomas in September of that same year.

Parish Administrator

Noel Seale

 

Noel is a life-long resident of Greenville, Alabama. Married to her high school sweetheart, she and her husband have three children, a boy and twin girls. Certified in office administration, she studied at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, Alabama. She worked as a teller at a local bank and was a stay-at-home mom before joining the staff of St. Thomas in November of 2015.

Nursery Nanny

Julie Smith

 

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