In-person Listening Sessions were held on March 19th, March 20, and March 23rd. If you were unable to attend one of these listening sessions or have other thoughts that you would like to add, please take a few minutes to respond to the questions either via the google form (https://forms.gle/SekmymQZx9LnJYJw9) or by emailing us at standrewscallcommittee@
CALLING ALL : visitors, cottagers, shut ins, your insights are important. If you would like to discuss your answers with a member of the call committee, please reach out to one of us directly.
Search Committee
ChairPERSON – LORI bETH SANBORN
Lori Beth has been an involved St. Andrew’s parishioner for 16 years serving in many roles including Vestry member, Youth Leader, and church staff member. She is honored to serve on the St. Andrew’s call committee.
Passionate about throwing grace and acceptance around like fairy dust, Lori Beth is excited to be part of this important process to help find the right leader for our beloved St. Andrews. She believes that God is in this process and we will have hard moments as we make this transition, but how we respond as a body of Christ is crucial during this time of transition. Her prayer is that, “the congregation commits to love God and one another with our whole heart, to give grace freely, and to always look for the light. The light is where the growth happens, we just have to step into it with an open and willing heart.”
Professionally, Lori Beth has been a jack of all trades from starting her career as a CPA followed by many years in sales and marketing. Upon moving to Morehead City, she attempted to blend motherhood with being an integral part in her family’s growing orthodontic practice. Lori Beth enjoys spending time with her husband and three children and serving in various organizations throughout our community. Her favorite quote is ‘emotional people don’t make rational decisions’, can you tell she’s been immersed with teenagers for a very long time?
member – jamey bass
Jamey and his family came to St. Andrew’s in 2021 after moving from the Triangle where they attended the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh. While at Good Shepherd, he served on the Vestry and held the roles of senior warden and finance committee chair. In 2019 while on the Good Shepherd’s Vestry, he had the experience of participating in a similar search process and hiring of a new rector.
Jamey has witnessed the excitement in the calling of a new rector given his prior experience, but is aware that this process can feel uncertain at times. He is comforted by the fact that God is the one that is ultimately leading the search. ‘Our job is to follow the lead as taught in Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Professionally, he is a financial planner and investment advisor and has always had an interest in helping families and organizations make the best financial decisions with their available resources. In his free time, Jamey and his wife Helen enjoy being on the water or being in Chapel Hill for a football or basketball game with their three sons, Carter, Cooper and Hudson.
member – holly batts
Holly’s spiritual journey began at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kinston, where she was baptized and confirmed. As a child, she found peace in the liturgy and hymns, and her involvement in EYC was a highlight. As a young adult, Holly returned to teach Sunday School and serve as an EYC advisor. She later worked with the Diocese of East Carolina and Christ Church in New Bern, before moving to Washington, DC, where she pursued a career in professional certification management and met her husband, John Stephens. After John’s death in 2022, Holly returned to eastern NC and settled in Morehead City, continuing her work remotely.
Holly joined St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church three years ago, transferring her membership from St. Mary’s. She quickly became involved, serving as a reader, singing in the choir, and hosting coffee hour. Passionate about servant ministry, she is dedicated to helping St. Andrew’s find the right leader for its community. She deeply values the traditions of the Episcopal Church and believes in its mission to offer a sanctuary for all.
Outside of church, Holly enjoys painting, pottery, cooking, and antiquing. Music fills her home, spanning spiritual chants to jazz and country. Her favorite Bible verses often come from the Psalms, including “Be still and know that I am God” (46:10) and “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things” (98).
mEMBER – leslie kriger
Leslie and her family started visiting St. Andrew’s in 2019. After the pandemic, Leslie and her family were lovingly welcomed back to St. Andrew’s in 2022. Since that time, she has volunteered with children’s ministry and is passionate about the spiritual growth and nurturing of our youngest members. She also assists with St. Martha’s Guild.
Leslie is honored to serve our St. Andrew’s parish in the call for a new rector. ‘We all play a vital role in the very important work of continuing St. Andrew’s profound legacy and in surrendering to God’s will, we will navigate this transition successfully into the next chapter of our cherished St. Andrew’s journey of faith and ministry.’ She prays that we all remain open to God’s continuous work in our refinement as a body of Christ as charged in 2 Corinthians 3:18, ‘We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.’
For 13 years, Leslie has worked as a clinical pharmacist serving our retired military service members. She maintains her allegiances to NC State despite having attended UNC. Go Pack! Leslie enjoys spending time with friends and family especially with her husband, Noah and three children, Jordan, Nicholas and Carter experiencing all the fun afforded on the NC coast.
mEMBER – lela faye rich
Lela Faye has been a dedicated member of St. Andrew’s Church for 17 years, serving as a choir member and teaching Sunday School and Bible School. She has been deeply involved in the church community, including close ties to the Khaing family that our church help sponsor from Thailand. She initiating the Lenten “This I Believe” series. Lela also completed four years of Education for Ministry (EFM) and led initiatives like the Stewardship of the Earth Committee and the St. Andrew’s Church Directories. She volunteers for funeral choirs, helps with funeral flowers, and Chairs our Building and Grounds Committee.
Passionate about Christian education, she believes in mentoring children of all backgrounds and values pastoral ministry. Lela is honored to serve on the church’s call committee, motivated by her love for St. Andrew’s and her belief in using one’s gifts to help others. She states ‘In my family, I was taught that if you really care about something then you are called to help with any gift you have. My love for St. Andrew’s, my age and experience bring an understanding of the larger St. Andrew’s community.’
Professionally, Lela Faye retired as Associate Dean of Academic Support Services at Elon University, managing a staff and overseeing several departments. After moving to Morehead City, she and her husband, Bill worked on healthcare access by recruiting volunteers for “Get Covered Carteret” to help folks get Affordable Healthcare, and advocating for Medicaid expansion, which was achieved two years ago. She is also the Treasurer of ULECAN (United Latinos in Eastern NC). Together with Bill, they raised three sons and have four granddaughters. Lela Faye;s work is inspired by Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you? Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly.”
vestry representative – alex russell
Alex has been a devoted parishioner of St. Andrew’s for 22 years and actively involved in many roles including choir member, Lay Eucharistic minister, head of St. Martha’s Guild, and hospitality lead for Towel Ministry. He is also integral to the success of our men-led Pancake Supper during our Burning of the Palms service. Alex is currently serving his third term on the Vestry.
Alex expresses his passion for serving God and the people of St. Andrew’s and also welcoming new people into our parish. He is excited to be part of this important process to help find the right leader for St. Andrew’s and believes that ‘taking on the difficult tasks is a beautiful way to serve God and his people.’
Professionally, Alex works as a real estate broker and also owns and runs a custom bakery. In his free time, he enjoys acting and singing and has been an active participant in the Carteret County and surrounding communities thriving theater scene. One scripture that Alex is inspired by is John 13:34 ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’
vestry representative – chris taylor
Chris has been attending St. Andrew’s for 8 years and was received as a member of the Episcopal Church in 2022. He has served on the Vestry since 2023 as the lead of Outreach Ministry. Chris directs the church’s youth in preparation of meals at a community kitchen and Meals on Wheels programs and interfaces with organizations battling food and shelter insecurity.
During his upbringing, he helped deliver Meals on Wheels with his grandparents and volunteered in nursing homes and food shelters. He expresses his life-long passion for community and outreach with unbridled excitement that motivates the youth and adult members of the church to demonstrate Jesus’s love and compassion to the stranger as they would to a neighbor.
Chris is a marine biologist with the US government and studies ocean ecosystems for conservation and protection. He is president of the board of directors of Martha’s Mission Cupboard, an emergency food pantry in Morehead City. He also serves on the foundation board for Public Radio East, a local affiliate of National Public Radio. Chris enjoys fishing, the outdoors, and cooking for his family and crowds as well as spends his time with his wife, Larisa and two sons, Kai and Lukas.