I'm Jeff Douglas, Rector of St. Thomas' Church. I have been pastor at St. Thomas' Church for 5 years. I have been an Episcopal priest for 18 years, mainly in Eastern North Carolina. My wife, Beth, is a counselor at Hertford County High. Our son, Michael, is 23 and now lives and works in Alexandria, VA.

The Christian faith is all about relationships. My job is to invite people into a deeper relationship with God and with each other. My sermons range from formal (read)to informal, without notes and conversational. If I can prick your curiosity, challenge the routine of life and bring a message of love and hope in dark times, then the rest is up to you and God.

Bringing people together to strengthen their ties to the church, and to one another, is a large part of my ministry. I cook dinners to raise money for the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund and other causes throughout the year. This brings people from St. Thomas' and our surrounding community together to support a good cause. Our annual retreat to Trinity Center, a beach front retreat center, is an opportunity to deepen the ties that bind us.

Come be part of a community that worships, works and plays well.

Jonathan always knew that God had a plan for his life. He started 'playing' the piano at the ripe age of 4 (black keys only), and played Amazing Grace for offertory (both hands).

Thinking he was "too young for lessons", his parents decided to wait til he was older. At age 11, he began piano lessons. Two years later he started violin/mandolin/guitar. After graduating high school, he auditioned and was accepted at the Shenandoah Conservatory.

He graduated in 2005 from Bethany College (after missions, music, and travel in Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Armenia, Austria, Germany, and Poland) with a BA in Cross-Cultural Studies and am now completing my MA in Ethnomusicology from Bethel University (MN).

Jonathan says, "I consider myself blessed to be a part of the St. Thomas fellowship and I pray that I will not just be your musician, but also your friend."

Elaina Dobay, our new Parish Secretary, has performed administrative work for over twenty years. She worked for the Department of Defense for sixteen years, where she held a variety of positions: a Machinist, Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor, Labor Relations Assistant and a Computer Programmer. She left government service in 2003 during an organizational downsizing and decided to work closer to home. She then went to work as the Manager for Curves for Women in Ahoskie, which recently closed.

Elaina has earned an Applied Science Certificate in Mechanical Engineering and Associates Degree in Information Technology and Database Management and is currently working on her Bachelors Degree at the University of Maryland online in Computer Science.

She lives in Gates County with her husband, John. They have been married for twenty-two years and have three grown children. Their two oldest children live in Norfolk, VA and one works for a publishing firm and the other is a Pharmacist. Their youngest son is in the Air Force, currently serving in Iraq, and is stationed in Little Rock, AR. She and John have four grandchildren and another due in June.

She is very pleased to be working for this Parish.