ABOUT

Allen Fullwood is a member of St. Mary's St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Morganton, NC and has a long history with the diocese, even before he was a part of it. This is his story. To learn more about St. Mary's St. Stephen's, visit their website at https://sites.google.com/view/stmarysandststephensmorganton/stmarysandststephens To watch a full playlist of Barrier Breakers videos, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyEN10joSuwK6meAnJXltcyQLLpj15hxP MEDIA IN THIS VIDEO: St Stephen's Episcopal Church Youth Choir photo was provided to the diocese by the History Museum of Burke County.

Gordon Hamilton is a member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Tryon, NC and has deep family roots in Western North Carolina. Since beginning a journey of uncovering his family history, he has found many connections to the history of Good Shepherd. This is his story. Learn more about Good Shepherd at https://goodshepherdtryon.org/ Click here to watch a full playlist of Barrier Breakers videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyEN10joSuwK6meAnJXltcyQLLpj15hxP

The Rev. Oscar Rozo is the Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries in the Diocese of WNC. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Oscar is seeking ways to bridge the gaps between the Anglo and Latino worlds and create multicultural community. This is his story.

The Rev. Toni Belhu serves both St. Gabriel's and St. Francis Episcopal Churches in Rutherfordton, NC. As a woman of color with a special interest in language and Latinx communities, Toni was the perfect candidate to serve in Rutherfordton, a large center of Latinx communities and home to one of the diocese's oldest historically black churches. This is her story.

Judy Warren is a Communicant at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Burnsville, NC. For the past few years, Judy has been learning about her own story as a person of indigenous ancestry and how she can continue to learn and share the history of native peoples in the Americas. This is her story. To learn more about St. Thomas, visit https://www.stthomasonline.org/

Bobby and Helen Lynch have been members of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Rutherfordton for over 50 years. In 1975, Bobby Lynch was ordained as one of the first deacons of color in WNC. Since his ordination, he and Helen have served the St. Gabriel's community and beyond in a number. of ways and have made quite the impact on the Rutherfordton community. This is their story. Learn more about St. Gabriel's, Rutherfordton on their website at https://www.stgabrielsepiscopal.com/

Glenda McDowell is the first female deacon of color to be ordained in the diocese. Since her ordination in 2012, she has served the Cathedral of All Souls and has been an advocate for voices of color in the Episcopal Church. This is her story.

Pam Hemphill is a member of St. Mary's St.Stephen's and has long been a major part of the work being done in the diocese too repair the breach. This is her story.