Canton Presbyterian Church 

The Basics

 

Sabbaticals for staff members in churches are known as "Sabbatical Leave." Unlike longer academic sabbaticals, this is a time for renewal unrelated to study and writing. Esta will be away and out of regular contact from August 1 through October 3. She will be back with the congregation again on Sunday, October 4.

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Background

 

In 2023, the Presbytery of Western NC, to which our church belongs, adopted a policy that all churches provide their pastors with Sabbath Leave after 6 years of service or less, at full pay and benefits. Earlier this year, our session offered Esta 9 Sundays of Sabbatical Leave to coincide with her 15th anniversary with Canton Presbyterian Church on August 1.

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Pastoral Care Coverage

 

Are you in need of emergency pastoral care? Please contact our Clerk of Session Jennifer Johnson (828-342-3315, jdjohnson929@gmail.com), who can help to connect you with appropriate care provider. Our care team during Sabbatical Leave are “The Toms,” below:

 

Rev. Tom Phillips (August 1 – August 15, September 1 – October 3)

 

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The Rev. J. Thomas Phillips (Tom) graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 1977 and served in four different churches over 41 years of active ministry. He served as pastor in Banner Elk from 1986 – 2004 in this presbytery. He retired in September 2018 as Pastor/Head of Staff from Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, TN and was made Pastor Emeritus. Currently he serves as part-time Presbytery Associate for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. He has been married to Karen for 51 years, and they have two married daughters and one granddaughter, along with 4 grand dogs. Tom and Karen live in Mills River, NC.

 

Rev. Tom Owens (in collaboration with the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church): (August 16-31)

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Rev. Tom Henderson Owens, pastor of Canton Central United Methodist Church, has lived and served here in western North Carolina for the last eight years. His spouse, Rev. Ann Henderson Owens serves as a pastor in Weaverville. They live in Candler with their two energetic children, Emerson and Logan. The Owens family enjoys all that this beautiful region has to offer and loves to spend their time together hiking, swimming, exploring the mountains, and visiting friends in the area. Tom received his Masters of Divinity degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado where he also began his ministry vocation.

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Preaching and Worship Leadership 

 

Esta will be away for 9 Sundays, August 2 – September 27. Our guest preachers will be Rev. Pete Peery, Rev. Allyn Maxfield Steele, Emily Hall, and Rev. Carol Steele.

 

Rev. Pete Peery (August 2, August 9, August 23, and August 30):

 

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Rev. Albert G. “Pete” Peery, Jr. is a native of Tazewell, Virginia. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and his theological degree from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (now Union Presbyterian Seminary). As an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Pete served in ministry, particularly in congregations in Georgia and North Carolina (most recently at First Presbyterian in Asheville) for more than forty-five years. Along the way, Pete with his wife Margaret served on the staff of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as Peace Associates in Europe, based in London, England.​ ​Following his ministry in Asheville, Pete was called to be President of Montreat Conference Center, where he served for six years. In retirement, Pete has served as Interim Pastor at the Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, as a relationship and funds development consultant for NEXT Church, and as Interim Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Greer. Pete is married to the Rev. Margaret Barnes Peery, whom he met in seminary. Pete and Margaret have two children and seven grandchildren ranging in age from nineteen to twelve and including two sets of twins.

 

Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele (August 16, September 6, and September 27):

 

 

 

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Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele grew up in Texas, Germany, and western Rowan County, North Carolina. Allyn was a school teacher, college educator, and rural community organizer in South Carolina until following a call to Christian ministry beginning in 2011. From 2017-2023, he lived in Clyde and Canton while serving as the Co-Executive Director of Tennessee’s Highlander Research and Education Center, which he left in early 2026. An ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Allyn has served United Methodist, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ congregations in Alaska and Tennessee. Allyn attended Wofford College and Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he met his spouse, the Rev. Erin Maxfield-Steele, who is the rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sylva. Allyn and Erin have two curious and outgoing children (Ursa, 6, and Ellis, 3) and an enormous 10 year old puppy, Johann.

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Emily Hall (September 13):

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Emily Hall is the Director of Mission Immersion for our mission partner Asheville Youth Mission. Emily has a background working with both churches and nonprofits, and she holds a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University. Emily says she feels "called to this work of connecting young people of faith with different ways to live out Micah 6:8 doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God in the world." 

 

Rev. Carol Steele (September 20):

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Rev. Carol Steele is Vice President for Programs at Montreat Conference Center. When not at work she likes spending time with horses (and mules), driving the taxi for her teens, and sampling the cocktails her husband, Rev. Dwight Christenbury, creates. While at work she enjoys working with teams of joyful volunteers, worship planning, and budget planning season. She can be easily distracted by houseplants and worst-case scenarios. Carol's primary influences have been her parents (Don and Kay Steele), her schools (Union Presbyterian Seminary and Davidson College), her summer camp (Camp Hat Creek), and her kids (Kaisa and Dean).

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Session Moderatorial Duties

 

G-1.0504 allows the installed pastor, “if it is impractical for the pastor to preside,” to invite another Minster of Word & Sacrament who is a member of the presbytery. There will be two stated session meetings during the sabbatical (August 11, September 22).

 

The Rev. Keith Grogg will moderate the session meetings during Sabbatical.

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Rev. Keith Grogg has been the pastor of Montreat Presbyterian Church since April  2014. He is a graduate of Indiana University (B.A. in political science/history, 1989), McCormick Seminary (M.Div., 1993) and Columbia Seminary (D.Min. in Christian Spirituality, 2024). He has served churches in Bedford, England; Kannapolis, NC; and Carolina Beach, NC. Keith has been married to Vivian Hare since 1992 and they have two young adult children.

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Administrative Needs

 

Volunteers including Joan Holshouser, Lisa White, and Sally Morgan will maintain the administrative tasks and communications (maintaining office voicemails and email, monitoring our Facebook account, checking the mail, etc.), and will consult with and/or report to the Session as necessary.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​