Staff

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The Rev. Joslyn Ogden Schaefer
Rector
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Joslyn began serving as the 22nd rector of Grace Church in February 2017.  Prior to that she was the Associate Rector at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, NC.  She has degrees from Davidson College, Episcopal Divinity School, and the University of Edinburgh.  As a priest, she loves crafting sermons, teaching all kinds of classes, and the challenge of faithful organizational development.  Her husband, Brian Schaefer, practices law with a specialty in Elder Law.  They have two young children, and therefore very limited time when it comes to hobbies! 

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The Rev. Br. Raymond Escott
Deacon

The Rev. Br. Raymond Escott, OSB, Deacon was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on January 28, 2006 at Trinity Church in Asheville NC by the Rt. Rev. G. Porter, Bishop of the Diocese of Western NC.  He served one year at St. George’s in West Asheville and eight years at St. Andrew’s in Canton NC.  He was assigned to Grace Church in the Mountains January 2016.   He is a professed member or the Companions of St. Luke, Benedictine and is currently in Annual Vows.  The Companions of St. Luke, OSB, is a non-residential Benedictine Monastic community in the Episcopal Church.  Br. Raymond lives in Waynesville NC.  His passion and ministry in the world is working with persons with disabilities and mental illness.  He is married to his wife Peggy and they have three grown children. ​

​Charles M. Banks
Director of Music

Though a western North Carolina native, Mr. Banks comes to the Grace Church from St. Paul’s Episcopal in Westfield, New Jersey, where he served for 32 years. He began serving at Grace in June 2018. He holds a Master’s degree in Music in Organ Performance from Westminster Choir College and is a member of many national music organizations, including the Association of Anglican Musicians and the American Guild of Organists. ​

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The Rev. Orion Davis
Priest Associate
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​Orion has been a priest for nearly 50 years. He and his wife, Pam, have been attending Grace for the last six years. They both love to travel as much as possible. He also follows college sports with much interest. Go Clemson Tigers!

The Rev. Harriet Simmons
Priest Associate

The Rev. Gaelyn Evangreene
Curate

The Rev. Gaelyn Lei Evangreene was ordained to the priesthood in June 2019.  Prior to accepting the call to ordained ministry, Gaelyn was an elementary school teacher working in Asheville City Schools.  She has an A.A.S. in Horticulture from Haywood Community College, a B.A. in Sociology with a K-6 Teaching Certification from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a Masters of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary.  Gaelyn is an associate with the Order of St. Helena.  She loves the outdoors and spending time with her wife, Sarah, and daughter, Peyton.

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Dawna E. Wade
Parish Administrator
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Dawna came to Grace Church in December 2018.  She and her wife, Leslie, along with their four 4-legged children, have lived in Waynesville since June of 2018.  Dawna has worked for many non-profit organizations in the Asheville area, as well as in Atlanta and Los Angeles (her home town).  In her time away from the office, she enjoys making quilted clothing, crocheting, tie dying, batik, macramé, and other hand crafts, as well as reading and playing with her "children." 

Dawna Kielman
Nursery Supervisor

Dawna originally came to Grace to volunteer in the Food Pantry in 2016. Soon after, she started working in the Nursery. Her first Sunday was during the Blessing of the Animals service that year, and she had no children to take care of. She’s been faithfully serving as the nursery supervisor for the past two years, and her main goal with the little ones is to try and be a positive influence while teaching them good values through play. What she enjoys most is being able to sit on the floor, play with the toys, and hear what the little ones have to say. This is what she considers her “grandma practice.”  As a mother of two awesome adults,  her first grandchild arrived in November 2018.