Clergy & Staff

Father Joel Hafer, Rector

Fr. Hafer was born and raised in Michigan and grew up in the town of Sturgis in southern Michigan. After graduating from Sturgis High School, he attended Albion College in Albion, Michigan where he earned Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish in 1980. While at Albion, he was active in the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, baseball, intramurals, and he became an Albion College Player through his work with the theater department. He was blessed to study in Guadalajara, Mexico as well.

Upon graduation from Albion College, he moved to Georgia, was married, and went to the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee where he graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree in 1986. After graduation, he served at St. Paul’s in Albany, Georgia for three years, Christ Church in Dublin, Georgia for nearly seven years, and All Saints’ in Florence, South Carolina for almost nine years. In September of 2004, he became rector of St. James.

Fr. Hafer is married to Anne, and together they have four children, Jonathan, Frances Harvel (whose husband is Brian), Joseph, and Catherine Gunn. Together, Anne and Joel enjoy traveling, wine tasting, hiking in the mountains with their dog, Nuke, and they enjoy a good movie, play or musical. Both feel exceptionally blessed to live in Hendersonville and to be a part of the life of St. James.

Mother Eunice Dunlap, Assistant Rector

Mother Eunice Dunlap grew up in the big city of New York where she met her husband George who was an actor. After marriage in 1984, Eunice and George moved to Maine, George's original residence, where they raised three sons, Kagan, Trevor, and Stuart. Eunice finished her Bachelor’s Degree through the State University of New York Regents College, and her Master of Divinity Degree at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine. She served as a licensed minister in the United Church of Christ through the Maine Seacoast Missionary Society for 3 ½ years before experiencing a call to ministry in The Episcopal Church.

In 1998 they moved to New Bern, NC to escape the cold New England weather. In 2000 Eunice received a certificate in Spiritual Direction at the Pecos Benedictine School for Spiritual Direction. In 2001 Eunice entered Virginia Theological Seminary to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Anglican Studies. She was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in 2003 and served as assistant at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, NC for 4 ½ years. She was called to serve as assistant at St. James in February of 2007.

Vicki Aubuchon, Parish Secretary

While growing up Vicki spent her summers here in Hendersonville at her grandparents’ summer home. As a result she developed a lifelong appreciation of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. She is a 2nd generation native Floridian who was born and raised in West Palm Beach. She received her B.A. degree from Florida State University and her M.Ed. from Florida Atlantic University. A teacher in the Palm Beach County School system for 30 years, Vicki spent 25 years teaching secondary foreign languages and 5 years as a high school media specialist.

Vicki moved to Hendersonville permanently in 1999. An animal lover, she lives in Hendersonville with her cats. Her leisure activities include cooking, reading, and going to garage/estate sales. She also has played handbells and enjoys choral singing. Vicki was a part-time secretary at Grace Lutheran before she came to St. James as Parish Secretary in September of 2005.

Brad Gee, Director of Music and Organist

At St. James, Brad conducts the Parish Choir, plays the Harrison & Harrison organ for services, and oversees a multi-faceted music program which includes services of Choral Evensong followed by organ recitals. He also conducts the Carolina Concert Choir, a forty-voice auditioned community chorus that has sung to sold-out audiences throughout the Carolinas and at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Prior to this position, he was Organist/Choirmaster at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park, Florida for seven years. He has played organ and harpsichord in Winter Park Bach Festival Performances and served as guest clinician for the Orlando Liturgical Conference and Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida workshops.

An Association of Anglican Musicians member since 1996, Mr. Gee has served twice as the Region IV Chair, and was co-chair of the Palm Beach national conference in 2000. He has served as housemaster at the Royal School of Church Music King’s College Course in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Charlotte, North Carolina, and is past dean of the Central Florida Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is also an organ recitalist in area churches.

Mr. Gee pursued doctoral studies in choral conducting and organ performance at Indiana University where he was a student of Robert Porco and Marilyn Keiser. His master’s degree is from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he studied conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt. He is a member of Chorus America and the national music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda, and most recently was awarded the National Religious Music Week Alliance Award of Distinction “for developing and maintaining one of the nation’s finest music programs.”

Noel Hoots, Sexton

Noel is a Henderson County native, Vietnam era veteran, and spent 40 years in manufacturing as a machinist, mechanic, and machine operator in 6 different plants. He is retired, and was a part-time sexton at Grace Lutheran Church for 19 years before coming to St. James in 2009. Married 41 years to his wife Mary, Noel has 1 son, Michael, and one grandson, Kalob.

David Marshall, Parish Administrator

David was born and raised in the mountains of West Virginia. He graduated from West Virginia University in 1972 and began a career in accounting and finance. David was the Vice President and Corporate Controller for Simmons Mattresses and Chief Financial Officer for Gregg Industries, the largest iron foundry west of the Rockies. He lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona and lastly California before moving back to his beloved mountains in 2006.

David and his wife Peggy were married in 1995. His oldest daughter Mary lives in Atlanta, and his youngest lives in New York City. When not at St James, David does tractor therapy and makes sawdust and occasionally furniture in his home in Edneyville. He is active in a number of nonprofits, including the Alliance for Human Services and the Henderson County Young Leaders Program and is the Senior Warden at St Paul’s in Edneyville.

Denise Purcell, Executive Director, St. James School for Little Folks

Denise was born in Roanoke Rapids, NC and resided in Marion, SC until relocating to North Carolina in 1992. She is the eldest of four children. Married for 17 years to Williams Purcell, Denise is a mother of two. She graduated from Francis Marion University with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Theatre Arts degree and holds an Administrative Level III licenses from the Division of Child Development; a NC teaching license in English (9-12) and a Theatre Arts (K-12) from NC Dept. of Public Instruction.

Denise has been with St. James School for Little Folks as Executive Director since November 1999. Her prior employment includes: collections, title agent; loan processor; supervisor; and educator. She serves as the Video/Drama Instructor for Team ECCO. Denise is also a member of the Smart Start Board and the NC Licensed Child Care Association.

Walt and Janie Randall, Sextons

Walter Randall, Jr., graduated from A-B Tech College in Tool and Die, spent 18 months at Cecil Business College, and 2 years in the U.S. Army. A Madison County native, Walt retired after 32 years with Phillips/Magnavox Manufacturing as manager of the Tool and Die Shop. He has been a sexton at St. James for 18 ½ years. In his leisure time Walt enjoys hunting and watching sports on television, especially baseball, football and basketball. Walt married a “city girl” from Hendersonville, Janie, in 1970. In addition to various careers, Janie has also been employed at St. James for 18 ½ years. Janie’s leisure activities include walking in parks, handicrafts, and serving her church and St. James.