Randy Innes, District Superintendent
A native of Springfield, Missouri, and a graduate of Shawnee Mission West High School, Overland Park, Kansas. Randy received a BS degree in Business Administration from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK (1976), and Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC (1985). He and Emily have been married for 31+ years.
Prior to ordained ministry, Randy spent 5 years working in international evangelism and missions with the contemporary Christian music group—Living Sound—as both a musician and administrator. Based in England, a primary focus of their ministry was Eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union, Romania, and Poland, where the group used music as a vehicle to gain entry into these formerly staunchly Communist countries. In this work, he traveled extensively to over 35 countries.
Randy was ordained an Elder in 1990 and has served as pastor of Pine Valley (Wilmington), Millbrook (Raleigh), Swansboro, First: Elon, Swepsonville, and First: Rockingham. Work with Conference boards and agencies has included the Board of Ordained Ministry, the Connectional Table, Christian Unity & Interreligious Concerns, and Religion and Race. Randy currently serves on the Conference Board of Pensions, the Hispanic-Latino Ministries Committee, the Thriving Rural Church Initiative of Duke Divinity School, and the Board of Trustees of NC Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount. He has been a participant on the House of Delegates of the NC Council of Churches, and in the Episcopal/United Methodist dialogue on unity.
Emily is a native of Wilson, NC, a graduate of Hunt High School, and holds degrees in Acting & Directing and Psychology from the NC School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, NC) and UNC-G (Greensboro, NC) respectively.
Committed to the ministry of the laity, Emily served eight years as Conference Lay Leader, a member of Ministry Cabinet of the bishop, and chair of the Conference Connectional Table. Committed to the mission of the church, she has eight years served as VP of the Women’s Division (UMW) and member of the Executive Committee the UM General Board of Global Ministries. She has served as President of the SEJ Conference Lay Leaders, and Vice-Chair of the SEJ Episcopacy Committee. She has been elected a Delegate to five General and Jurisdictional Conferences (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), and in 2012 headed the NC delegation. From 2012-2016 Emily served as a member of the Connectional Table of the UMC.
In their spare time, Emily and Randy enjoy travel, the beauty of NC mountains and beaches, music, reading, and time spent with family and friends.
Sarah Carter, Corridor/ Heritage Administrative Assistant to the DS
Sarah was born and raised in North Carolina and has been a life-long Methodist. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1987. A few years later she earned a Masters of Education in Counseling from UNC-Greensboro. Sarah has worked in various counseling settings, with her most recent being a School Counselor.
Sarah has been married to Ross for over 30 years. They have two wonderful adult daughters, Becca and Mary Catherine. Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, cheering for the Tarheels, and traveling.
Sylvia Harrison, Co-Lay Leader
Sylvia was born and raised outside of Akron Ohio. She moved to NC in 1976 where she met her husband Mark. They have been married for 40 + years. They raised 2 sons, Josh and Nathanael, and now enjoy their two granddaughters. She has worked as a collection manager for her husband’s pest control business for 25 years. She is also a potter specializing in functional pottery with a focus on natural designs.
Sylvia has been an active member of Oxford United Methodist Church since 2005 and has served on many committees. She has been a Lay Member to Annual Conference for several years, presently serves as Lay Leader and Discipleship chair, as well as an active UMW Circle member. She recently completed her coursework in Lay Servant Ministry training for Lay Speaker.
Sylvia finds great enjoyment in teaching Bible studies and has a heart for prison ministry. She currently helps teach a Disciple Bible Study weekly at Warren Correctional Institution.
David Johnson, Co-Lay Leader
David was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He was a member of a non-denominational Christ-centered church along with his parents, brother, and sister.
After graduating from high school, he entered the business world as a paint specialist and credit manager of a Sherman Williams Paint retail paint store. His exposure to accounting/finance and sales led him into the automotive supplier industry where he held various positions in manufacturing and corporate-level management. His passion was to be in production environments where he could see the product being manufactured. His focus in manufacturing was helping to identify and reduce excess costs out of automotive products being produced. At a corporate level, David was focused on improving the liquidity of the corporation. Before retiring, he had the opportunity to travel around the world helping to make financial improvements at company manufacturing facilities.
After his retirement in 2009, David and his wife, Susan, moved back to Rocky Mount and joined First UMC – Rocky Mount, which led to becoming very active in outreach ministries. David is involved in volunteer efforts within the community, one being Jobs for Life which teaches job readiness skills. He is a board member of a non-profit organization that provides shelter and food for the homeless community. He attends the Bible Study Fellowship program on Monday nights. He and his wife travel to Costa Rica on church mission trips most every year.
David and Susan have been married for 20+ years, have 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. He enjoys traveling, music and visiting with family and friends while staying busy around his home.