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Mt. Sylvan is blessed to have a welcoming staff dedicated to serve our church members and those in the community. 


  • Rev. Don Mitchell

    Lead Pastor

    The Rev. Don Mitchell has served as the Senior Pastor for Mt. Sylvan UMC since 2022. Born and raised in rural Johnston County, NC, he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in English/Education at East Carolina University and his Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Prior to returning home to NC in 2014, he led congregations in Basking Ridge, Little Falls, and Knowlton, New Jersey. His most recent church appointment was Jarvis Memorial UMC in downtown Greenville. He has served in ministry for twenty-six years.


    Rev. Mitchell has also served connectionally in District and Conference leadership roles with both the North Carolina and Greater New Jersey United Methodist  Conferences over the past two decades including: Member of the GNJAC Connectional Table, the Committee on Ordained Ministry, Mission Strategy Team, Chair of the Conference Board of Discipleship, Chair of the Gateway North Superintendency Committee (NJ), Registrar for the Gateway North Committee on Ordained Ministry, Clergy and Candidacy Mentor, Conference Committee on Christian Unity and Inter-religious Concerns, Church Building and Location Committee, and as a Certified Stephen Caregiving Ministries Trainer.

     

    He has volunteered as an ESL tutor and with outreach organizations including Rise Against Hunger, Habitat for Humanity, SAFE (Domestic Violence Response and Prevention), Interfaith Hospitality Network, and in local nursing homes, schools, and chambers of commerce in the cities where he's served.

     

    Rev. Mitchell and his wife Maria have raised two children. A son, Jordan, resides in North Carolina, and a daughter, Reagan, who resides in Louisiana. Pastor Don and Maria are blessed to be a part of the Mt. Sylvan UMC family of faith and are grateful for the many life-changing ministries of this wonderful congregation.

  • Rev. Kathie Wilkinson

    Pastor of Congregational Care

    Kathie is an Ordained Deacon in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. She earned her bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her seminary degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Kathie is married to Tim, has four children and ten grandchildren. Kathie has a passion for creating and leading people in worship and caring for members during illness or other difficult situations.


    OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Thursday: 10:00am - 12:30pm

  • Heather Thompson

    Children's Ministry Coordinator

    Heather is currently serving as Mt. Sylvan's Children's Coordinator. She, along with her husband, Madison, and four children live in Durham and are blessed to call Mt. Sylvan their home church. In addition to Heather serving as our Children's Coordinator, she is the full time theatre arts teacher at Voyager Academy. Whether she is at school teaching the amazing art of theatre or at Mt. Sylvan spreading the love of Jesus, she has a passion with inspiring and working creatively with God's most precious gift... Children!

    OFFICE HOURS: BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. You can always reach her via email (heather@mtsylvan.org) anytime or by appointment if you need to meet in-person. 

  • Allison Brown

    Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries

    Allison joined Mt. Sylvan in 2022 as the Office & Communications Manager and, after three and a half years in that role, transitioned to Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Eastern University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Lancaster Theological Seminary. Allison is married to Jeff, and they have three sons.


  • Jennifer Scarlett

    Business Administrator

    Jennifer joined Mt. Sylvan in September 2025 as the Business Administrator.  She has a BS in Accounting from Greensboro College.  Jennifer resides in Hillsborough, NC, with her husband and son.   

  • Libby Pinkerton

    Office Coordinator

    Libby joined the Mt. Sylvan staff in the summer of 2026. She grew up in Raleigh, NC, and went to UNC Greensboro for her undergraduate degree. She is married ahd has one adult son and two grandchildren. Libby has a variety of work experiences, including teaching ESL to adults, managing the office and books for a farm-to-table catering company, and working at a public library. 

  • Rev. Bill Nordan

    Minister of Music

    Rev. Bill Nordan joined Mt. Sylvan as the Minister of Music in 2022. 

  • Hannah Horne

    Nursery Coordinator

    Hannah has been the Nursery Coordinator since 2023. She can be reached through email at nursery@mtsylvan.org.

  • Lynn Lee

    Preschool Director

    Lynn is the director of the Mt. Sylvan Preschool. Her information and information regarding our preschool staff can be found HERE.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES


There are no open positions at this time!