Pastor Rev. Rafael A. Martinez and his wife Nancy
Rafael was born in Cuba into a Pastoral family, who also served within the Methodist church. He was ordained in 2003 and served as a Methodist pastor for 16 years in Cuba and three years as an Associate Pastor in Greater Heights UMC in Clayton, NC. He lived in Peru for two years and has traveled through much of Central America, allowing him to be empathetic to cultural diversity. He is an electrician by trade and very resourceful manually as a handyman. As a Hispanic pastor, he can relate the challenges faced when migrating to a different country and he can interact with families in their native language and can offer both spiritual and practical guidance. Rafael possesses strong administrative, leadership, and organizational skills. He is dedicated to evangelism, rooted in prayer and skilled in communicating God’s Word in a practical manner (preaching/teaching) that is applicable to everyday living.
He is well acquainted with current technology and software and proficient with audio/visual equipment to enhance productivity and effectiveness.
Rafael have been married to his wife, Nancy, for 10+ years. She has a degree in Psychology and has worked over 20 years in the mental health field assessing child abuse and offering intensive in-home therapy to ensure that she meets each child and family’s unique needs through crisis management, intensive case management, counseling, family therapy, and skills training. Nancy currently works an Administrative Assistant to two district Superintendents within the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has a passion for working with children and youth and the experience that she has acquired through her years in mental health will be an asset in helping to seek, develop and empower the children as well as their family unit, by teaching problem solving skills, assisting the children and the parents to advocate for themselves and helping to link the families to community resources as needed.
Vickie Corbett Ripley
Lay Leader, Director of Music & Worship Team Leader
As a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church, Vickie lives out her calling through church music, worship, and medicine. Growing up in a home filled with music, Vickie has been a part of her local church choir since she was a child and plays piano, flute, guitar, among other instruments, and has voice training. She enjoys a number of different musical styles but finds her passion in church music. Her love of music has brought her to the Director of Music position at Gibson Memorial where she not only chooses music for and directs the choir but coordinates multiple musicians for different services and community events throughout the year. Vickie has taken a number of classes about worship and worship planning, music directing and works with the Pastor, Worship Team, and Choir members to plan and lead worship each week. As Lay Leader, she assists the Pastor in planning and implementing ministry projects, particularly those that surround worship and care of congregation members. Vickie currently serves as a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner with the Department of Psychiatry at Nash UNC Healthcare with a bachelor’s in pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Through Nash General, Vickie works as a member of the Hospice and Palliative Care team as she walks with patients and their families through disease and the final stages of human life. She also serves as adjunct faculty at UNC School of Pharmacy and ECU School of Nursing.
Rebecca Corbett Barker
Accompanist, Financial Secretary
Becky has served in a number of different ministries throughout her life, including music ministry, children’s ministry, and discipleship ministry. Becky serves as Gibson’s accompanist and Financial Secretary, among other ministry roles. She is a Commissioned Stephen Minister as well as a Certified Industrial and Commercial Ministries Chaplain. Becky has participated in handbell choirs, played piano and sung for a gospel quartet as a teen and for a country western band in Okinawa, Japan. She has directed Vacation Bible Study, fundraisers, intergenerational church programming, and programs for hosting international youth. Becky has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and has served as the Practice Manager for a psychiatric practice for the past ten+ years. She and her husband Charles of 40 years, who died in 2020, have two boys, Isaac (married to Margaret) and Adam, and 4 wonderful dogs, Raven, Bennie (a Psychiatric Therapy Dog), Ruffin, and BJ.
Mary Murray, Christian Education Leader for ChildrenAllen Barbee, President, United Methodist Men
Gay Sturgeon, President, United Women of Faith
More Gibson Memorial UMC Team Members Coming Soon!