staff

Pastors & Staff

TBD, Pastor

Dr. Christopher (Kit) Schooley, Parish Associate for Pastoral Care and Christian Education
Kit Schooley retired from forty years of parish ministry in 2012, having served twelve congregations and three pastoral counseling centers. Kit, and his wife, Terry, moved to Greensboro soon after each of them joined the ranks of the retired. They have a married daughter in Durham with two grandchildren, Tate, and Taylor. They have a second married daughter in Atlanta, with their third grandchild, Ethan.

Kit has spent twenty years in pastoral counseling specializing in marriage and family therapy; and then 20 years in parish ministry, specializing in interim ministry.

Now he specializes in gardening, and woodworking with occasions of preaching and teaching at Guilford Park. In the first half of 2014, Kit spent six months at the American Church in Paris as their visiting pastor and conducted 130 weddings of couples from all over the world. He’s glad to be home and not hearing the “wedding march” in his dreams.

Dr. Frederick (Fred) A Beck, Parish Associate
Fred is a retired, second-career Presbyterian minister, a marathon runner, a continuing jazz/classical trumpet player, a native Vermonter, growing up in Newport, Vermont, which is on the Canadian border. Fred and his wife, Sally, lived in Newport before moving to Topsham, Maine, and, subsequently, to Rochester, New York.

Fred holds a B.S. degree (1969) in music education from the University of Vermont, as well as M.M. (1973) and D.M.A. (1979) degrees from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester. In 1993 he received an M.Div. degree from Duke University.

From 1969 to 1976 Fred taught instrumental music in the public schools of Vermont and Maine and performed in the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, as well as in various jazz groups and big bands.

From 1980 to 1992 Fred was an associate professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He performed as principal trumpet in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra and was an active recitalist and jazz musician in the Greensboro area.

Fred has written twenty articles for the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, edited by Barry Kernfield; his doctoral dissertation entitled The Flugelhorn: Its History and Literature was published in 1977; and his composition, “Vocalise for Unaccompanied Flugelhorn,” was published by the International Trumpet Guild in 1977.

In 1993 Fred left UNCG to begin his second career as a Presbyterian minister. Fred served the First Presbyterian Church in Oak Hill, West Virginia until 1997, when he and Sally moved to Connersville, Indiana where Fred served the First Presbyterian Church in Connersville. Fred also served on the Committee on Ministry in both West Virginia and Indiana.

While in West Virginia Fred performed with “The Presby Pickers,” an old-time mountain music group, and while in Indiana gathered a jazz quintet of First Presbyterian members and formed “The Presby Stompers” for the purpose of performing jazz worship services at the church.

In 2003 Fred and Sally returned to Greensboro, North Carolina where Fred served Community in Christ, Presbyterian. Fred retired in June of 2012 and began his “third” career of playing music, running, and “going to school” through The Great Courses.

Fred and Sally have two children, six grandchildren, one great-grandson, and another great-grandchild on the way. Fred and Sally live in Forest Oaks with their beloved cat, HipHop.

Susan Smith, Congregational Nurse
Susan was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and attended Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing. She also attended UNC-Charlotte where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has worked at several hospitals in the Charlotte area as well as Wake Forest, Bowman Grey School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, and Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro in the Kids Path program. She has lived in Greensboro since 2003.
Susan and her husband, Van, have a daughter, Taylor, who is married and lives in Washington, NC. Taylor and her husband, Greg, have one son, Wells, who is 15 months old. They also have a son, Tanner, who lives and works in Charleston, SC. The Smiths enjoy fishing, boating, and vacationing at the NC coast, and spending time with friends, family, and especially their first grandchild, Baby Wells. They have two dogs, a golden retriever and a black lab.
Susan will have office hours on Tuesdays from 10:30-12:00. Please come by and introduce yourself.

Kim Row, Christian Educator for Children and Youth
Kim joined our staff in July of 2005. Kim was born in Missouri and raised in Arkansas. She has worked in Catholic, Presbyterian U.S.A. and United Methodist churches in Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Kim has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Arkansas Tech University and a Master’s Degree in Christian Education from Pfieffer University in Charlotte, NC.

Kim and her husband, Gary, moved to Guilford County in 2000. They have three children, David, Katie and Amanda. Kim enjoys music, adventure and the out-of-doors, especially around water. Her mission and her calling is for teaching!

Dr. Bill Allred, Director Music Ministries
Bill Allred joined GPPC August 2009 following long-time organist-choir director Dr. David Pinnix and interim director Loretta James. Bill began his church music career in 1989 and has served three other Greensboro churches; Saint Paul Presbyterian, Centenary United Methodist, and Buffalo Presbyterian.

Bill holds degrees from Westminster Choir College; BM, The North Carolina School of the Arts; MM, and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; DMA. He is the Artistic Director of The Burlington Boys Choir and is a founding board member of Burlington-Alamance Sister Cities. Bill is active in Greensboro music organizations, currently serving on the board of the Greensboro Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and formerly on the board of the North Carolina United Methodist All-State Youth Chorus and as Repertoire and Standards Chair for Boy Choirs for the North Carolina American Choral Directors Association. For over fifteen years he has been the volunteer director of the Friends Homes Ringers, the residents’ handbell choir at Friends Homes at Guilford.

Bill and his wife, Alicia, live in Haw River.

Brian Fitts, Director of music for Contemporary Worship
Brian is the music director for the contemporary service at Guilford Park. He has a B.S. degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where his primary instrument was percussion. Brian has participated in numerous musical groups ranging from jazz bands to orchestras, traditional choirs to praise bands, and he is frequently requested as a guest musician in Greensboro and the surrounding area.

Brian is married to Linda Fitts who works for Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro. Their son Tommy is a regional accounts manager for Aaron’s. Brian is a technician with Elon University during the week where he works with audio and video electronics. He loves working with his son restoring old cars and he and Linda enjoy participating in the NC Presbyterian Pilgrimage.

Jordan Hart, Accompanist for the Contemporary Service
Jordan Hart is the accompanist for the YES contemporary service at Guilford Park. He graduated from University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, with piano as his principal.

Jordan and his wife, Abigail, live in Greensboro, where he has lived all his life. His home church is Lindley Park Baptist, where he organizes and hosts a monthly coffeehouse/variety show fundraiser called That Friday Night Thing! He also serves as the accompanist for the Gate City Young Singers, and often fills in at Lindley Park, Trinity Church, and Parkwood Baptist. He is a veteran member of the Chariots, UNCG's premiere co-ed a cappella group, and he enjoys reading, writing, and film.

Jane Sharpe, Church Administrator
Jane joined the staff of Guilford Park in November, 2012 as our part-time Financial Administrator. In October, 2016 she added the full-time duties of the Church Administrator to her position as well. She says every day is a learning experience as she hones her computer, web, and financial skills at GPPC. She has become the wearer of many hats in her role as point of first contact.

Jane has lived and worked in and around Greensboro most of her life. She enjoys reading, gardening, camping, and knitting. Jane and her husband, Tim, are currently experiencing tiny living in a 230 square-foot efficiency apartment while they build their forever home in Randolph county. They have been married for almost 25 years, and they say they are still honeymooning.