Clergy & Staff
Mary Balfour Dunlap is the Rector of The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Greenwood, South Carolina. Mary Balfour has served as the Rector since October 2019. She is married to Murray Dunlap and they have a 5 pound Maltese named Sugar! Mary Balfour attended the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. She has served as the Rector of St. Michael’s in Fayette, Alabama and the Associate Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Mary Balfour serves on the Board for Camp Gravatt, is chair of the Commission on Ministry, is a board member for Greenwood Community Home Repair and a member of Greenwood Women Cares. She loves any and all things that helps builds the Kingdom of God, zinnia flowers, peach tea and a good rock on the porch at her family’s summer home in Monteagle, TN.
Rev. Hipp has been serving the Diocese of Upper South Carolina as a deacon for 11 years and has been at Resurrection since the spring of 2023. He also works as a residential home builder. Rev. Hipp lives in Tryon with his wife, Karen, and they have three adult sons, Tom, Jack and Sam.
Denise Brown has been the Parish Administrator at Resurrection since 2004. She manages the day-to-day business of our parish, assisting our rector, Mary Balfour, in all administrative functions. Denise is a native of Elberton, GA. She currently lives in Greenwood with her husband, David, and a spunky Frenchton named Zoey. Denise and David have one adult son, Tim, and a daughter-in-law, Christina, who live in Columbia. When she’s not working, Denise enjoys reading, Georgia and USC football, and spending time with her family.
Donna Brooks has served as Director of Music Ministry at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection for nearly four decades. A native of Greenwood, Donna was a history major at Lander University and studied organ under Roberta Major and Dr. Anna Laura Page. Growing up Southern Baptist, Donna has been a professional church organist since she was 12 years old. Donna is married to Gerald Brooks, a life-long member of Church of the Resurrection, and they have three adult children – Whitfield, Laura Beth and Catherine. Donna and Gerald make their home on beautiful Lake Greenwood.
Mary Allyn lives in Oxford, MS. She worked for the City of Oxford as the Director of Visit Oxford for 6 years and as their Marketing Manager for 6 years prior to becoming Director. Most recently, Mary Allyn has been working as a Realtor with Crye-Leike Oxford. She looks forward to working remotely with the Resurrection staff!
Catherine Brooks Sexton is a lifelong member of Resurrection. In 2019, she started her career in healthcare as a patient care technician in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at Roper Saint Francis Healthcare in Charleston while attending nursing school at The Citadel. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Catherine spent her first year as a registered nurse in the CVICU at Roper before moving back to Greenwood with her husband, Brice. She worked in the cardiac ICU at Self Regional and also served as the chest pain coordinator. In this role, she provided several educational offerings in the Lakelands community, including presentations to Resurrection vestry and staff on cardiac arrest and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. These presentations ultimately led to the church's purchase of an AED, which inspired Catherine's ministry as the parish nurse. She now works full time in the cardiac cath lab at Prisma Health's Greenville Memorial Hospital campus, where she feels blessed to have the opportunity to fulfill her calling each day as a nurse.
Cate Hamilton is currently a junior at Lander University. She divides her time working as a Behavior Analyst for Upstate Behavioral Services and as a Sales Associate for Sweet Teas Children’s Boutique. Cate is an experienced tutor and during her time at GHS directed the tutoring program there. When she’s not studying or working, she enjoys taking care of animals and spending time with friends and family. Cate is excited to join the Church of the Resurrection team as the Director of the Church of the Resurrection Tutoring Program.
Mary Bright is originally from Titusville, Florida, and served in the United States Navy for 21 years. She then moved to Greenwood and has worked in administration for another 23 years. She is currently an administrative assistant for Greenwood County Public Works. Mary has been a member of Resurrection for many years, serving in many lay ministries as well as our nursery attendant. She lives with her husband, Jim, and has two adult children and one precious granddaughter. Mary loves to garden and enjoys crafting!