John Gibson began his ministry at Church of the Holy Cross in January 1992, when he was called to serve as the church's first Vicar. In 1995, as Holy Cross achieved parish status, he was elected the parish's first rector.

John was raised in Connecticut and ordained there. Having served historic parishes in Connecticut, western New York, and eastern North Carolina, he came to Raleigh in 1990 to teach at St. Timothy's-Hale School and to assist at St. Timothy's Parish. When he was called to the newly forming Holy Cross congregation, he had the unique distinction of having moved from the oldest parish in North Carolina, St. Paul's, Edenton, to what was then the newest.

After completing his undergraduate degree in economics at Brown University in Providence, RI, he received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. He later earned the Doctor of Ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary, where his focus was on the ministry of preaching. John's greatest love in ministry is the ministry of the Word, especially the ministry of teaching. The Word, ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit, he believes, has tremendous power to bring transformation into the lives of God's people. His hope for Holy Cross is that we might live faithfully as Christian disciples, fulfilling the two greatest New Testament priorities: loving one another as Christ has loved us, and sharing the message of Christ's redemptive love with others.

John and his wife, Lisa, have three grown daughters: Sarah, Stephanie, and Lawrie. They also have two grandchildren: Hannah and Jack.

Linda has been the Music Director at Church of the Holy Cross since 1992, having previously served in church music positions in the Bronx, New York, in New Providence, New Jersey, as well as in Raleigh. She attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey and the Mannes College of Music in New York City before completing her music degree in Piano Performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

A messianic believer, Linda grew up in a Jewish home in the New York area and met the Lord as a young adult. She brings to her position magnificent classical training, a deep personal faith, a reverence for the Old Testament foundations of our Christian heritage, and the ability to blend contemporary Christian music with the great hymns and music of the Christian tradition.

Linda's husband, George, who is a member of our Praise Team, has also worked professionally as a musician. Following their training in New York, the Bangs lived in Europe for several years, while George pursued a career singing opera. The Bangs have two grown children: a daughter, Hillary, and a son, Daniel.

A native of Raleigh, Carolyn has been a member of Church of the Holy Cross since 1997. She joined our staff as Children's Ministry Director in 2003.

Carolyn is a prayer warrior who is steadfast in praying for the Children's Ministry and inviting others to do the same. Her experiences as missionary, educator, and parent equip her uniquely for her role in providing leadership for our ministry to our youngest members.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary English Education. She also holds a Master of Education degree from North Carolina State University. She and Paul have two children, Lily and Silas.

For the school year 2007-2008, Carolyn is on a leave of absence from the Holy Cross staff, while she and her family are serving a year-long term as missionaries in Kenya. For this academic year, Carolyn and Paul have been appointed to the staff of Rift Valley Academy, a school serving the children of missionaries in Kenya. You can keep up with the Konings by reading their blog directly, or via RSS feed or email subscription.