Marshall Jolly leaves behind record of service and compassion

Father Marshall Jolly doesn’t have a particular type of person in mind to replace him as rector of Grace Episcopal Church when he leaves for a new job soon.

But there’s one character trait he sees as non-negotiable.

“Grace Church expects their pastor to be involved in the community,” said Jolly, who is leaving Grace after eight years of service to become rector of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church and School in Aiken, S.C. “They expect their pastor to have a wider lens than the 300 Block of South King Street. Because if the church is not existing to serve the community, then something’s wrong somewhere.”

Being involved in the community has never been a problem for Jolly.

During his tenure at Grace, the church hosted the Graceful Conversations Series, discussing ways Christians can better address social problems.

The church has also provided a forum for numerous guest speakers discussing a variety of difficult topics like substance abuse and homelessness. Grace’s environmental Green Forums Series included authors, activists, and scholars.

Jolly also served on former Chief Justice Sheri Beasley’s North Carolina Faith and Justice Alliance, a subcommittee of the state-wide Equal Access to Justice Commission. 

In addition, he has also tirelessly helped lead Grace’s mission to minister to Morganton’s unsheltered community, and those battling addiction. As Department of Social Services Board Chairman, he helped spearhead the search for a new director that culminated in the hiring of Korey Fisher-Wellman in 2019.

“(I’m proud of) our leadership in the community around issues like substance use disorder and our ministry with our unsheltered neighbors, and our ongoing work with environmental concerns,” Jolly said.

“I’m also just enormously proud of the team of people here in leadership and on staff. We’ve really built back up a children’s and youth ministry program that I think is strong. We’ve got good leadership in place there.”

'A 28-year-old kid'

Jolly, 36, took over at Grace – which has served the community for 178 years – when he was just 28. He and his wife Elizabeth had only been married for five weeks when he came on as Rector back in 2015.

“This church not only got a 28-year-old kid, but a 28-year-old kid who was also a newlywed,” he said with a smile. “It’s just been a wonderful opportunity to grow together as pastor and people, and to do some really awesome work together. I am enormously proud of Grace Church and its people, and I’m really excited for whoever the 27th rector is going to be.”

Jolly said he’s going to miss Morganton and the Grace family, but God let him know it was time to take on a new challenge.

“Every church is somewhere in a three-part cycle of ministry,” he explained. “We plan for ministry, we do ministry, and we review ministry. Part of that is we’re always thinking about who God is calling us to be and what is God calling us to be in this next chapter. It became clear to me after my sabbatical in 2021 – I had been here six full years and was starting year seven – that it was time to begin asking seriously what God is up to and where God might be leading us in a new chapter, so that Grace can go into its next chapter with the right kind of leadership. 

“This is not about me. This is about glorifying God. And this church will continue to do what it’s done for 178 years.”

Jolly said he’ll also miss working with other Morganton churches, such as First Baptist and Calvary Lutheran. He counts Calvary Pastor Paul Carlson and First Baptist Senior Minister Tom Bland among his closest friends. 

The Episcopal and Lutheran Churches are in full communion, which means clergy can lead services for either denomination, so he and Carlson have had several opportunities to work together. The duo recently returned from a trip to the Holy Land.

“Of all the places I’ve ever lived, the churches in Morganton tend to play nice better than anywhere I’ve lived,” said Jolly. “Where else in the country are you going to find a Southern Baptist church whose biggest ministry partner is an Episcopal church? That kind of thing is unique.”

Some disappointments

While Jolly regards his time at Grace as fruitful, there have been disappointments. Chief among them is the lack of progress the city has made concerning its unhoused residents.

Grace works closely with Burke United Christian Ministries, a shelter that provides food and services to the poor. He said BUCM has often been used as a scapegoat for the homeless dilemma.

“I’m disappointed that we haven’t made further headway on the unsheltered community,” Jolly said. “I’m disappointed that BUCM has become the focal point of a lot of community anger, both out of misunderstanding and a lack of serious commitment by our city and county leaders. Our city and county leaders continue to be in my prayers, both for the work that they’re doing and to be converted on this issue. I’m hopeful that something somewhere changes and we can get serious and address the needs of all of our neighbors, not just the ones who pay tax dollars and tourism dollars.

“The Diocese of Western North Carolina has churches in 27 of the 28 western counties, and every single one of my colleagues, to a person, says this situation is worse now than it was before COVID. But what they also say is, they’re working together to get things changed and get things done, and we’re not able to do that. So, what needs to change to make us be able to be more successful working together? The churches, the nonprofits, and the civic organizations are at the table, but there’s one big major player who’s not at the table.”

Jolly said there’s a great need for a similar ministry in his new parish. St. Thaddeus operates a soup kitchen 52 weeks a year, serving hot meals on Saturday morning for the less fortunate. He added there is an opportunity for racial reconciliation in Aiken as well.

“It’s a different set of challenges,” he said.

Jolly said he would have a role on the governing body of the church’s K-12 school, Mead Hall, but won’t be directly involved with the day-to-day operations. He will be one of four clergy members on staff, including an associate rector. The church has three services each Sunday and attendance is around 230.

Last service is Oct. 1

Jolly’s last service at Grace will be Sunday, Oct. 1. He and Elizabeth, a licensed clinical social worker and forensics specialist, are looking at houses in the Aiken area and have narrowed down the search to a handful of possibilities.

He said Grace parishioners have been supportive.

“To a person, everybody said some version of, ‘hate it for us, love it for you, knew this day would come,’” Jolly said.

As for Grace, the search for a new Rector will be exhaustive. Jolly said the vestry would appoint a search committee of five to seven people. They will conduct interviews with a certain set of priorities for the church. 

That committee will then submit a couple of names to the vestry,  and the church will bring in the candidates for a weekend and eventually make an offer. The bishop will then have to give his blessing. He said the process can take up to 15 months. In the meantime, an interim rector will preside.

“I trust the people of this church, and Lord knows I trust the Holy Spirit to put the right person, male or female, in this position,” Jolly said.

He added he’ll miss Morganton and will always have a special place in his heart for this place.

“I’ll certainly miss the people, and it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived, both among the people and the natural environment,” Jolly said. “I will miss my colleagues here in the ministry. 

“I definitely will carry it with me.”

Marty Queen is the senior reporter for The Paper. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 or at marty@thepaper.media.