The Rev. Dr. Carrie Finch-Burriss, while originally from Garner, NC, has spent the last eleven years as the pastor of Kenwood Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. She and her husband, Erik Burriss, are excited to be returning to her home state and to begin her ministry with the people of Fieldstone! Carrie is a life-long Presbyterian. She grew up attending First Presbyterian Church in Garner, attending church camps, and, while in high school, served on her Presbytery’s Youth Council. It was also while she was in high school, that she experienced her first call to ministry, while being a Counselor in Training at Presbyterian Point on Kerr Lake. After high school, she attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, majoring in Communication Studies and double minoring in Leadership Studies and Parks and Recreation Management. In her junior year, she also began volunteering in youth ministry at Winter Park Presbyterian Church. After graduating, she moved back to the Raleigh area, and worked in sales, non-profit fundraising and volunteered back at her home church. Eventually, FPC Garner hired her to be their part time youth director.
All the while, her sense of call to ministry kept expanding. She found an opportunity to work at a church full time in youth ministry, and so she would spend the next four years as the youth pastor at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC. While there, she was also allowed the opportunity to preach, sit in meetings, visit folks, and she realized she longed to serve the whole church population, so she began the process of pursuing ordained ministry and left in 2006 to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, earning her Masters of Divinity degree in May, 2009. During her time in seminary, she completed a unit of clinical pastoral education at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, NC and spent a semester in rural Oklahoma pastoring two small churches.
After graduating, she received her first call in ordained ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, NC, where she served as an Associate Pastor for a little over three years. It was during that time she met her future spouse (Erik) while at one of the Montreat Youth Conferences. (He was an adult small group leader and she was a back home leader). In the summer of 2013, she accepted the call to Kenwood Presbyterian and married her husband.
While In Baltimore, Carrie has served on various committees and commissions for the Baltimore Presbytery, most notably as the chair of the 224th General Assembly Committee on Local Arrangements and as one of the Presbytery’s Trustees. She also began and earned her Doctorate of Ministry in Practical Theology from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
Carrie and Erik have two cats, KoKo and Freyja. She is an avid fan of the Carolina Hurricanes, (Erik prefers the Pittsburgh Penguins) and the UNCW Seahawks, swimming and just nature in general. They both enjoy reading, playing table top games and the Baltimore Orioles. Erik’s mom and step-dad live close by in Huntersville, and Carrie’s mom lives in Cary, and her brother and family in Apex. (Including her adorable almost 3 year old niece, Piper).
All the while, her sense of call to ministry kept expanding. She found an opportunity to work at a church full time in youth ministry, and so she would spend the next four years as the youth pastor at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC. While there, she was also allowed the opportunity to preach, sit in meetings, visit folks, and she realized she longed to serve the whole church population, so she began the process of pursuing ordained ministry and left in 2006 to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, earning her Masters of Divinity degree in May, 2009. During her time in seminary, she completed a unit of clinical pastoral education at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, NC and spent a semester in rural Oklahoma pastoring two small churches.
After graduating, she received her first call in ordained ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, NC, where she served as an Associate Pastor for a little over three years. It was during that time she met her future spouse (Erik) while at one of the Montreat Youth Conferences. (He was an adult small group leader and she was a back home leader). In the summer of 2013, she accepted the call to Kenwood Presbyterian and married her husband.
While In Baltimore, Carrie has served on various committees and commissions for the Baltimore Presbytery, most notably as the chair of the 224th General Assembly Committee on Local Arrangements and as one of the Presbytery’s Trustees. She also began and earned her Doctorate of Ministry in Practical Theology from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
Carrie and Erik have two cats, KoKo and Freyja. She is an avid fan of the Carolina Hurricanes, (Erik prefers the Pittsburgh Penguins) and the UNCW Seahawks, swimming and just nature in general. They both enjoy reading, playing table top games and the Baltimore Orioles. Erik’s mom and step-dad live close by in Huntersville, and Carrie’s mom lives in Cary, and her brother and family in Apex. (Including her adorable almost 3 year old niece, Piper).
Mrs. Kelly Brinton Nelson, Music Director
Kelly officially joined the staff of Fieldstone in October 2007 but has been affiliated with the Fieldstone congregation in some form or fashion most of her life, as she is a Mooresville native. She is leader of "all things music" leading the Fellowship Choir and in the past has also organized worship committee, children's music ministry, tone chimes, and praise band. She is also the music teacher at Rocky River Elementary School and lead teacher for the performing arts for the Mooresville Graded School District. She coauthored the "Exploring Jazz" course curriculum with Lincoln Learning Solutions that was a part of the Fall 2024 catalog release.
Kelly graduated from Appalachian State University with her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees and attained her National Board Certification in Teaching in 2022. She and her husband of 20 years, Chad (the pastor of McKendree Chapel UMC, Mooresville and a seminary student at Duke), reside in Mooresville with their sons Chase (21), Brannon (18), and Link (11). Outside of the classroom and church, Kelly enjoys hiking, camping, reading cozy mysteries, homeschooling, playing with her cats Yoshi and Aspen, and cheering for Appalachian football and Duke basketball!!
Kelly officially joined the staff of Fieldstone in October 2007 but has been affiliated with the Fieldstone congregation in some form or fashion most of her life, as she is a Mooresville native. She is leader of "all things music" leading the Fellowship Choir and in the past has also organized worship committee, children's music ministry, tone chimes, and praise band. She is also the music teacher at Rocky River Elementary School and lead teacher for the performing arts for the Mooresville Graded School District. She coauthored the "Exploring Jazz" course curriculum with Lincoln Learning Solutions that was a part of the Fall 2024 catalog release.
Kelly graduated from Appalachian State University with her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees and attained her National Board Certification in Teaching in 2022. She and her husband of 20 years, Chad (the pastor of McKendree Chapel UMC, Mooresville and a seminary student at Duke), reside in Mooresville with their sons Chase (21), Brannon (18), and Link (11). Outside of the classroom and church, Kelly enjoys hiking, camping, reading cozy mysteries, homeschooling, playing with her cats Yoshi and Aspen, and cheering for Appalachian football and Duke basketball!!
Mr. John Mayhew, Children's Ministry Director
Mrs. Barbara Mayhew, Church Executive Assistant
Barbara and her husband Wayne have been longtime members of Fieldstone. She is a mother of two children and grandmother to two grandchildren who are also members of the Fieldstone congregation. You may know Barbara from her days at Mooresville Meat Center or as that super fan who attends all of the Mooresville High School Football games, her alma mater... Go Big Blue!
Barbara and her husband Wayne have been longtime members of Fieldstone. She is a mother of two children and grandmother to two grandchildren who are also members of the Fieldstone congregation. You may know Barbara from her days at Mooresville Meat Center or as that super fan who attends all of the Mooresville High School Football games, her alma mater... Go Big Blue!