Parish Deacon

Director of Community Engagement & Justice

Growing up in Marion, North Carolina, Kristi Neal (she/her/hers) is a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kristi has been a member of St. James for 26 years. She and her late husband Jack were married at St. James in 1998. Kristi was ordained to the diaconate in 2006 and has since served at St. James. She was honored to serve as the Archdeacon of the Diocese of WNC for eight years. Kristi has served on the Commission on Ministry, the Human, Hurt and Hope committee, and three times as deputy to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The joys of Kristi’s life are her children and grandchildren. Her brother Bill and his wife Jo Ann enrich her life daily as they all serve together at St. James. As a little girl, Kristi wanted to become either a Rockette or a figure skater. One of her favorite gifts from Jack was tickets to the 2011 US Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro. Not becoming a Rockette hasn’t stopped Kristi from dancing.