Church Staff

Dorisanne Cooper came to Watts Street in July 2014. She has a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University. Dorisanne is married to David Tatum and they have one son, Adam, who is in college. Their family is completed by Emma, the dog. Dorisanne enjoys reading, watching basketball, Billy Collins and Mary Oliver, the Rule of Benedict, and doing life with this congregation. Before coming to Watts Street, she served as the Senior Pastor of Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, and Associate Pastor of College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Sherrill is a recent transplant from Oakland, California, and third of seven children raised in Sonoma County. A lifelong Christian, Sherrill has three decades of high quality work in all aspects of customer service, sales, and communication across multiple levels, industries, and locations. For the past 5 years, she was the much beloved Church Administrator at Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland. She has extraordinary computer and office management skills and high moral character and is a responsible, creative problem solver, who is friendly, organized, realistic, and unafraid of new challenges. Sherrill and her partner, Barbara Wrigley, and their three small dogs live in the Pickett Crossing neighborhood of Durham.

Lara is a second year MDiv/MPP student at Duke and is excited to be interning with Watts Street this academic year. She is originally from Waco, Texas, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2025 with a BA in Global Environments & Sustainability and Religious Studies. She is interested in serving at the intersection of creation care, humanitarian aid, and the church. Lara is looking forward to learning alongside Watts Street this year. 

Cyril Jolly grew up between the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and North Central Indiana, where his family owns a farm. He often quips, “I grew up in the church and didn’t run away…” He earned a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and later moved across the country to complete a Master of Music in Music Performance at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Today, Cyril and his wife, Dakota, consider Durham, North Carolina, their home and are grateful to live in the North Street Community. Sacred music ministry has long been central to his life’s work, alongside his roles as a chef and local-food-creation-care advocate

Cyril and Dakota are foster parents and share their home with Cooper, the friendliest, furriest dog around. Beyond music, ministry, and food, Cyril enjoys long walks, listening to eclectic podcasts, cheering on the NC Courage, and exploring the world with his wonderfully creative partner for life.

Esther is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. She joined the ministerial staff at Watts Street in 2013. Esther earned a master of divinity degree from Campbell University Divinity School and was ordained at First Baptist Church in Raleigh. She received a master of science in business administration from Boston University and a bachelor of arts degree in Business Administration and English from Wesleyan College.

Esther provides leadership to the congregation with a particular emphasis on helping the church’s children, their families, and adults of all ages deepen their relationships with God, each other, and the wider world through Christian education, spiritual development, congregational care, and action.

Esther is married to Tim and they have two children, Laura and John and two grandchildren.

Kelly has been on the ministerial staff at Watts Street since 2003.  Originally from Raleigh, Kelly is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1992) and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (1997) and was ordained at First Baptist Church in Morganton, NC in 1998.    Kelly is married to Elizabeth and they have a daughter, Wren.

Kelly’s youth ministry goals include helping young people experience the grace of God, grow as followers of Jesus, discover their unique gifts, abilities, interests, and passions – and to begin using those gifts, abilities, interests, and passions in service to God and neighbor.

In the area of Community Life, Kelly’s prayer is for each person in our congregation to find a place of service and meaningful connection through a Watts Street Mission Group, where we encourage one another to practice the inward/outward journey and to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).     

Patti Lingafelt has been a member at Watts Street since December 2022, after retiring from over 40 years of music ministry serving various Baptist and United Methodist churches in the Triangle area as Minister of Music and/or Organist. Patti is a graduate of James Madison University (BM in Organ Performance) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv with Church Music, organ concentration), and was ordained in 1988.  She and her husband, Steven, also a member of Watts Street and recently retired, have two grown children (and two grand-cats) who live in the Triangle area. Watts Street is extremely grateful for Patti’s service as our Interim Director of Music Ministries and her excellent work with our children’s, youth, and chancel choirs.