Roundtree, Clay – clergyman is a cool guitarist

Rev James Clabern Roundtree

The Revd Clay Roundtree Clay was born and raised in Oklahoma, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with a BA in Fine Art. After graduation, a scholarship enabled him to take a MA in Ethnomusicology at the University of York.

It was here that he responded to a sense of call to ordination, one that had first appeared in his teenage years as a member of the Episcopal Church of the USA, where his maternal grandfather and grandmother served as a vicar and a distinctive deacon, respectively.

Clay trained for ordination at St Stephen’s House where he gained a BA in Theology from the University of Oxford as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Ministry. He served his title and first incumbency in the Diocese of York, both within busy parishes on Teesside.

He has written a book on prayer for Canterbury Press and has held a variety of roles in the last 17 years of ordained ministry, including as a BAP Adviser, a Church of England Secondary School Chaplain, an Area Dean, and nine months as the Acting Archdeacon of Cleveland.

He is passionate about helping others discover their vocation to various ministries and has served as a personal tutor to several ordinands and training incumbent for curates.

He met his wife Frances whilst on an exchange visit as an undergraduate with the University of Sheffield and they married in 1997 and have three sons.

He was appointed associate rector at St Wulfram’s Church, in 2021.

In his leisure time, Clay enjoys playing electric and acoustic guitar in a variety of genres, particularly jazz.