Nick Reed

    I was born in May of 1980 in Birmingham, Alabama as the youngest child with two older sisters.  Growing up in a family which my grandfather is a Presbyterian pastor going to a Presbyterian Church was just expected. Southminster Presbyterian Church is a church I will always hold dear to my heart. It was the church where I was baptized as an infant, the building where I attended elementary school, the church where I was confirmed, the church that watched me go off to college, and hopefully will be the church where I will be ordained. Growing up the church was always an important place for me, however not until recently did I realize how much it shaped me and where I am now.  In high school I was real involved with my church’s youth ministry, and my experience as a youth was one of the most loving and faith building experiences of my life. After High School I decided to attend Auburn University, and in those four (plus) years I encountered many things that would challenge and transform me as a person and as a Christian. During my college years I decided to reach out to the youth of my Presbytery and become involved with our Presbytery’s Summer Youth Camps. My experiences over the summers helped me to discern the gifts for ministry that God has given me and enabled me to use those gifts to reach out to other children of God of all ages and guide them to discern what gifts God had given them as well. Soon after these summers I decided to become involved with a youth group at 1st Presbyterian Church of Auburn. This experience would propel me to Columbia Theological Seminary.

    Seminary is where I felt my call strengthen and recognized my gifts even further. At Seminary, I  discovered that I was given a gift to preach. Granted, I still feel that I have much room for growth when it comes to preaching, but I still feel that I have discovered that preaching is something God calls me to do.  Realizing this gift of proclamation is what led me to Keynote youth retreats and calls me to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.  My CPE experience at UAB Hospital between my second and third year of Seminary was probably the best experience I had while at Seminary. In this summer I encountered many different situations that caused me to grow as a pastor. From attending to dying babies, to talking with elderly people without family, I learned what it truly means to be a pastor. I learned that to be a pastor is about “being” a presence of God for others. I realized there are times when no words or actions will comfort people, just your presence of “being” is what people need most.  Now as a recently graduated Seminary student I am thankful for the many experiences I have encountered the last few years, and I am even more excited about the possibilities of the future and where God is calling me. I know that my life will continue to have challenges and moments of transformation, but I know that I am not alone in this journey of faith. I have the many relationships of friends and family that have been with me in my journey, but most importantly I have my God.