Introducing Nate Dove

Candidate for Minister to Families with Youth

Introducing Nate Dove

Resume Education and Work Experience Master of Divinity Yale Divinity School New Haven, Connecticut Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Seminary Intern Wilton Presbyterian Church Wilton, Connecticut Chaplain Intern St. Francis Hospital Hartford, Connecticut

Biography Nate grew up in North and South Carolina and has a hard time picking which of the two states he has the greater allegiance to. Although he was born in South Carolina and grew up vacationing in Myrtle Beach, spending weekends on his grandparent’s farm in Chester, S.C., and is in love with the brick homes that line the streets of Charleston, when he moved to North Carolina at the age of twelve, he quickly fell in love with the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Carolina Panthers, folk music, and North Carolina BBQ. Nate graduated in 2015 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Religious Studies and minors in History and the Study of Christianity and Culture. While at UNC, he took classes at Duke Divinity School. His time at Duke solidified his desire to go to an ecumenical divinity school and pursue a Master of Divinity. In 2015 he packed his bags and moved eleven hours away to New Haven, CT, to attend Yale Divinity School. There, he learned to appreciate God’s unfailing love for humanity and recognized that his call is to be a steward for the Church as it faces the challenges of the twenty-first century. In particular, he feels the need to present God’s love in a way that resonates with students who are curious and skeptical.

At divinity school, Nate met his wife Emma. The two of them met during orientation, started dating shortly after, and quickly realized that they were meant for each other. They married in 2017 in Emma’s hometown of Macon, GA. The two of them love to cook, run, go on hikes, and be around their friends and family.

My Faith Journey Some of my earliest memories of Church are from when my family and I attended a small Southern Baptist Church in South Carolina. I remember that as a kid, Church excited me a lot. I loved going to Sunday School. I loved hearing Bible stories. I loved talking with others about God. I guess people around me noticed how much God and Church excited me, because they started to make comments about how when I grew up, I was going to be a preacher. At first, these comments didn’t mean much to me. I wasn’t exactly sure what a preacher did other than get up in front of people and talk about God for a really long time. But I eventually realized that those folks were right, God had called me into ministry, and I was going to be a pastor.

“I learned the essentials of the Christian faith - that Christ is Lord and we are called to serve others.”

In high school, after a move to North Carolina, I became involved in a new Southern Baptist Church and its youth group. I was a faithful member. I went to Church every Sunday, and every summer, I went to camp and on a mission trip to New Orleans. For good and bad, my faith was cultivated in this setting. I learned the essentials of the Christian faith - that Christ is Lord and we are called to serve others. But,

on the other hand, I also learned a lot of stuff that I would one day disagree with.

My faith matured while I was a student at UNC. There, majoring in religious studies, I began to see that Christianity and the Bible were much more complex than I had once thought. During my junior year, I realized I could not remain a Southern Baptist and be a faithful reader of scripture and a steward of the Church.

In 2015, I graduated from UNC and enrolled in Yale Divinity School. My time at Yale has been particularly fruitful. I worship every week with all sorts of people, from all sorts of denominations, and I’ve learned to appreciate the diversity of the Christian tradition. While being a part of churches in New England, I’ve learned that the call to

ministry is not an easy task – especially in the twenty-first century.

“…the Church is meant to be a carrier of God’s love.”

For many young people, going to church is not a given. So, as I approach youth ministry, I do so believing the Church is meant to be a carrier for God’s love to its community, and as such, if the Church is willing to meet students where they are, it can indeed be a part of students’ lives. I look forward to being a part of First Baptist Waynesboro as we spread God’s love beyond our walls and meet students in their everyday lives.

Getting To Know Nate Favorites Teams: Carolina Panthers, North Carolina Tar Heels.

Drink: Coffee (Until recently the most expensive item I owned was an espresso machine).

Scripture: Ephesians 2:5-10 Biblical Character: Paul Superhero: Spider-man Vacation Spot: The Caribbean Musician/Music: Mostly stuff that no one has ever heard of: The Avett Brothers, The Tallest Man on Earth, Sufjan Stevens, MIPSO, Big fan of 90s music.

Song: A Couple Acres Greener by MIPSO Restaurant: Chipotle (Sorry Moe’s Fans) Food: Pizza, BBQ (or maybe even Pizza with BBQ on it) Movie: The Shawshank Redemption Comparisons Marvel vs. D.C. Comics: Marvel Pepsi vs. Coke: Dr. Pepper Beach vs. Mountains: Beach Steak vs. Sushi: Steak (Unless it’s Sushi made of steak) Out with Friends vs. Alone with a Book: Out with friends RomCom vs. Action Movie: Action Move Finish the Sentence I hope for every teenager . . . to see the presence of God in their everyday lives.

My hope for the church . . . is that it will be a vessel to enact God’s love in our communities and our world.

This time next year, I hope . . . to have a dog and to have built a pizza oven!

Call Weekend Schedule May 5-6, 2018 Saturday 10:30am - Meet with Student Ministry Team

12pm - Lunch with Youth and Families* **

2pm - Church-wide Meet-and-Greet* **

3:30pm - Casual Conversation* **

6pm - Dinner with Search Committee and Families

Sunday 8:45am - Worship: Candidate leads in Worship**

9:45am - Joint Sunday School Meet-and-Greet* **

10:15am - Meet with students in the Loft**

11am - Worship: Candidate leads in Worship**

12pm - Business Meeting**

3:50pm - Youth Meet at Zeus for Movies and Moe’s

* Meet in the Fellowship Hall

**Nursery will be open