working with youth and young adults at Central and Trinity, spending a summer at Northside Hospital, and being in community with a group of people that urged me always to be my best and seek justice for every member of God’s creation. First Presbyterian Church occupies a space of geographic, historic, socio-economic, and cultural diversity. As I prepare to enter into my first call, I am filled with hope and excitement that it is with the people of First. I cannot wait to see how God will continue to work through each one of us as we seek to follow Christ’s call in our lives, always by the power of the Holy Spirit. Peace, Keith Thompson
The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Associate Pastor presents
Keith Thompson Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Youth Formation Sunday, September 29, 2019
Dear Members of First Presbyterian,
Dear siblings in Christ,
We are delighted to nominate Keith Thompson for the position of Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Youth Formation. Since March, our team has worked diligently and expediently to find the ideal candidate to walk alongside the 20s & 30s in ministry, as well as someone who would find joy and meaning in leading our Youth through the Confirmation process. We believe we have found that person in Keith.
I write today with so much excitement and gratitude to be considered for the role of Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Youth Formation at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. As I have gotten to know the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee and some of the staff of First, I am encouraged and immensely hopeful about the ways in which the Holy Spirit is at work in this community.
Originally from Roswell, Keith grew up at Northminster Presbyterian Church, later serving as the Children’s Ministry Intern there. Keith attended Davidson College and received his Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary. Keith has served as a Youth Ministry Intern for Davidson Presbyterian Church and Central Presbyterian Church, taught English to students in France, and assisted as a Young Adult Volunteer at the 174 Trust in Belfast, Ireland. He has experience teaching Sunday School, coordinating special events, and planning worship for people of different ages and backgrounds. Keith feels called to team-based congregational ministry, as well as to a community of faith that is deeply involved in the surrounding area. We believe that Keith’s enthusiasm, authenticity, sincerity, and thoughtfulness will enable him to excel in the role of Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Youth Formation. We joyfully recommend Keith Thompson for the position of Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Youth Formation.
Associate Pastor Nominating Committee - Young Adult and Youth Formation Aaron Groover – Co-chair Maddie Downs – Co-chair Kat Dimmick Evie Earnest Blake Grimsley Kenan Hill Melissa Horne
Sal Kibler Mark Myette Mike Tillman John Webster
In searching for my first call over the last year or so, I have hoped to find a church where my passions for youth and young adult ministry might be valued. I believe that being in ministry and relationship with young people is crucial to fostering ongoing spiritual formation, and that there is a huge need in the community for spiritual care during the transition period in a person’s life from being under parents’ wings to finding one’s own way in the world. Those are often the times when we experience the ways of the world, get stretched in our capacities to be and to love, and come to an understanding of who we want to be in the world as we continue living into our Christian vocation. To shift the focus of my ministry to the young adults and youth of First is such a humbling opportunity. I have spent all but six years of my life in metroAtlanta, and to be able to come into a new-to-me area of town and work with communities of people I hold dear is wonderful. I grew up at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell, where I eventually became involved with Montreat Youth Conferences and served as a ruling elder during my senior year of high school. From that foundation, I went off to Davidson College, where I would continue to have my eyes and heart opened and deepen my faith as a member of the PC(USA) campus ministry group. For me, those years taught me about what it looks like for different communities to encounter and worship the divine, all while sharing love with others. After graduating, I served as a Young Adult Volunteer with the PC(USA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where I got to experience many aspects of working in a church and saw more solidly where God might be calling me. I spent another year in Chambéry, France, teaching English while I discerned a call to ministry. For the last few years, I have been at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur,