Activity: A pastor, blogger and teacher at Winston-Salem Bible College, Reaves served as chaplain for the Winston-Salem Polar Twins hockey team. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading and playing the guitar.
Education: Reaves attended Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute for two years before receiving a bachelor's degree in Bible from Lancaster Bible College. He has a master of divinity degree in Christian apologetics and biblical language from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Family: Reaves is married to Donia Reaves, a stay-at-home mother. They have two children: Solomon, 5, and Salem, 18 months.
GREENSBORO -- For Russ Reaves, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, technology is another effective means of sharing the Gospel and spiritual understanding with people.
For years, he has posted his sermons on the Internet, and he has his own blog where he writes entries for others to read and respond to.
"I talk about anything and everything," he said. "In general, I believe God honors the going out of his Word."
Reaves said he hopes his blog attracts the unbeliever as well as the believer.
"An unbeliever might read something that ultimately leads them to Christ, or a believer might come there and find hope for what they are going through in their Christian life."
Reaves, 32, and some friends also recently started a second blog, which discusses issues of faith in the arts. Articles that he has written about "The Da Vinci Code'' are on that site.
"With the release of the book and now the movie, that site has gotten a lot of traffic lately," Reaves said. "First of all, I point out the historical errors in the book, contrast the book with the Bible and thirdly demonstrate the authenticity and authority of the Bible."
Pastor of Immanuel since September, Reaves said he enjoys being in an urban environment. Previously, he was pastor of Hillcrest Baptist in Kernersville.
"I like the multicultural nature of our ministry," he said.
Three international congregations -- Chinese, Ethiopian and Laotian -- meet at the church, and Lutheran Family Services conducts its New Arrival School there.
The school provides English and cultural orientation classes for refugees.
"Our own congregation is made up of folks from Asia, Africa and all parts of North America," Reaves said. "I have an obligation to preach God's Word here, present a relevant witness to our community and be compassionate to those in need."
Missions work also is important to Reaves, who has traveled to places such as Kenya, Ukraine and Senegal.
Longtime friend Al Hodges, director of global equipping for the International Missions Board, described Reaves as a visionary.
"He's very progressive as far as leading his people to engage in missions, but he's conservative in his theology," Hodges said. "He's very enthusiastic."
Curry Murray, a member of the church's pastor search committee, said he likes that Reaves preaches from the Bible.
"He's very, very intelligent, his sermons are first-rate and he's a good organizer and planner," Murray said. "He's just what we needed."
A Winston-Salem native, Reaves did not grow up in church.
"By 18, I was intellectually determined toward evolution and atheism," he said.
The influence of Christian friends changed his mind.
"They demonstrated what it's like to be a Christian and shared God's word with me," he said. "As I read the Bible, God began to work on my heart."
He gave his life to Christ in 1992 at age 18.
With plans to become a history teacher, Reaves headed to UNC-Charlotte.
"Then the Lord called me into the ministry," he said.
Reaves said his background has made him a careful student of the Bible.
"I think that's why I've always had an interest in apologetics and studying how to better defend the Christian faith," he said. "It's helped me to not be bound by tradition and look for what the Bible says."
Looking to the future, Reaves said he hopes Immanuel can again be known as a church for all people.
"Immanuel has a history of that," he said. "What goes on at Immanuel today is the fruits of the convictions of former pastor Paul Early, and I hope we can further his work."
Reaves also has set personal goals for himself that he strives to meet each day.
"When my life is over, I hope it can be said of me that I was a faithful follower of Christ, a good husband and father, and that I taught people the word of God."
Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jbrown@news-record.com
No comments:
Post a Comment