Abby Prevost - We Are A Reflection Of Our Creator
Exploring faith journeys and inspiring ministries that embody the good news of God. This is The The Cumberland Road. I'm your host, TJ Malinoski. Today's guest is Reverend Abby Prevost. She is the associate minister at the Welty Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Abby shares in our conversation her faith journey and how our faith is ever evolving as young and the young at heart are longing and craving to experience God in new ways. We talk about her passion for ministry with children and youth and the importance to listening to how God is using them and helping them find spaces to explore faith and journey alongside them. We do this, she says, because the common thread of humanity is that we are all a reflection of our Creator. You are listening to the Cumberland Road podcast, and here is my conversation with Abby Prevost.
T.J.:Abby, thank you for joining me on the Cumberland Road podcast. How are you?
Abby:I'm doing well. How are you and your family?
T.J.:Good. Good. Let's begin by, just kinda briefly talk about who who you are and where you're serving. And then I've got a really good question I wanna ask you to kinda open up the conversation.
Abby:Okay. Sounds good. I'm currently serving as the associate pastor of Christian education at the Welty Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cullman, Alabama. I've been here since about June of in Cullman, Alabama. I've been here since about June of 2016, and, I do a little bit of everything right now.
Abby:I'm over like I said, I'm the pastor of Christian Education, so I do children's and youth and over Sunday school and several outreach things. And, right now, we're in a time of transition, so I'm helping with Sunday morning worship and preaching more, frequently than I used to. And so it's a good mesh of all things ministry right now.
T.J.:It would have been easier to ask. Abby, what are you not doing?
Abby:Well, I don't know. No. I'm at a very good church with people who are helping out a lot, and we're making the strides of ministry together or taking the strides of ministry together.
T.J.:Working with young people as your calling and vocation, in your opinion and in your experience, what is their perception of life and Christianity?
Abby:In my context with my youth, I think that they are excited about their faith, but I also think that young people as a whole are longing and craving to experience God in new ways than necessarily how it was when I was in youth group, maybe even different ways as an adult that I experienced God. They don't want to be passive participants. They want to be active agents. They want to be thinking and contemplating where they see God active in the world, and how they can worship through those everyday experiences. And, so I see that more and more with my young people of we love we love this time of youth group and learning in this way, but when are we gonna go back here and serve with these people?
Abby:I specifically had a young person tell me that one of their best encounters, with God was serving this summer at a local, closet for families and children in need. And when I asked her what it was, and she said, I just felt God in that place like I've never felt it before. And so in my context, I see young people experiencing God and having very worshipful moments in their active participation. And I think that it is great, the traditional way of worship, but I think we've gotta be mindful that not everybody experiences God the same way, and my young people are very much, showing me more and more that we've gotta be more open to experiencing God in new ways and worshiping in various ways.
T.J.:Leading youth and young people in your ministry, how do you face the challenges of that kinda faith in action?
Abby:I think with my group that are longing for more of that kind of faith in action stuff, This is gonna be, like, a practical answer. It's the scheduling of a lot of times when we can do stuff either on when we go out to these various places and volunteer or, fitting within the confines of what we can do time frame wise or the hours of an organization or, maybe a volunteer who runs a local ministry out of their home. It's getting the schedules to coincide. That way, we truly understand what we're doing, and we're not just doing lip service. Like, we're we are truly learning and serving alongside of all of our neighbors.
Abby:And I think it goes back to that scheduling that young people are so overprogrammed, and that's another thing, like, figuring out to teach them that their faith is in action here, but it's also when you're on the football field and sitting in chemistry and when you're at cheerleading practice and when you're out feeding your horses. Like, all those are moments that you can have your faith in action, not just when we're serving at the local food bank or going to, do cleanup ministry for an elderly person or various projects like that.
T.J.:Abby, describe a meaningful experience that you've had with God. Something from childhood, something from your own youth, or maybe something that happened as early as yesterday.
Abby:PJ, when you asked me that, it kinda stumps me because I had 3 different things pop into my head. But I think one would be when I was serving at the Flat Lick Hormone Presbyterian Church in Hopkinsville, I had a young person who, experienced a very unfortunate situation in their life. And as their youth pastor, I wanted to be very angry that, it happened to her and that she went through that. And in those moments, I started expressing that anger and, that young person stopped me and said, no, ma'am. We're gonna pray for them because they're a child of God and they deserve love, and that's what you always tell us.
Abby:This person has done wrong, but we need to stop and pray for them. And that has never left me that that how that young person brought me back to the core value that we had decided as a youth group is no matter, what one of our neighbors does or says, they're still a child of God, and they deserve love and respect. And that's just one of those moments that I will never forget my young person reminding me of that when, normally, I would be like, remember our covenant? Remember the remember what we said we were gonna do? Remember what we said how we were gonna act?
Abby:And I've been reflecting on that moment a lot recently because I've had several of those moments of, like, I needed to check myself and remember, like, this is why I do this.
T.J.:Mhmm.
Abby:This because God called and God equipped me. And I don't know. I've been thinking on that moment where that young person really just kinda brought me back and put me back in perspective.
T.J.:That is really humbling to be called out in a kind and friendly way to remember that grace that is to extend it to everyone. Yes. You said that you had a couple more?
Abby:Yes. I think back to my childhood. My mama, my dad's mom, kept me and one of my cousins until we started school. And from a young age, she really showed me what active faith looked like as far as, the traditional devotion and reading and praying and things like that. But taking it a step further, putting putting the gospel into action of loving your neighbor, meeting your neighbor, helping your neighbor, whatever whatever that looked like.
Abby:And I can remember most weeks, me and my cousin and my mama would load up, and we would go visit her friends. And a lot of these friends were ones that were on the margins, and they were never projects. They were never, oh, I have to go do this type things. We would sit around, and me and my cousin would play with my grandmother's friend's grandchildren out in the front yard, and we would just share life together. It was very much 2 different kinds of approaches to life, but yet they were our friends and, I mean, they became like family to us.
Abby:And I can just remember the importance of my grandmother always instilling in me and my cousin Josh of we love all people because God created all people. And each person is a reflection of God, and everyone is our neighbor, and we will love them and be friends with them. And I've never forgotten those lessons of it didn't matter who it was. My grandmother treated each person she met with the same love and respect and dignity that every person deserves, and that has made a huge impact on my life. It reminds me that it doesn't matter if it's the most famous of the famous or the lowest of the lowest and that all people are worthy of that kind of connection.
T.J.:Ain't it interesting that you you've shared 2 times in your life where you've had people kind of point you into looking at at our reactions and our actions to maybe our circumstances or to another person. And you've had a young person, and you've had a family member kinda keep you in check.
Abby:It's definitely impacted my life and how I tried to treat others in the extension of grace because, goodness, I need all the grace I can get on a daily basis. And it really has shaped my framework of how I try to engage with others and meet others and, just talk about the differences in this world and the differences in our neighbors and knowing that we have that common thread that takes us back to the table to where we are all equal. No matter what we think or think differently, that that connection back to God, we're all part of God's family in all of reflection of all a reflection of our creator. And I've even my Sunday school teachers at a young age just instilled that in me too. Just I I can think back at a very young age.
Abby:That was another, moment that I thought about specifically, 2 of my teachers, 1 miss Jean and 1 miss Sarah, when we were little. They made each one of us feel like we were known and that we were heard even though we were 3, 4, 5 years old. They wanted to know all of our likes and our dislikes, and they wanted to know our prayer request. And even if we were praying for our puppy to feel better, that was a big deal to them because God honors those prayers. And it's just I've been I've been very fortunate to have people all throughout the stages of my life instill that in me of meeting people where they are at with no expectations and journeying with them because that's what God does with us.
Abby:And I also think that my childhood pastor, Reverend Gerald Hundley, has made a huge impact on my life with that too. Just with the way that in our, my home church congregation, First Comerive Presbyterian Church, that's how he treated each family, each person that walked through those doors. We we were his family, and he was our family. And he's he's still he's I still call him my pastor. I still call him when I need something.
Abby:And he really instilled that into that congregation when he was serving there, that we're all on this journey together and no no person is better or less than, and we're all in need of the grace, and we're all learning together. And so kinda my whole life has just been infiltrated with different people who have taught me that from younger ones to older ones to all the in betweens.
T.J.:You know, Abby, I hadn't really thought of this before, but you're talking about the common thread, finding the common thread with, you know, another individual. You know, typically, we, you know, look at theological or ideological, cultural, even ethical ways of connecting with another individual or a group of people. But you had mentioned something earlier about, well, maybe it is just being the creation of God. And and the search doesn't have to be so deep in finding those commonalities, that common thread. Hadn't really thought of it in that way before.
T.J.:It's pretty interesting. Well, you've mentioned a few people that have had a great impact on your faith and on your life and your growing up years. Did you wanna add to the list?
Abby:Definitely my parents. They've always made sure that, they've always given me and my sisters room to make our faith our own. Mhmm. Also in that same thought, guiding us through their faith, if that makes sense, like showing us that faith is important by the way they live their life and the actions that they have. So I'm not gonna leave them out of that because they've done a they've done a great job of allowing us to have those faith formation opportunities and made sure that those people who I've discussed were in our lives, and they very much understand that it takes a village.
Abby:Goodness knows it took a village with me.
T.J.:And you're a problem child?
Abby:No. Well, my parents may say yes, but not not really. But they very much understand that, like and taught us and instilled in us that our church family is our family, And that's something that is a very core value to me. The people that I grew up with, I have tons of extra great aunts and uncles and grandparents and extra parents, and I'm so grateful that my parents really lived into the baptismal promises in that way of allowing those people to be faith journeyers with me and to be faith holders with me and teachers because they've taught me a lot through allowing those other people to share their faith stories with me. And I really think that that's molded me to want to work with young people, so much because our faith journey is ever evolving, and I see that the most with young people because I'm not who I was when I was 6 or 10 or 12.
Abby:I'm not who I was yesterday when I think of some faith questions. And I see that shine through more so with children and youth and their zeal and zest for it. And don't get me wrong. Adults too. I love working with adults, but my passion is is kids and youth.
Abby:And I think it comes back to how my parents allowed me to own my own faith. And that's how I try to serve in ministry is not telling people that they need faith, but allowing them and giving them opportunities to own the faith that they, most of the time, already have.
T.J.:Mhmm. Yeah. I've I've seen our evangelism efforts and our calling, I think, as disciples really just to be pointers towards discipleship, towards the faith. Yes. And and, journey folk as well.
T.J.:You had mentioned that earlier. Having people journey alongside of you, to help kinda guide the person and point them to places where they can find peace and they can find grace and, reassurance and new life transformation. Right.
Abby:And that looks so different for each person. Some people just need you to sit in silence, and some need that ongoing conversation and it's that's what I love about ministry. It's a beautiful mix of it all of sometimes pastoral ministry just looks like sitting with someone in silence until they're ready to explain. And sometimes it means, you know, I'm out on a kickball field getting getting really winded chasing around teenagers. You know?
Abby:It it looks different for all for all things, and I'm I'm so grateful for that diversity of how we meet people in very different ways. And that like you said, that journey of being pointers is different for each person in each congregation.
T.J.:Yeah. Have you always felt like you've been in a relationship with God, or was there a specific moment, a profession of faith, a big transformative experience, or was the relationship always there?
Abby:I I think it's a twofold for me. I felt like it's always been there. I did not make my public profession of faith in church until I was older, but I knew at a very young age that I had, accepted that gift of salvation. But I was also a very stubborn child of well, if you told me that people should notice the change in me, so why do I have to go tell people? That was my response.
Abby:And so that took a lot of, like, maturing for me to understand the importance of that. But for a long time, I was like, well, I don't have to tell people. They should they should know. And so I would talk about it, but I didn't fully understand to what extent that meant and, like, the joy in that and how that was also honoring those people who, at my baptism, promised to help in my faith formation. And so some of that was like lack of understanding and being stubborn and being kind of immature in my understanding and all of that.
Abby:But I think the relationship was there from a young age, and it it really started with those 2 Sunday school teachers who, really made us all feel known and worthy. And that's kinda how I experienced, being felt and known and worthy to God was through them, showing us that.
T.J.:How did you get into youth ministry?
Abby:Oh goodness. In high school, it was at CPYC. One summer. Reverend Stephanie Brown had come to talk about pastoral ministry. I don't even remember what she came to talk about.
Abby:She I think she was representing PDMT at the time, and she kept talking and kept talking, and I just kept feeling like this, like, nudge. I don't know how any other way to describe it. And I remember going up and talking to her afterwards and talking to reverend Tiffany McClung and being like, I don't wanna do this type of ministry, but, like, I love this. And I, like, I love the way we experience this, and I don't know what this looks like. And I remember both of them, like, talking to me about it and praying with me about it, and they were like, well, you need to pray about this because this could be experiencing a call to ministry.
Abby:And for a long time, I didn't know exactly what that calling looked like because I knew it wasn't traditional pastoral ministry. And it took me a while to figure it out because I kept saying, like, the Christian ed stuff, but I didn't know a lot of Christian educators at the time. And so it took a lot of, like, oh, I'm gonna do this or I'm gonna do that, but it all kinda came back to what I'm doing now. And so it was kind of a journey that started probably my 10th or 11th grade year in high school. I'm starting to discern that, but not fully understanding what that looked like until middle of college.
Abby:I was an education major up until about my junior year when I switched to sociology and human services because I that fit more what I wanted to do, whether I with the counseling route or social work route or seminary route. You know? I felt like that that prepared me more for what I knew I was gonna do. And it was in those classes and in, learning how to better care for my neighbors through, like, the counseling classes I took and the human services classes that I took. It was in those moments that I realized, okay, I've gotta go back to what started in high school and I gotta figure this out some more.
Abby:And I always knew it was young people in some capacity, and I just kept leaning into that. And, a friend introduced me to the center for youth ministry training program that Memphis Theological Seminary at the time had partnered with. And I researched that, and I was like, well, this is it. This is gonna this is helping me do what I want. And through that program, I realized that, my call was also evolving that I wanted to seek coordination because I wanted to be able to, journey with those moments of communion and baptism and, our other other, faith moments such as those with them and the larger the larger faith body and things like that.
Abby:And God kinda showed me, like, this is your niche, but you're but you're also serving these people too. And so it's kind of been a twofold over the last, I guess I guess, about 10 years. It'll be, I guess, 10 years in June that I've been serving in ministry. It it keeps evolving because as much as I love working with young people, young, youth and children, I love working with the adults too.
T.J.:Mhmm.
Abby:And it's not really that different. Most adults are just grown kids who wanna have fun and wanna learn. You just approach it a little bit different. And so my call has been ever evolving, and so I joke around with one of the adults recently, and I said, we're just gonna start an adult youth group. And they're like, we're okay with that.
Abby:So I think it all started when reverend Stephanie Brown came and whatever she talked about, it was something dealing with PDMT PDMT team and, discussing calls and all that, and it's just been kind of a a peel back thing, learning as you go.
T.J.:How can the local Christian church, any local Christian church, foster the calling of ministry, whatever they may look like, for the youth?
Abby:I think it goes back to truly listening and not just hearing. Listening to what they are experiencing and not telling them what they are experiencing. Listening to how God is using them, listening to what they feel God is saying to them, and helping them find places to explore that, and journeying alongside of them, not just listening and then checking in in 6 months. Truly asking them, like, how can I pray for you on this? How can I journey with you on this?
Abby:I had this is my call story. I'm telling you this. It may not be the same, but I want you to know how I came to understanding my call. And I think it goes back to just that general connection with people and the the gift of presence in another's life.
T.J.:Abby, oftentimes, when we talk about our faith, in our relationship with God, we end up talking in the past tense, something that happened at a youth event or retreat or summer camp or at a worship experience. But I always like asking the question in the present tense. Where, Abby, where do you see God working in your life today?
Abby:I definitely think it's through the youth that I'm currently serving with. COVID has presented many problems for for all of us. And, not problems, unique challenges to, be able to be together and to worship together in figuring out those new unique things. And, we're a smaller group right now. And I think seeing their strong desire to stay together and to keep that connection and to talk faith and to talk life and to share and to see their closeness that wasn't even there 6 months ago.
Abby:Mhmm. Even though they all go to school together, and they'll be the first to tell you, we don't hang out at school. We're all in different groups, but you would never know that when we're together or on a trip or, you know, what have you. And seeing how God is working in them is teaching me so much and showing me God consistently through their actions and through their callings and through their ideas and just their zeal for what they want to learn and do and to be active agents for God. So I think through the youth that I serve right now, is where I'm experiencing God the most.
T.J.:Alright. And that's inspiring and encouraging as well. Let's talk about the church for a moment. And looking at the church universal and even the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination, What ideas, what hopes do you have for the church moving into a new year?
Abby:That's a big question.
T.J.:It's a big church we're a part of.
Abby:It is. Yes. I think my hope would be that we can find there's more that unites us than divides us, and that we can hold strong to that connection that we are all created in the image of God, and we are all image bearers. And if we start back at that connection, I think we'll get to the goal of there's way more that brings us together than divides us. And just to see the community of faith growing stronger together for the kingdom of God in this world, both inside the church walls, but most importantly outside the church walls.
T.J.:Mhmm. The community at large. Yes. Participating and being a member of the community at large.
Abby:Yes. And experiencing God's beautiful diversity in this world. Because if we were all the same, how boring would that be?
T.J.:Yeah. I mean, not everybody wants to look or believe like I do.
Abby:Exactly.
T.J.:Especially look.
Abby:That's okay.
T.J.:If you could ask God one thing and you knew you would get an answer, Abby, what would that question be?
Abby:Oh, man. If I could ask God one thing and I knew that I would get the answer. How can I how can I better serve and love my neighbors that's a better reflection of you?
T.J.:Wow. That would be a daily question.
Abby:Yes. Yeah. Yes. But that was the first thing that popped into my mind because that's something I've been praying over is how I could be a better neighbor to those around me. And I try to ask myself that daily, like you said.
Abby:But that's something that's been on my heart and in my prayer life recently. So I think that at this point in my life, that's what I would ask.
T.J.:Boy, there are some days that I don't wanna ask that question.
Abby:Same.
T.J.:I don't want because I don't want the answer.
Abby:I'm definitely not praying for patients. That's for sure.
T.J.:Abby, how can we continue to follow you on your faith journey?
Abby:You can find me on Facebook or Instagram, or, you're welcome to email me. We have a, church Facebook page, the Welty Cumberland Presbyterian Church. I have a presence there. Trying to think. I think I hit I think I hit all the hot spots of how you can get a hold of me.
T.J.:And Wilty is w e l t I?
Abby:Yes, sir.
T.J.:Okay.
Abby:Yes, sir.
T.J.:So Welty Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Abby:Yes, sir.
T.J.:Abby, thank you so much for sharing your faith journey and opening the window and the door to youth and young people and ministry in general and sharing your perspective. I appreciate it.
Abby:DJ, thank you so much for asking me for this opportunity. It was a lot of fun. I was a little nervous and thought, oh my goodness. I'm not gonna say the right thing, but thank you for making it be just a comfortable conversation about just how God's working in our life and in the life of the Claremore Presbyterian Church and the Church Universal. I appreciate all the work that you put into, bringing this podcast together and all the different areas that you focus on to thank you for your hard work.
T.J.:Oh, and thank you. And we finally were able to collaborate and schedule.
Abby:I know. My schedule has been crazy the last few weeks. I'm so sorry.
T.J.:And everyone, thank you for listening to today's podcast. Grab a friend and travel with me on the next journey down Cumberland Road.
