A letter from Pastor Allan Poole and John Nicholson, chair of the Director of Music and Worship search committee.
Dear Blacknall family,
When we received notice of Dave Stuntz’s intention to step down from his responsibilities at Blacknall after nearly twenty-three years as our Director of Music and Worship, we knew we had a challenging task ahead. The Session asked John Nicholson, an elder with long experience and love for our worship life at Blacknall, to serve as the chairman of a search committee charged with finding our new leader. The committee, Amy Webster, Molly Demarest, Jamie Turnage, Karen Struble, Scott Laird, Darl Pothoven, John, and Allan Poole, met for six months, and engaged more than thirty applicants on our way to discovering our new director. We are particularly grateful for this committee’s faithfulness, diligence and perseverance in what was a lengthy and challenging process.
We are excited to introduce to you Dr. Wen Reagan. Wen is a North Carolina native who grew up, in his words, in a “nominal household.” He came to faith while on a Methodist mission project in Appalachia. As an undergrad at Duke he was recruited by Campus Crusade to lead worship. After graduation he and his new wife Casey moved to Chapel Hill, where Wen served for ten years as the worship leader for Christ Community Church (PCA) while also completing his graduate work at Duke. More recently, he has served in similar roles at two Anglican churches, a shift occasioned by the attraction to weekly Communion while still anchored in the Reformed theological tradition. He is coming to us from Birmingham, Alabama, where he has served as worship leader for St. Peter’s Anglican Church while also being a visiting assistant professor in music and worship at Samford University, where he has taught courses in worship, songwriting, production, theology and the arts. He loves involving others in worship, and is particularly interested in mentoring younger people in participating in and leading worship.
Wen is a man of character and conviction, unembarrassed by his commitment to Jesus Christ. He is creative, winsome, and energetic. His wife Casey is at work on an advanced degree in counseling, and together they have two sons, Ezra and Pax, and a daughter, Lovewell.
Can you imagine packing up a household over Christmas, selling one home and trying to locate another, and moving a young family of five more than five hundred miles away? During “Covid season?” But that’s what they are doing in January. Wen and family will be joining Blacknall’s life on February 1. Of course, since we are not meeting in person for worship, we will need to be doubly intentional about welcoming them, but we are confident that our congregation will do just that. Let’s be praying for them in the meantime, especially for their house to sell in Birmingham, and for the right place to open here in Durham, as we prepare to welcome his leadership and gifts to our fellowship.
To get an idea of Wen’s vision and leadership you can find him at http://wenreagan.com, and if you would like to send along a brief word of welcome, his email is wreagan@blacknall.org.
The Lord holds our future, and it is good because He is.
In Christ,
Allan Poole, Pastor
John Nicholson, Chairman of the Director of Music and Worship Search Committee