Dear Congregation,
In February of 2020, we launched a search for the position of Minister of Youth and College. We were pleased to receive applications from many candidates who were qualified for the position from a wide diversity of backgrounds. Our applicants came from places like NC, SC, TX, KY, VA, and beyond. As we began to narrow down the candidates, the pandemic set in and halted the search. After months of discernment, we relaunched the search in September of 2020. In November, we narrowed down to our top candidates and invited them to campus for a tour, a conversation with our Senior Staff, and virtual interviews with a team of lay leaders. Our top candidates were very strong, and each had unique gifts for ministry, but one candidate stood out.
We’d like to introduce the Rev. Tara Gibbs as our Minister of Youth and College. A native of North Carolina who grew up in New Bern, Tara completed her Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages & Literature at UNC Chapel Hill. She went on to Shaw University in Raleigh to complete a Master of Divinity, and while at Shaw, Tara received several awards, including the President’s List Award and the Gold Pin Award. Tara decided to continue her studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, completing a second master’s degree and winning the Hidden Figures Award.
Her passion has always been Christian Education and she is fired up about making sure youth of all ages have access to inclusive and theologically expansive educational materials in their communities. Her friend and colleague, Rev. Terrill M. Lloyd, says that, for Tara, “Christian Education is the ministry that undergirds the church, [and] she is the type of minister that is going to always call your conscience to the marginalized and the things we sometimes miss.”
While completing her theological studies, Tara served at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, NC, First Congregational Church in Woodbridge, NJ, and Lumberton United Methodist Church in Lumberton, NJ. She’s also served as a Mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, a high school Spanish and ESL tutor, and a CMS Northstar Reading Buddy. Her vast interdenominational and extracurricular experiences have helped inform her work.
Since 2017, she has served as Director of Christian Education at Reeder Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, where she led all ministries pertaining to Christian Education for over 1000+ members, designed curriculum for Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, supervised 20+ teachers and volunteers, taught youth and adult Bible Study, and planned events such as the Holy Week Stations of the Cross experience and Advent Services. Tara’s current research involves “Identifying Potentially Harmful Theologies in Major Christian Education Publications.” Additionally, Tara is a published writer, and guest lecturer, who is passionate about broadening the faith-based educational experiences of youth and college students.
After participating in the lay leadership team responsible for interviewing Tara, current chair of the Board of Deacons, Marcy McClanahan, said “Tara is one of the best listeners and communicators I’ve ever met, and I expect that she will form a strong bond with our Youth and College students, as well as with their families. She brings a wealth of talent to this position, and I anticipate much energy and excitement as she joins our existing team!” Former chair of the Board of Deacons and parent, Tara Harris said, “As a parent of a student who is new-to-the-youth-ministry, I am so excited to welcome Rev. Tara Gibbs to our staff. Rev. Gibbs is a deep listener and a minister who’s ready to “build vision with us” and walk steadily with the youth ministry as we all envision its exciting future.” Youth Program Liaison and parent Jennifer Troyer said, "Tara is committed to bringing her full self to ministry, and young people—both Youth and college aged - and their parents will be drawn to her authenticity. She expressed a love for the same things about our church that my family loves–our "open to all, closed to none" way of being, our commitment to social justice, and the way we wrestle in the gray area around issues of faith and belief."
As Minister for Youth and College, Tara will be responsible for the leadership, vision, planning, and execution of our church's growing youth programs and for building a sustainable college ministry. She will work with the Youth Leadership Council, the Ministry of Faith Formation, volunteers, parents, and other church staff to support the faith and development of middle, high school, and college students. Additionally, we are thrilled that our current youth director Allen Davis will be supporting Rev. Gibbs through her transition. Allen says, “I'm excited about the future of the Youth Ministry. Rev. Tara brings a wealth of knowledge to our programs. I was impressed by Rev. Tara's passion for connecting our youth at Myers Park Baptist with the larger Charlotte community as a means of being open to all. I look forward to working alongside Rev. Tara to take our Youth and College Ministry to the next level."
Rev. Gibbs is licensed and ordained minister in the Baptist tradition. We are incredibly excited to welcome her to our community and look forward to getting to know her and working to build our youth and college ministries with her in the new year.