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Community Corner

Patch Portrait: Pastor Reed Says Farewell

This weeks Patch Portraits also features a Niles Boy Scout helping to restore community history and Northbrook's seven-year debate team dominators.

This week's Patch Portraits was produced and edited by Pam DeFiglio, Jenny Fisher and Andrea Hart. Check back on Mondays for the next installment.

Also showcased, a Niles Boy Scout helping to restore community history and Northbrook's seven-year debate team dominators. 

Dr. Kirk Reed, senior pastor at , gave his last Easter sermon this Sunday.

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In his 39 years as a pastor, Reed has served five churches in the Chicagoland area.

"I had no idea I was going in this direction. . . I loved church when I was young but it was mostly because they had good music, and good donuts and potluck suppers," Reed said with a reflective laugh. Gradually, Reed found himself drawn to "the kind of God he was hearing about in church and in the Bible" as a young teenager. But it wasn't until after serving in the Vietnam War and finishing a PhD. in psychology that the Georgia native pursued a religious career path.

Find out what's happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Throughout his nearly four-decade run as a Methodist Pastor, Reed said he's especially enjoyed helping churches thrive and bringing diverse communities together.

"What I've loved is going into a church that's passive and seeing it come to life is like putting water on a dry lawn in the summer time," he said. "A lot of what I do doesn't seem like work."

Whether it's guiding engaged couples, or students at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Reed said a key component to his work is a dedication to understanding the depth of human beings.

"We have groups of people by the dozens that I would love to help flourish," he said. "But you can't do that if you don't get to know the people."

After officially retiring in June, Reed will then settle in Arizona with his wife.

"I'll always be involved in some kind of church work; I'll just be supporting the staff instead of being the staff."

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