IPC welcomed Rev. Nicole Newton as our new Associate Pastor for Discipleship at the end of 2024. Nicole holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity with a concentration in Bioethics and a Master of Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary, and is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. We hope you'll enjoy getting to know more about Nicole with our Q&A below!
Q: At what moment did you know you were called to the ministry?
A: I’ve always felt called to be involved in the church in one capacity or another. The pull to ordained ministry didn’t come, though, until my late 20s as I was journeying with a dear friend through the end of her life. The last conversation that she and I had before she died was about my growing sense of call to ministry as a chaplain. She died a few days later and I applied to seminary the very same week. The nudge to congregational ministry came several years later, while I was serving in Budapest with refugee children who were being rehomed there during the height of the Syrian crisis. There have been little nuggets all along the way—just enough to see the next right step—but you never quite know where Jesus will lead you next!
Q: What is the last book you read that you really enjoyed?
A: Hmm. I read a lot and across multiple genres, so this is a tough one too. I usually have a nonfiction, a fiction, a work-related book, and a repeat all going at the same time. The best non-fiction lately was Matt Richtel’s An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System. It manages to be both very detailed and very accessible at the same time, which is an impressive feat for a science book. I’m also currently muddling my way back through Saint-Exupery’s Le Petit Prince. It’s an all-time favorite, even if my French is painfully slow!
Q: What is one thing you and your family love to do in Birmingham?
A: Jonathan (my husband) and I love live music. We’ve been so surprised by how many artists come through here and how many different venues there are.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most so far in your new role at IPC?
A: Getting to know my team has been the best part so far. What a bunch of rockstars! I feel so lucky to get to do this work and to serve this community alongside them.
Q: What can we as members of IPC do to support you as Associate Pastor of Discipleship IPC?
A: Go to coffee/breakfast/lunch with me and tell me what brings you joy, what gifts you are itching to use, and what you’re dreaming about for our community. That is the best way for me to both get to know you and to get a sense of where God might be calling us together.
Q: Who/what brings you inspiration?
A: Coleman Barks’ translations of Rumi. Mark Rothko paintings. The trustworthiness of a handful of seeds and earth. Samuel Barber’s Sure On This Shining Night.
Q: What is one thing, either work-related or not, you have learned in the last month?
A: I’ve been doing a deep dive into French philosophy and city planning for school this month, so my brain is swimming with that currently. That has pushed me to study the history of Birmingham’s city planning and the effects it has had on marginalized communities here. Charles Connerly’s book, The Most Segregated City In America: City Planning And Civil Rights In Birmingham, 1920-1980 has been very eye opening.
Q: What is one thing about you that not many people know?
A: I’ve had a lot of weird jobs. One of my first jobs was working in a turkey house. You can only go up from there! I worked as an EMT for a while. I taught English and Theatre. Apparently, I’ve always gravitated toward messy and chaotic work—so church fits right in!
Q: Describe your perfect day.
A: A slow start with coffee on my front porch swing, then a biscuit from Alabama Biscuit Company, a walk in the botanical gardens, a trip to a plant shop, and then back home to dig up the yard and hang out with the menagerie. Bonus points if it ends with a bubble bath and a good book!
