You're listening to the Water Into Wine podcast hosted by Grace Valentine.

Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of the Water into Wine podcast.

I'm your host Grace Valentine.

Today I have a special guest

on. And so if I've shared this on the podcast before, that I've been going to Peachtree

Presbyterian and serving with the youth ministry there in Atlanta, Georgia. Just like most people,

when you move to a big city, it is hard to church shop, quote unquote. But when I walked in the

peach tree and I actually started serving, I felt like I belonged. And I'm really excited to have my fellow sixth grade leader, but for the boys, which the boys are way scarier than the girls, I'll be honest, on the podcast today. But he's also a pastor at Peach Tree Presbyterian. And so you want to say hi Wes hey what's up I'm

Wes yes pastor West I'm just kidding I don't I can't have to call you I don't think I've ever

called you pastor West so yeah you're like sounds cool will you give a little introduction like

where you went to college yeah yeah what you do at Peastree hey I'm Wes pastor West

what I went to University of Georgia. Go dogs.

I'm not going to be subtle about that. I know Matt will be upset that someone else is another dog on the podcast.

I know. I told Matt the first time I met him that Grace exists for Florida fans.

Yes. The first time he also loved your sermon. I don't remember. It was when you talked about the sunburn.

I don't remember the Christian that he talked about. Yes. You talked about your kid sunburn, but he loved that he had his iPad, but he goes, he was such a great pastor, but I hated that he like said go dogs. No, I actually got feedback. They were like, you need to stop saying go dogs because you're alienating people. Wait, that's so funny. I wasn't serious about it. I don't think me, Matt. It was, it perked his

interest, but he remembered you as the dog pastor. I love that. I love that. So I yeah, I'm a pastor at peach tree. My title is pastor for belong. I work with adult groups. And basically if you're a young adult, if you are part of this thing called the Zakias

Fellows, which is this post-grad discernment program that we have, if you were in a Sunday

school, small group, men's ministry, that's kind of what I do. And I live in Brookhaven with my

wife Caroline. She's way better than me in every way. I don't know. I mean, that's what people say when they get to know me and get to hurt. Yeah. I mean, she's beautiful. I haven't actually had the pleasure of meeting her. So I know she's probably listening. Caroline, we need to hang out. And so I think you do such great job with that. You have such a personality that makes people feel like they belong. I think sometimes at at churches people can get overwhelmed how to get active in a church especially if you're single

in your mid-20s um and the fact that you've created groups that help people do that where there's

like a pipeline is so beautiful but i'll never forget i think it was the sixth grade or middle school

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