Reid Ministries
Reid Ministries, founded by Gavaskar Reid, conducts Biblical presentations, sermons, and studies that incorporate history, science, and textual analysis. It is a small piece of a bigger movement to spread the gospel of the kingdom to all the world. We affirm that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that salvation is possible only through Jesus Christ, and that we all have to use our talents to glorify His name and serve others.
Gav has been engaged in Christian ministry since he was a child. As a student in the island of Jamaica, Religious Education was integrated within his schooling as much as any academic subject. He also attended a local church at times in the neighborhood. However, it's not until he moved to Brooklyn, New York that he became more submerged in Bible study. Even though his baptism and church attendance were largely influenced due to his mother, Gav decided to do Bible studies on his own and he compared all doctrines and teachings he learned from church based on what he studied for himself.
While doing a math homework assignment one weekend in 6th grade, Gav realized he had an unusual ability to memorize information. Later on, he implemented this skill in memorizing Bible verses as he did his studies. He preached his first sermon at the age of 16 in Mamre Church for "Children's Day." The topic was entitled, "Who Shall Be the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" based on Matthew 18:1-6. By this time, he had already memorized close to 1,000 Bible verses. He preached his second sermon in the Voice of Hope Church where he focused on Judges 13-16 and drew parallels between the life of Samson and Jesus Christ.
Even though Gav had a clear desire to do more preaching and public speaking in the church, the opportunities to do so were not as prolific as he had hoped. Over the years, he had sporadically did some sermonettes and presentations in various churches and settings, but he was never placed in an official position where he would be able to do so on a frequent basis. At one point, during the time he was finishing up his Bachelor's degree, he considered whether or not he should pursue a graduate degree in Religion or Theology at a seminary. This would satisfy requirements to be a full-time pastor within his church--and he would be able to preach as often as he so chose; moreover, he could also possibly fulfill the requirements needed to finish up his professional teaching license in Social Studies as well. However, after very carefully weighing the time and monetary commitment involved in going this route, he decided against it. He did his Master's degree in a non-religious subject in a secular university instead.
Gav decided to become more involved in annual Bible Bowl competitions where various teams would spend the year studying certain books of the Bible, then be quizzed on all the information therein. He led his team to 1st place local championships in Brooklyn/Staten Island in 2015 and 2nd place championships in northeastern region of the U.S. in 2012 and 2013. His participation in these games were a means to keep him connected to the Bible and church, especially when he felt underutilized otherwise. Unfortunately, after experiencing some circumstances within these games, Gav decided it was best to retire from competition and focus on other endeavors.
The platform Gav had at his fingertips where he would be able to exercise his ability to expound on Scripture without barriers was his social media. One day in 2015, he posted a picture of Adam and Eve with a caption summarizing some lessons to be learned from Genesis 3, and to his surprise, his content went viral. Within a few days, his post received 25,000 likes and as many shares. It was at this moment he decided that he ought to formalize his ministry. The hashtag #ReidMinistries began to be used.
Even though he had a bigger online presence, Gav continued to strive to become more active in church. The general church membership was always very supportive of his efforts and congregations expressed admiration for his various presentations and studies, however, there always seemed to be roadblocks that prevented him for being a consistent speaker. His home church went through numerous leadership changes over the past two decades and some of the same obstacles kept resurfacing.
Thankfully, in December 2019, an unexpected opportunity arose when Gav was asked to preach at the Christian Fellowship Church where he would be the featured speaker for Youth Day. He elaborated on the story of the Tower of Babel found in Genesis 11. He has led a number of presentations in churches dealing with various Bible topics throughout his young adulthood, but this would be Gav's first actual keynote sermon in nearly 15 years.
Time does not permit to expound on every disenchantment or every instance in which hindrances were placed in his pathway. While Gav has had the privilege in participating in various church activities, in his heart, he always felt he could be doing much greater and much more consistent work for God and His people. This is the reason for Reid Ministries.
Gav tries to emulate Jesus in His work ethic. He believes in Colossians 3:23, which tells us, "Whatever we do, we should do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men." This belief is what drives him in his career and how he treats his clients, his business partners, and his projects. He wants to hear from God, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" as said in Matthew 25:23. It is his prayer that everyone in his circle, including all of you, would accept God's grace and be saved.
Gav's message of encouragement to everyone is this:
1. You do not need a formal degree to preach the Word of God. Neither Jesus nor any of His apostles had formal degrees that qualified them to spread the Gospel.
2. You do not need to be an expert in the Bible to spread the love of God to others. Though God expects us to be diligent students of His Word, if we are going to wait until we understand every single passage in the Bible before we spread the truth to others, we will never be ready to spread God's message to anyone. If all you know is one Bible verse, you should share that one Bible verse with someone.
3. You do not need to wait on any church, or any organization, or any individual, to give you opportunities to do the will of God. God has already blessed you with skills and talents to use to His glory. Put them to use today and create your own opportunities. God has work for you to do and you need to get busy for Him.
Careers Opportunities
A common question I get asked is how I ended up in my current career. My route was a circuitous one. As a junior in high school, I decided that I wanted to pursue teaching as a profession. It made sense to me because I always loved school and I enjoyed public speaking; I felt it was a natural next step for me as an adult to combine these two interests. I enjoyed most of my subjects, but my two favorites were Earth Science and United States History. I decided to concentrate on the latter because I was opposed to teaching macroevolution and other theories that conflicted with my Biblical beliefs.
I finished college and obtained my teacher certification at 21. I taught various areas of Social Studies in middle school and high school, namely, US History, Global History, Economics, and Government/Political Science. I thought I would do this for the next three decades and then retire. Unfortunately, life did not turn out that way; because of bad timing, I ended up trying to transfer to a new school in the middle of a citywide hiring freeze. I could not get a new position in the public education system during this time, but I did get a job teaching GED to young adults for a nonprofit organization.
The stock market had intrigued me when I used to do lesson planning related to my economics classes. I dabbled here and there for a while until I saved up enough money to be a day trader. One day, I reached the point where I decided I wanted to be my own boss. I made some very profitable trades and thought, if I devoted all my time to this endeavor, I could make a sustained living off the profits I obtained on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, yet again, life did not turn out as planned and I ended up losing all of my life’s savings at the time within a year due to a series of bad trades.
Back on the job market, I applied for a wide array of roles in numerous different sectors. Almost a year had passed and with no money to my name, I was feeling desperate and I ended up applying for jobs well below what I used to make and well below my educational credentials. I went to a career center to apply for a job to clean up Jamaica Bay after Hurricane Sandy. It paid $8/hour, which was $8 more per hour than I was currently making. I did not get the job because all the candidates who arrived before me received offers and all positions were filled.
Seeing my hopelessness, a recruiter took my resume and tried to help me get another position. An internal employee recently received a promotion and the recruiter told me that I could put in application for that role. Seven interviews later, I became the center’s newly hired work readiness trainer. On my first day on the job, my manager informed me an employee recently resigned and that I should take over that role. He told me that I would enjoy that role more as I would get to be out of the office, I would get to interact with school personnel, students, and businesses, and that it would be a more enjoyable role than being in a room teaching the same work readiness lessons every day. I told him I would do whatever job wherein I am most needed.
Thus, I started my career as an internship coordinator for a program known as Scholars at Work. My job would be to recruit students from Career & Technical Education (CTE) high schools, and recruit businesses from certain industries, and then coordinate the internship program from start to finish. It was great having this new career where I was making a somewhat decent salary—it was not much, but it was way more than the minimum wage job I originally applied for. I felt like a fish out of water though. The career center dealt with automotive, construction, manufacturing, and other sectors in which I had no knowledge or experience. The job also entailed business development, marketing, recruiting, and other specialties which I also lacked. For the next three years, I tried my best to familiarize myself with the center’s operations, its staff, and the industries which it served. I also volunteered to take on various responsibilities where, even though I didn’t get paid, I thought it was the right thing to do to help the overall business. Fast forward three years, after numerous coworkers either resigned or received promotions, I became the de facto point person for the internship program.
To my surprise, for the graduation ceremony that year, I was asked to be the keynote speaker—a role that typically went to business executives or city officials. At the end of my speech, I told the graduating interns that they’re not only “super” but they’re also “scholars” and I showed the Superman emblem I was wearing below my suit.
During that summer, the organization for which I worked received a new contract and I was promoted to manager. After just a few weeks on the job, a director from the NYC Department of Education reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked me if I knew of anyone who would be interested in joining her Career & Technical Education team at the central office level. I immediately told her that I would be interested. After a series of interviews, I had to meet with the Executive Director of the department and it turns out, it was someone who attended my graduation speech a few weeks earlier. As he walked into the room, he said to me, “Oh, I remember you, you’re the Superman guy. I don’t have to interview you.” And he shook my hand and thus began my career as Industry Engagement Manager for the largest education system in the United States.
I am grateful every day for the career that I have and I truly see that God’s hand was in the entire process of guiding me here, and He continues to be in the midst of all the programs and projects I undertake. He has blessed with me with thousands of colleagues and partners, in various industries, and in various levels of hierarchy. In Luke 12:48, the Bible says, “To whom much is given, much is required.” I am obligated to give back and to serve others because of the connections and resources that my Lord has provided.
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