Pastor Profile: Rev. Buz Wilcoxon

Rev. Searcy Allen "Buz" Wilcoxon, IV
Associate Pastor for Youth, Young Adults, and Mission

Growing up on the Alabama Gulf Coast, I have always been fascinated with the water.  Daring ocean adventures, naval heroes, pirate treasures, and creatures under the sea filled my imagination as a child.  As I grew older, I began to understand my life in terms of a different kind of water, the waters of baptism. As I matured into my baptismal faith, I was nurtured by a wonderfully supportive church family: Trinity Presbyterian Church. It was in that sanctuary that I was confirmed, married, and ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.  This grounding of imagination in the baptismal faith of the church guides my approach to ministry.

     My sense of call began while serving as the youth representative on our congregation's PNC.  With a sense that ministry lay in my future, I enrolled at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, where I studied Religion, Philosophy, and History and participated in many extracurricular activities including Student Government Association, Presbyterian Student Association, and Celtic Cross (a PCUSA leadership development program).  Most significant to my developing sense of call were two internships I did in the chaplain’s office, first as an intern for Student Volunteer Services and later as the Pre-Seminary Intern.  Also, during college summers, I served as a generalist intern at a First Presbyterian Church in Bay Minette, AL.  My time at PC instilled in me a deep sense that service and the pursuit of truth are integral parts of the life of faith.

     After college I enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary.  I enjoyed the full range of theological education and participated in various urban ministries in the Atlanta area. I served as the student member of the seminary's board of trustees and participated with my different committees and groups on campus.  Through my seminary experience both in the classroom and in off-campus internships I grew in my pastoral identity.  I am particularly passionate about the multifaceted roles of parish ministry such as teaching, preaching, pastoral care, mission, fellowship, worship, and community life.  In my ministry, I hope to model passion, Sabbath keeping, concern for global issues, and peacemaking in times of conflict.

     In addition to this vocational call, I also have a strong sense of call as husband to my wife, Ryann. As we begin a new chapter in our lives together, we are excited to do so within the community of a church family.  Ryann is passionate about working with children and currently serves as a preschool teacher. 

     I am also an avid sports fan with allegiances to the Atlanta Braves and the Alabama Crimson Tide.  I have participated in a variety of sports, especially baseball, golf, and ultimate frisbee.  In addition to interests in religion and Reformed theology, I am a very active history buff, and I am often made fun of by friends for actually stopping my car to read historical markers on the side of the road. 

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