For the second week of Black History Month, we will be highlighting Community Care Pastor and leader, Pastor Desmond Glenn of Portico Church.
Raised by his grandparents after losing both parents at an early age, Pastor Desmond Glenn grew up in Southeast Arkansas in a small town called Marvell, Arkansas. He grew up on a pig farm and spent most of his youth playing outside and helping his grandfather on the farm. Along with his grandparents, he was raised in the house with an older cousin and uncles, as well as the house being opened up to family and friends in time of need. Glenn’s family attended a small church, called St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church, and it was at the age of 12 that he heard the voice of the Lord for the first time in a dream.
“I know I’m sleeping, and in my dream, I’m playing Nintendo. This light just came down, and I knew that it was God, and He said, “Follow me.” Those words and that dream never left me.”
It was at the age of 13 that Pastor Dez gave his life to the Lord, understanding that he needed Jesus. By 9th grade, Pastor Dez’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his grandmother was bedridden. At 15 years old, he got his first car- a 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier. After graduation from High School, Glenn attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, one of the largest HBCUs in the state. Glenn received his Bachelor’s in Agriculture Business, going on to work for the USDA for 8 years as a Conservationist.
During his junior year of college, things began to change for Glenn. He met a young man at the local library who introduced him to Christian Rap music, and upon listening, Glenn began to develop a deeper affection for Jesus, and felt heavy conviction, leading him to make some serious lifestyle changes. He got involved with the college ministry, BCM, which poured into his life. Glenn attended his first mission trip with them in 2005 to New Orleans to evangelize and witness on Bourbon Street. When he called his grandmother to share about the trip the next morning, she did not answer the phone. He then received a call from his uncle during church service, informing him that his grandmother had passed that morning. It was there on the steps of Celebration Church that he heard the voice of the Lord speak to him again.
“When my grandmother passed it felt like someone had come and snatched a chair from underneath me. It felt like I was free-falling because the person who was my firm foundation was removed. At that moment, the Lord said to me, “Either you follow the world or you turn to me. What He was saying to me was, “Your grandmother is no longer your crutch; your faith was relying on your grandmother for everything, and now I am your ultimate firm foundation.”
Pastor Dez took heed to the call of the Lord and began leaning on Him. He left undergrad and immediately entered an expedited Masters program at Bible College for a Master’s in Ministry. In 2015, he received a call and job offer from Portico Church who had heard about his interest in Ministry through a good friend of his.
Pastor Dez married his college girlfriend, Andrea Glenn, and together they have 5 children, ranging from ages 14 to 2. He is now in school for Pastoral and Biblical counseling and is still preaching, pastoring, and sharing his love for Jesus Christ in the community and as the Community Care Pastor at Portico Church. Glenn accredits his deep desire for ministry to his grandmother.
“What I’m doing right now, as a Pastor, I saw in my grandmother. I saw people come to the house while she was in bed and she was encouraging them. It’s almost like when Apostle Paul was locked up in a dungeon, and he tells us to ‘rejoice.’ My grandmother was bedridden and she was helping people who were healthy to rejoice. I saw her being missional while being stationary, and it was her words that impacted people. Seeing her and the way that she cared for people, bringing them in the house, and making our home a refuge for so many people, inspired me to do the stuff that I do today.”
Pastor Dez is the visionary behind Charlottesville’s very own Day of Healing event, put on by a collective of area churches to connect the church to the community and the community to the church. Glenn’s deep desire to serve and not be served is what makes his testimony notable. Charlottesville would not be the same without the zeal of Pastor Desmond Glenn and we are honored to be amongst such an important and inspiring community leader who continues to labor in the vineyard of the Lord.
“What drives me is to take the content of the gospel to whatever context I go to. The best thing that I can leave a person with is Jesus.”
