Generation to Generation
God's Love Spans Generations an Interview with Hayley Nester
When Hayley Nester comes to church, it’s a family affair.
Hayley grew up attending First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, so in addition to her husband and two children, her parents and grandmother are also members. Together, they make up four generations, ranging in age from 1 to 90, giving Hayley the perfect perspective on what it means for God’s love to span generations.
Hayley was baptized and grew up in this congregation, so when she and her husband, Lee, became engaged, she was adamant that they would be married at FPC Gastonia. Once they were married, Hayley and Lee began looking for a church home, and while Hayley was okay with a traditional service, Lee really wanted to participate in something more contemporary. At the time, FPC Gastonia only offered a traditional service, so they began looking for a church home closer to where they lived in Lake Wylie. But God was busy at work! At the same time Hayley and Lee began looking for a church, Thrive was conceived, and after hearing about it, Hayley and her family became regulars. “It was crazy how it all fell together.” Hayley shares. “Lee and I talk about how it was God going, ‘Hey, here is everything you need.’ If you want to go to the contemporary, if you want to go to the traditional, it’s all there!” Eventually, their growing involvement helped Hayley and Lee make the decision to move back to Gastonia. FPC Gastonia had become their home.
This meant that Hayley joined the rest of her family in worshipping together. “It’s been great!” Hayley exclaims. “I can’t think of any negative impact of sharing this place with my parents and my grandmother.” When Hayley and Lee first joined, her mother, Cynthia, was serving as a deacon and became a wealth of knowledge as they began to understand how the church worked. Later on, Hayley lovingly remembers when they would bring her son, Anderson, into worship at the end of the service, causing her grandmother’s eyes to light up as Anderson hugged her. “In her nineties, that made her day. And we wouldn’t get to do that if we didn’t share this home together.”
Hayley grew up attending First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, so in addition to her husband and two children, her parents and grandmother are also members. Together, they make up four generations, ranging in age from 1 to 90, giving Hayley the perfect perspective on what it means for God’s love to span generations.
Hayley was baptized and grew up in this congregation, so when she and her husband, Lee, became engaged, she was adamant that they would be married at FPC Gastonia. Once they were married, Hayley and Lee began looking for a church home, and while Hayley was okay with a traditional service, Lee really wanted to participate in something more contemporary. At the time, FPC Gastonia only offered a traditional service, so they began looking for a church home closer to where they lived in Lake Wylie. But God was busy at work! At the same time Hayley and Lee began looking for a church, Thrive was conceived, and after hearing about it, Hayley and her family became regulars. “It was crazy how it all fell together.” Hayley shares. “Lee and I talk about how it was God going, ‘Hey, here is everything you need.’ If you want to go to the contemporary, if you want to go to the traditional, it’s all there!” Eventually, their growing involvement helped Hayley and Lee make the decision to move back to Gastonia. FPC Gastonia had become their home.
This meant that Hayley joined the rest of her family in worshipping together. “It’s been great!” Hayley exclaims. “I can’t think of any negative impact of sharing this place with my parents and my grandmother.” When Hayley and Lee first joined, her mother, Cynthia, was serving as a deacon and became a wealth of knowledge as they began to understand how the church worked. Later on, Hayley lovingly remembers when they would bring her son, Anderson, into worship at the end of the service, causing her grandmother’s eyes to light up as Anderson hugged her. “In her nineties, that made her day. And we wouldn’t get to do that if we didn’t share this home together.”
When it comes to her children, it was just as important to Hayley that they feel at home. Hayley explains that Anderson loves coming to church. Whether it’s for Sunday School or worship, he loves to see his friends and he loves music. Hayley beams as she talks about how Matt Smith engages with Anderson and his love of music each week at Thrive. “I just think that it’s so important for kids, in this world we live in today, to have another safe place other than home to feel comfortable. They come here and they are supported, taught, and loved by other members, not just their parents and their family.” Hayley explains that she also wanted her children to be able to create long-lasting friendships with other kids their age. At FPC Gastonia, she watches as her kids get to have fun and grow in a Christian environment with their friends. She can see that their peers have the same values and are walking the same path alongside them.
When Hayley thinks about the church members who have made an impact on the lives of her family, there are too many to name. Be it the pastors, Sunday School Teachers, committee members, “I could go on and on about who all has impacted my life here,” Hayley laughs. But what sticks out to Hayley the most are not the big things, but the little things. Like someone coming up after church just to check-in, or bringing a meal by after their daughter, Evie, was born. ”Everybody is just so nice and genuine. It’s not like, ‘Let me go talk to them because I have to.’” Hayley explains, “They genuinely care.” And Hayley hopes that her family can have the same kind of impact on those around them. “We just want to leave here making things a little bit better than when we came.” And Hayley doesn’t mean that to imply that things need work! On the contrary, Hayley envisions a church where each member’s contributions help to better the whole. “If my family can make it 1% better than what it was, whether it be with time, talents, or treasures and then everyone else in the congregation can offer their 1%, then just imagine what we can do together within our church and with our neighbors in the community.”
This article is part of a weekly series featuring FPC Gastonia members as part of our Generation to Generation Campaign. Check-in next week as we hear another member's story!
When Hayley thinks about the church members who have made an impact on the lives of her family, there are too many to name. Be it the pastors, Sunday School Teachers, committee members, “I could go on and on about who all has impacted my life here,” Hayley laughs. But what sticks out to Hayley the most are not the big things, but the little things. Like someone coming up after church just to check-in, or bringing a meal by after their daughter, Evie, was born. ”Everybody is just so nice and genuine. It’s not like, ‘Let me go talk to them because I have to.’” Hayley explains, “They genuinely care.” And Hayley hopes that her family can have the same kind of impact on those around them. “We just want to leave here making things a little bit better than when we came.” And Hayley doesn’t mean that to imply that things need work! On the contrary, Hayley envisions a church where each member’s contributions help to better the whole. “If my family can make it 1% better than what it was, whether it be with time, talents, or treasures and then everyone else in the congregation can offer their 1%, then just imagine what we can do together within our church and with our neighbors in the community.”
This article is part of a weekly series featuring FPC Gastonia members as part of our Generation to Generation Campaign. Check-in next week as we hear another member's story!
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