(UnitedVoice.com) – Briarwood Presbyterian Church Pastor Harry Reeder III was widely known in the religious community. The Birmingham, Alabama, pastor began leading the church in 1999 when the church’s founder, Rev. Frank Barker, retired. Sadly, his service came to an end in a terrible way.
On March 18, Reeder was traveling in a 2022 Buick Envision when he slammed into the back of a dump truck that was making a turn. The wreck happened just after 10 a.m. When first responders arrived on the scene, they pronounced the beloved pastor dead. The 38-year-old driver of the dump truck, Brad Dawson, was not injured in the accident.
Briarwood put a statement out on Twitter announcing the pastor’s death. The church asked the community to pray for his wife, Cindy, and children, Ike, Abby, and Jennifer.
It is with a deeply heavy heart that we communicate to you that our Lord has called our Pastor Reeder home through a car accident. Please pray for Cindy, Jennifer, Ike, Abby and their entire family as well as our staff and church family as we all grieve this loss together.
— Briarwood PCA (@briarwoodpca) May 18, 2023
The statement went on to say they were not grieving “without hope” because their “pastor is with His Savior and has been received by grace.”
But we do not grieve without hope because we know our pastor is with His Savior and has been received by grace with – “Well done My good and faithful servant.”
— Briarwood PCA (@briarwoodpca) May 18, 2023
Pastor Bruce Stallings, the Briarwood Presbyterian executive, said that the community feels a “tremendous loss,” but they know their “deep loss is His greatest gain,” and for that reason, they are rejoicing.
Reeder began his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University. When he married his wife, he dropped out so she could earn her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Eventually, Reeder re-enrolled at the university but left again when the Lord called on him to serve. In 1974, he finally received his undergraduate degree in History and Bible from Covenant College.
The pastor served ministries in Tennessee, Florida, and North Carolina, before moving on to Alabama. In addition to his work in the church, Reeder hosted a podcast and wrote books.
In addition to his wife and children, he’s survived by many grandchildren and a legacy that will serve his community for decades to come.
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