Pastor's Biography

Biography – Reverend Reginald E. Bradshaw

Rev. Reginald E. Bradshaw is a native of Kinston, NC where he grew up in the family enriched neighborhood of the Georgetown community. He is the second child of the late Mary Elizabeth Bradshaw and the late Levi Stevenson, Jr. He has one brother, Dexter, and two sisters, Tanya and Pearl. He is a graduate of Kinston High School and Lenoir Community College. He continued his educational endeavors beneath the “maples and oaks” of Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. Since 1983, he has worked for the State of North Carolina as an Educational Development Assistant with the Caswell Center. He is known for his compassion, his friendly nature and the dedicated nature by which he provides care for developmentally disabled adults.

Rev. Bradshaw’s call to ministry came to him in 2001. He was called to preach the gospel while serving as a faithful member of St. Luke AME Zion Church under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Josie F. Clark. At St. Luke, he served as choir president, taught adult and young adult Sunday school and bible study.

Rev. Bradshaw preached his initial sermon on April1, 2001 preaching from the subject, “It’s An Inside Job” (II Kings 17). After which, he was licensed as an exhorter by Rev. Clyde L. Murphy, Presiding Elder of the Washington District of the North Carolina conference. He served as an exhorter for one year and was then licensed as a local preacher in 2002. In 2003, he joined the North Carolina conference under the Episcopal leadership of Bishop George E. Battle. This was the beginning of God’s greater plan.

During the 2004 Annual Conference, Presiding Elder of the New Bern district, Rev. William L. Wainwright, recommended Bradshaw for pastoring. Under God’s great guidance, Bishop Richard K. Thompson appointed Bradshaw as pastor of Little Zion African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Sneads Ferry. The following January, with a multitude of his new church members in the congregation, Bradshaw was ordained and received his Deacon’s orders with Bishop Richard K. Thompson serving as celebrant. He went on to receive his Elder’s orders in January 2006.

The Lord has continually blessed Pastor Bradshaw and his work at Little Zion. Under his leadership, the church has grown numerically, physically and most importantly, spiritually. Little Zion has raised her steeple high throughout the Sneads Ferry community and the New Bern district.

Pastor Bradshaw serves as advisor to the Virgin Island Services, member of the Board of Evangelism, and often teaches on the district during combined meetings. He teaches and preaches the Word of God with power and conviction making it relevant and practical to everyday living.

He expresses himself in an eloquent, yet simple fashion so that the “hearers of the word” have a clarity that can transcend to being “doers of the word.” He firmly believes that “good” singing and music serve to enhance the worship experience and often shares his gift of song to offer praise and thanksgiving to God.