Desert Spring United Methodist’s new pastor experienced

By Jeff O'Brien

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight

Desert Spring United Methodist Church welcomed Reverend David Devereaux as its new pastor on July 1, making the 10-year resident of Las Vegas the newest leader of a growing congregation in the heart of Summerlin.

Born in Chicago and raised in Phoenix, Devereaux said he felt a call to ministry when he was 16 years old — although he didn't act on it until he was in his early 30s.

"For several years I basically avoided my calling," Devereaux, 53, said. "I had other interests I wanted to explore, but ministry was always there and never left. So I finally decided to pursue it seriously."

After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a degree in psychology, Devereaux received a Masters of Divinity from Princeton University Theological Seminary in New Jersey in 1990.

He then served at two churches in Arizona before being appointed senior pastor at University United Methodist Church in Las Vegas in 1998.

In 2003, Devereaux was named the North District Superintendent — one of four superintendents who oversee all of the Methodist churches in Arizona, Southern Nevada and parts of Southern California.

One of the responsibilities of the cabinet of superintendents is to assign pastors to different churches.

"Once my term was up, I asked to come here so I could stay in Las Vegas with my family," he said. "Luckily, I was able to do that."

Devereaux succeeds Rev. Tom Mattick, who left Desert Spring to join a relatively new church in Centennial Hills called Daybreak United Methodist Church.

"It's a congregation of about 50 people that started two years ago," Devereaux said. "Tom is hoping to help them grow and perhaps build a new church."

As for Desert Spring United Methodist, which boasts a congregation of approximately 660 members, plans are in the works to expand the church's facilities.

Located at 120 N. Pavilion Center Drive, across the street from Palo Verde High School, the church owns an empty 5-acre lot right next door that it hopes to use to build a new sanctuary.

The church also plans to construct an additional parking lot to accommodate the gradually increasing size of the congregation — Devereaux said that since he took over as pastor in July, he's seen 20 to 30 additional guests each Sunday morning.

Desert Spring United Methodist Church was founded in Sun City Summerlin 17 years ago and began using the gymnasium at Palo Verde High School in 1996 until the current facility was constructed in October 2000.

"It's a really good location," Devereaux said. "The high school is right across the street and we're surrounded by neighborhoods. We're right in the middle of everything."

After his first two months as pastor, Devereaux said one of the most impressive aspects of the church has been the support ministries provided for those in need of help.

"We have a great cancer support group and alcoholic anonymous meetings," he said. "Those have all been well-attended and are very supportive. We also have an excellent music ministry and a children and youth ministry."

When he's not delivering a sermon, Devereaux and his wife Geri are busy looking after their nine children — four biological and five adopted.

"They all keep me very busy," he said.

Devereaux can also be found gardening in his backyard, which he says is therapeutic. But he said that preaching and teaching on Sunday mornings are his true passions and that he never considers them to be "work."

"There is a lot of energy here on Sundays," Devereaux said. "It's a great celebration and people feel really uplifted. When people leave church on Sundays, I want them to feel like it was worthwhile."

Jeff O'Brien is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-8957 or [email protected].