Greetings! My name is Kevin Myers, and I am very excited to begin my ministry as the Director/Campus Minister of Liturgy and Music at Newman! I come from a loving and supportive family that raised me in the Catholic faith and I have one brother who is a music minister in Mechanicsburg, PA. Having ministry as a family affair for us has been such a blessing!
I am a native of Harrisburg, PA where I went through the Catholic school system from K-12 before attending Messiah College in Grantham, PA, where I received my BA in Music with a Minor in Church Music. During my time at Messiah, I studied Trombone, Piano, and Organ in a variety of styles. Following graduation in 2014, I began my Master of Music program in Jazz Trombone performance at Towson University in Towson, MD, where I graduated in 2016 (fun fact: like Mizzou, Towson’s colors are black and gold and has the mascot of a tiger!). Following my Masters program, I truly felt God work through me as I was deciding where my career would take me.
Prior to college, I had begun music ministry as a weekend pianist, organist, and vocalist at two local parishes in Harrisburg. While I enjoyed this ministry and the financial support it gave me through college, I had begun to realize that this was not just a “weekend gig” for me anymore. Rather, God was telling me it was to be my ministerial mission to spread His love to all through the divine worship of Him. Having this realization, I took a chance and enrolled in the Doctor of Worship Studies program at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, FL — a school that focuses solely on Masters and Doctoral education in Worship Studies. At IWS, I learned the biblical, historical, and theological foundations of Christian Worship from an ecumenical perspective — something that I have always valued in my life and gained an even deeper appreciation for during my time at IWS. My thesis entitled “Becoming Disciples: Learning how to Love God, Love Others, and Love the World,” was recently accepted and my studies have concluded, however through the process of researching and writing on discipleship, I realized I was being called to work not only in worship, but also to live as a disciple to college students through Campus Ministry.
My worship career has taken me to many wonderful places in the last 10 years, and I am so grateful that now I am able to be evangelizing the knowledge and love of worship to college students here in Columbia. I never had a Newman Center in college, and I know that I missed out from that absence in my life. I am greatly blessed and humbled to be able to work with students here and help them to understand how to know, love, and serve our Lord and spread that to all they encounter.
Outside of my ministry life, you can catch me spending time with my wife Kristen and two dogs Yadi and Norah as well as performing as a freelance musician! My wife and I enjoy going hiking, cheering on our favorite sports teams (one of which is the St. Louis Cardinals), and exploring the local restaurant and brewery scene!
Just as God said to St. Francis of Assisi — we are all called to build His church, not structurally, but spiritually. I look forward to continuing to build His church here at St. Thomas More.
Pax Et Bonum (Peace and All Good),
Kevin M. Myers, DWS