Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Glenn.
Hi Alex, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a country boy born in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was born with many medical issues like asthma and bone deficiencies that the prayers of my Father, Morgan Glenn brought me through. Ever since the age of 5 years old, I have had a speech impediment, a stutter, that at times would prohibit me from even saying my name. It was so embarrassing, but over the years I have gotten good at hiding it.
At the age of 9 years old, I gave my life to Christ, and at the age of 13 years old, I knew I was called to preach. I preached my first sermon at 13 and WITH a speech impediment I did not stutter or struggle with my speech one time. I knew this was confirmation that this was my path and calling. I continued down this path on and off all through high school and college. During my last year of high school (2015), my father was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and he was laid off from his job for being a preacher.
Throughout college, I struggled with finances and identity, being a biracial male, I never felt white enough for the white kids or black enough for the black kids and I just tried to get in wherever I could fit in. I was a first-generation college student and life was hard. In 2018 my best friend and roommate committed suicide, and not a few months later in the early months of 2019, my mother passed away in a freak accident. I was a 21-year-old first-generation college student who had to bury and eulogize his mother. This was further confirmation of my calling to be a preacher. In 2020, I was on track to graduate, and the pandemic, Covid-19 hit and ruined all of that for me.
I finished college but never got to celebrate the accomplishment. I moved back home where my father was struggling to make ends meet and entered the toughest phase in my life. For 2 years, I was unemployed and enrolled at Liberty University where I pursued my Master’s in Divinity. For the rest of 2020, I struggled with depression and self-worth as all of my peers had great jobs and job security while I was home and unemployed. In 2021, I started the year with a cyst that was discovered on my body and there was real belief that it was cancerous.
My family pulled together and we prayed the cancerous was found to be benign and it was removed through a surgical procedure. 2 months later I ruptured my Achilles tendon and with surgical procedure, I am out of commission for 7-8 months. Lastly, in 2021, I caught the rarest form of “Hand, foot, and mouth disease.” This being the toughest year of my life I go into 2022 with new motivation and apply to every Higher education Job possible. One school took a chance on me and that was Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. They hired me and in June of 2022, I moved 12 hours away from Charlotte to Memphis, TN. The day I moved here, my father and I were huge fans of Dr. Frank E. Ray Sr. (Pastor of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church) and we went by the church to buy some of his sermons.
Dr. Ray ends up being in his bookstore and tells me “You are going to be my Youth Minister, and I am going to take you under my wing.” Never have I met Dr. Ray and he knew that I would work for him and he said God told him. Since June of 2022, I remained faithful and attended the church for the remainder of the year, and in August of 2022, I graduated from Liberty University and continued to reach young adults through Rhodes College.
At the beginning of 2023, I started working for New Salem, and by the grace of God, and the help of the team our youth and young adult dept. has more than doubled since our tenure. New Salem has sent students to schools with scholarships under Dr. Frank Ray, we had an incredible Youth Day in March to spotlight our talent, a graduation ceremony in May to highlight our students, a back-to-school drive that sent over 100 students to school with backpacks and full of supplies, a Breast Cancer Awareness drive that raised around $1,500 to go towards breast cancer research, and a “Harvest fest” which is a Halloween event that had well over 5oo kids from the local community in attendance.
On top of having experiences like “church at the park,” and “church at the zoo,” Fall break activities, Spring Break activities, and sending our kids to camps and training them in proper etiquette and mannerisms, God has truly been kind to us. Through all of my adversity, God has placed me in a city that people say “is high in crime and not a place to call home,” but God has called it a city “where my hands can work and I can get the glory.” I am glad to be chosen by God to be a part of changing the city!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. I have had a speech impediment my entire life, and God has chosen a profession for me where my main role is to speak. I have suffered with identity crises most of my life and until I got to college, I was never comfortable in my skin. My parents divorced when I was 4 years old, and my dad raised us alone all of my life.
My dad was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and forced to quit his job because he was a preacher. Financially we never had plenty we always had just enough and at times not enough. My best friend in college committed suicide when I was 21 years old, and I found him in his room. On top of that a few months later my mother died in a freak accident, and I had to eulogize my mother. I was the first to graduate but didn’t get to celebrate because COVID-19 ruined that for all of us.
I was unemployed with no job for 2 years and stayed home under my father who was struggling. I had a cancer scare with a cyst that was found on my body, I ruptured my Achilles, and had hand foot, and mouth disease all in the same year (2021). I got offered a job in 2022 but it was in Memphis, TN over 12 hours away from my closest friend, loved one, or relative. The road has been far from smooth, and it has been the toughest journey as of late.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am currently a Residence Life Coordinator at Rhodes College here in Memphis, Tennessee, but my calling and career is to be a Preacher. I mentioned I was called to preach when I was 13 years old, and many people know me in Memphis for my singing and preaching of the Gospel.
God has gifted me with the ability to speak to people, to say something that will leave them feeling new and motivated. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Master’s in Divinity: Biblical Studies, and I am currently working on my Doctorate of Ministry: Expository Preaching and Teaching.
I am most proud of myself for the educational accomplishments that I have. I was the first in my family to graduate college and the only person in my family to get a post-graduate degree.
What sets me apart from others would be my race. I am biracial, both African American, and white, and when it comes to public speaking and preaching, I have the gift from God to connect with anyone in the room. No matter the audience or background I can relate to them in some way, shape, form, or fashion.
God has blessed me to have a combined 28.5k+ followers across all social media platforms because of my unique style of old and new school mixed. I am also set apart because of who I sit under. I sit under one of the greatest Pastors/preachers to ever walk the earth and that is Dr. Frank Edward Ray Sr.
Who else deserves credit for your story?
First and foremost, I give all of the honor and credit to God. He has been so kind to me and blessed me with his favor.
My father, Rev. Morgan Andre Glenn is a pastor at Mowing Glade AME Zion Church in Charlotte, NC, and has been a superhero in my eyes. Without him, I truly do not know where I would be and I am grateful he has never been a jealous father!
My Grandmother, Marilyn Parks, who has been my mother all of my life ensured that I had enough whooping’s and spanking to last me a lifetime lol.
My family: Jordan Glenn, AJ Glenn (Brothers)/ Anna Glenn, Taryn Robinson, Chazlyn Robinson (sisters)/ Astian Glenn (stepmom) have motivated me and pushed me every step of the way to chase my calling and never shunned me away from the spotlight and big moments.
Dr. Frank E Ray Sr. has been my “father in the ministry” and has taught me so much in such a short time. He took a chance on me and put me in his pulpit before he ever heard me preach and I am grateful for him and his leadership.
Dr. Charles Tate, Dr. James Morgan, Dr. Marcus Wilson, and Dr. Brian Bartlett Jr. Sons of New Salem, are brothers and mentors to me who have taken me under their arms and showed me nothing but love.
Judi Blaylock, my girlfriend of 8 years and counting has stood by me every step of the way and motivated me to chase my calling nonstop.
Contact Info:
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rev_glenn
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alex_glenn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.glenn.9
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-glenn-52a4bb199?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvqUVYjrSISck_tGUKfo5gA
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@rev.alexglenn/
