My name is Nathan Leslie. I'm a local boy, having grown up on a nearby dairy farm that has been in my family since 1815. My faith in Jesus started on my grandma’s knee, where she sang hymns to me, and taught me about him. I was also blessed to grow up in the church. My journey following God’s calling started at the age of 14 with a school career project, when the words “Have you ever thought what it would be like to work for God?” flicked on a divine lightbulb in my head.

That moment has shaped the next twenty-five years of my life. After graduating from Mohawk High School, I attended both Grove City College and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. After completing all of that, I was also ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Shenango in 2010. That gave me the title "Reverend" and so I've now earned the nickname "The Rev" around the church and community.

My wife Mary Kay (a Bessemer native) and I are blessed to have two school-age sons. The boys keep us busy, but they've also taught us so much about life and love. We spent five years as foster parents as well, and fostered 11 different children during that time. We make our home in Bessemer with our two dogs, two cats, and a turtle (plus the chickens in our backyard).

I like music (all kinds... plus I play several instruments). I'm also a tech-junkie, with all sorts of gadgets. I love trains (both models and chasing real ones), studying history and genealogy, doing yard and home repair work, and gardening. I am a huge football fan (especially the Philadelphia Eagles... Go birds!!). I enjoy the outdoors, especially camping, hiking and swimming. And I love to laugh and enjoy life, especially with family and friends.

I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but I trusted that God did. Alongside those faithful elders, we spent time in prayer, reflection on Scripture, study, assessing our gifts and the needs of the community, and listening for what the Spirit was leading us to be and to do, the result was a transformation: a transformation of our lives, a transformation of the congregation, and a transformation of our approach and understanding of the church. Suddenly, we became a body of believers on a mission in our community. We no longer saw ourselves as a dying church, but now as a church that embodied the heart of the Gospel, a resurrection hope; we were a church emerging from near death by the power of the Holy Spirit. From there, more lives were transformed as God did some pretty amazing things through the blessed saints who worked alongside me (very patiently) in that time, and I know they had as much influence on me as my professors in seminary.

The initial plan for this was a three-year arrangement; but things had been going so well, neither of us was ready to be finished. On June 13, 2010, I was unanimously called by the congregation as the next installed pastor, the position to which I was then ordained and installed on July 11 of that year. In three years time, I became the full-time minister of the church.

The story of the next decade or so is one of new challenges and flourishing ministry. We became a multi-generational congregation, where children are welcome, loved and upheld as integral to our worship and communal life. In fact, this ministry to children and youth, though small by some scales, has been an essential piece of our ministry. But also, the church sees itself as a church “for the community;” we must go outside our walls ministering to the vast number of people who would never feel comfortable darkening the doors of a church.

At first, it was through our local library, the F.D. Campbell Memorial Library, where I worked part-time to supplement my income for a few years. I established relationships with number of folks from the community during that time (including my future wife).

It soon became apparent that there was a need for a gathering space in our community. Wouldn't it be great to have a space where "church-types" like me could meet and engage with people in a "non-church" setting? After discerning this possibility with my mom (who felt a similar calling), it was then that two local youth pastors approached me because they shared this same vision. After months of conversation and prayer, we established a ministry we called Mohawk Coffee House (MoCo House) in 2012. We immediately drew members of our churches and members from two others who shared our vision. Together, we worked for two years to create a safe-space to interact with our community, build relationships, and make Jesus known in word and deed. MoCo House finally opened in December 2014, and this experience has led me to encounter Jesus in so many ways in our community, and to make his presence known in the lives of so many. This place, and the people who are invested in it, have been a huge blessing to me. I volunteered behind the counter for six years before taking a hiatus to pursue other avenues; but I am still a regular patron of MoCo House, which serves as a mobile office and a meeting space for me. I’m there at least daily, talking with our volunteers and patrons. After all, this is how I see Jesus ministering in his world, and because ministry is, frankly, carrying on Jesus' ministry by the Holy Spirit, it's the best way to practice ministry. This has embodied my mode of ministry… being out among the people, taking the church to the world.

From this has come a deeper level of involvement in the working of our larger community. Because of relationships built with our community members through their patronage of the coffee house, doors were opened to new avenues for ministry and community service. I served for a time as the chaplain of both the Bessemer Police Department and the Bessemer Volunteer Fire Department. In 2018, I was elected to a four-year term of service on the Bessemer Borough Council, and soon-after was selected by that board to serve as president. I continued in this role until there was a vacancy in the office of mayor, and in January of 2021, I was appointed to finish that term as mayor of Bessemer. I was then elected to my first full term as mayor in November 2021, and will continue in that role through at least December of 2025. These roles have all been challenging but rewarding, as I’ve both build relationships and has helped me to shaping public policy and provide for the common good of our community. I'm especially blessed to be an advocate and support for the fantastic police officers who serve and protect our borough.

One day in December 2022, the interim pastor of a neighboring church reached out to me looking for someone who could possibly take on this church and another to provide a full-time pastoral relationship. The Spirit was at work, and that conversation ultimately led to a shared pastoral relationship between Bessemer Presbyterian and Petersburg Presbyterian Church of Petersburg, OH. The two congregations are very similar in so many ways, and I began my duties as pastor there on July 1, 2023, 16 years to the day that I started at Bessemer Church. This relationship is about more than just sharing a pastor. The members see themselves as friends, as brothers and sisters in Christ, and partners in ministry. The Spirit has given birth to a truly beautiful thing with this arrangement.

If you would like to check out my sermons, you may do so here:

And please, check out the two amazing congregations I serve! You can visit the Petersburg website below.

And I welcome you to join us each week, with the service at Petersburg at 9:30 a.m. and at Bessemer at 11:00 a.m.