Called to Faith
Photo by Dani Gabel
“I would kind of do whatever I wanted or whatever I’d feel without any repercussions.”
A freedom to live however he wanted marked Nick McShannon’s high school and young adult years. Nick’s involvement in church was infrequent up through his middle school years, mostly attending services on Christmas and Easter. Once he hit high school, Nick stopped attending church completely. Yet God was not finished with Nick, even if Nick felt finished with God. Through the loss of both his grandfather and his brother-in-law, God never stopped pursuing Nick, inviting him back into relationship.
Nick’s life changed with the birth of his daughter Nevaeh with his then-girlfriend. In his early twenties, Nevaeh’s arrival signified a need to embrace the responsibility of being a dad. Although his relationship didn’t work out, Nick continued to be an involved parent.
When Nevaeh was three years old, Nick attended a party that his mom hosted at her house in Council Bluffs. Peggy Hattam, friend of his mom, shared that she had a daughter his age that who had just moved back to Omaha from South Carolina. Nick decided to call Heather to invite her to the party so that they could meet. Heather decided to meet him at the party. Nick shared that since that day, they haven’t left each other’s side. In 2012, after two years of dating, Heather and Nick were married.
Photos provided by Nick McShannon
Nevaeh was eight years old when she started attending church with her great-grandmother. A foundation of faith was slowly being built in her life, the desire to be baptized growing in her heart. Despite Nevaeh’s growing faith, Nick remained distant from God. In 2016, after suffering a significant stroke, Nick’s grandfather passed away. Nick felt like his grandparents were the ones who raised him and made him the man he is today. He and his grandfather shared a special bond, and after his passing, Nick was angry with God. He shared, “I didn’t want to go to church or even hear about church.”
God continued to call Nick back to himself through the faith of Nevaeh. Nick and Heather enrolled Nevaeh in a catholic school, where she began catechism classes. The school encouraged Nick and Heather to start attending the church. They were told that if they became members, they could receive a scholarship for Nevaeh’s education. When they talked with the priest about becoming members, they were met with obstacles that felt insurmountable. Nick left feeling discouraged, a bad taste in his mouth.
In 2020, just as the world began to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nick and the rest of his family suffered a devastating loss. His brother-in-law, Josh, who had dealt with a drug addiction for many years, died from an accidental fentanyl overdose. The family grieved in different ways under exceedingly difficult circumstances. Nevaeh, who was being homeschooled at the time, was searching for a community in which to belong. Peggy, Nick’s mother-in-law, found Christ Community Church and began bringing Nevaeh to CCC Middle School. Peggy began attending GriefShare, one of CCC’s Renewal Groups, and began healing from the loss of her son. Blossoming in her faith and love for Jesus, Nevaeh She decided it was time to get baptized.
Photos by Tara Pierce
The first time Nick stepped into CCC was to support his daughter’s baptism on November 21, 2021. He felt blinded from his past church hurt when he walked into the atrium. “It was a lot, I felt out of place, like I was being judged.” Lead Minister Mark Ashton’s sermon that week was part of the Experiencing God series. Mark listed off different people in the Bible and some of their shortcomings to show that they were imperfect people, but they were still used by God. Hearing how God used these people began to change the way Nick started to see God’s character. Mark invited anyone who wanted to be baptized to talk with someone out in the atrium. Feelings of being judged or the fear of being judged fell away. He realized he wasn’t being judged; he was being invited into something new. Nick surrendered his life to Christ, telling his wife: “We are definitely coming back here!”
Since then, Nick has experienced a hunger to know more about who God is. The more he has learned about him, the more his anxiety lessened. Nick set a goal to read through the entire Old Testament before he got was baptized. Nick began to read his Bible starting in December 2021, explaining everything he was learning to his Heather and Nevaeh. After he finished reading the Old Testament, Heather encouraged him to start reading the New Testament. Nick finished reading the entire Bible in six months. When Mark announced upcoming baptism opportunities, Nevaeh would nudge him. “It’s your time to be baptized,” she said. After the baptisms in February 2023, Nick decided it was time. But baptism wasn’t just on Nick’s heart—Peggy also wanted to be baptized but needed a little nudge too. Nick deciding to get baptized encouraged Peggy to step out in faith too.
Photo by Dani Gabel
Nevaeh baptized Nick in March 2023, a special moment of what God has been doing in the McShannon family, starting with Nevaeh’s faith. Nevaeh shared that before her dad came to know Jesus, she couldn’t talk about her faith with her dad without upsetting him. She wanted to share what she was learning about Jesus, but he was closed off from God. Since Nick came to know Jesus, not only does Nevaeh get to share her faith with her dad, but they are excited to watch The Chosen together, which is something that would have never happened before.
Though Nick and his family have suffered losses that have tested them, the journey toward knowing God has been transformational. Nevaeh has even noticed that Nick has been is filled with so much joy since she was baptized. As Nick looks toward a future filled with following God whole-heartedly, he has a strong Nick has shared that he has grown in a desire to share his faith and what he has learned through life’s trials with others. He now and desires to serve the Lord with whatever opportunities God has in store for him.
Story by Wendy Bornmann
Edited by Rachel Bebee
