Texas
Chasing his dreams
Gallimore anchors news, preaches.
Chase Gallimore has a made-for-TV name. That’s appropriate, too, given his day job — er, night job.
Gallimore, 27, anchors the weeknight news for KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas, which is known locally as ABC 25.
But on weekends, he steps behind the pulpit of the College Church of Christ, where he serves as the preacher.
Gallimore grew up in Huntsville, Ala., and studied communication at Auburn University. Still an avid Auburn Tigers football fan, he’s pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Christian Chronicle, he talked about his life, ministry and career.
Some highlights:
• His background: “When I was about 10 or 11, along with some other families in our area, my family started a new congregation in Huntsville called the Winchester Road Church of Christ. I started serving during worship service at a pretty young age. I was baptized when I was 12.
“Beginning in the third grade, I was part of the Lads to Leaders program. I really feel like this program played a significant role in my development.”
• His childhood ambition: “In the third grade, I won the very first speech competition I ever entered. From that moment, I knew I wanted to talk to people for a living. I just wasn’t sure what that meant.”
• What he likes best about anchoring the news: “It is pretty neat to walk around town, and a stranger comes up and says, ‘You are doing a great job,’ or just walks up and says hello. But working in the eye of the public can be bad as well. I once had a viewer call in and tell me I looked like I did not brush my hair that particular day.
“I have also had a lot of great experiences because of my work with the news. Just this past February, I did a special report called ‘Chasing Your Dreams’ where I got to fly an airplane for the first time.”
• His future plans: “I plan on sticking with the news business for a while and seeing where it leads me. I would like to continue to preach wherever I end up. 1 Peter 3:15 says, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’ I am very passionate about sharing the good news about Jesus Christ.”
• Faith’s role in his life: “When I was a student at Auburn University, my campus minister shared a philosophy that I have tried to live by ever since. He said, ‘You are not a student that just happens to be a Christian. You are a Christian that just happens to be a student.’ I think we should all model our lives this way. My No. 1 priority in life is to bring glory to God.
“I am no longer a student. But I am a Christian that just happens to be a news anchor and a preacher.”
• His communication skills: “My experience anchoring and reporting has helped me develop my communication skills. I write every day when I am working at the TV station.
“So, I think that really helps me improve my ability to tell a story. I use a lot of the same skills with my two jobs. I am just glad they don’t make me wear makeup in the pulpit. I usually preach from a script. It would be nice if I could get a teleprompter like I have at the TV station.”
• His best sermon: “My first ‘real’ sermon was about Gideon. It is amazing how God uses ordinary men to do great things. That one was pretty special. But it certainly was not my best.
“One of my recent favorites was about Moses and his encounter with God at the burning bush in Exodus 3. The title was, ‘Take a Look at Your Shoes.’”
Gallimore, 27, anchors the weeknight news for KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas, which is known locally as ABC 25.
But on weekends, he steps behind the pulpit of the College Church of Christ, where he serves as the preacher.
Gallimore grew up in Huntsville, Ala., and studied communication at Auburn University. Still an avid Auburn Tigers football fan, he’s pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Christian Chronicle, he talked about his life, ministry and career.
Some highlights:
• His background: “When I was about 10 or 11, along with some other families in our area, my family started a new congregation in Huntsville called the Winchester Road Church of Christ. I started serving during worship service at a pretty young age. I was baptized when I was 12.
“Beginning in the third grade, I was part of the Lads to Leaders program. I really feel like this program played a significant role in my development.”
• His childhood ambition: “In the third grade, I won the very first speech competition I ever entered. From that moment, I knew I wanted to talk to people for a living. I just wasn’t sure what that meant.”
• What he likes best about anchoring the news: “It is pretty neat to walk around town, and a stranger comes up and says, ‘You are doing a great job,’ or just walks up and says hello. But working in the eye of the public can be bad as well. I once had a viewer call in and tell me I looked like I did not brush my hair that particular day.
“I have also had a lot of great experiences because of my work with the news. Just this past February, I did a special report called ‘Chasing Your Dreams’ where I got to fly an airplane for the first time.”
• His future plans: “I plan on sticking with the news business for a while and seeing where it leads me. I would like to continue to preach wherever I end up. 1 Peter 3:15 says, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’ I am very passionate about sharing the good news about Jesus Christ.”
• Faith’s role in his life: “When I was a student at Auburn University, my campus minister shared a philosophy that I have tried to live by ever since. He said, ‘You are not a student that just happens to be a Christian. You are a Christian that just happens to be a student.’ I think we should all model our lives this way. My No. 1 priority in life is to bring glory to God.
“I am no longer a student. But I am a Christian that just happens to be a news anchor and a preacher.”
• His communication skills: “My experience anchoring and reporting has helped me develop my communication skills. I write every day when I am working at the TV station.
“So, I think that really helps me improve my ability to tell a story. I use a lot of the same skills with my two jobs. I am just glad they don’t make me wear makeup in the pulpit. I usually preach from a script. It would be nice if I could get a teleprompter like I have at the TV station.”
• His best sermon: “My first ‘real’ sermon was about Gideon. It is amazing how God uses ordinary men to do great things. That one was pretty special. But it certainly was not my best.
“One of my recent favorites was about Moses and his encounter with God at the burning bush in Exodus 3. The title was, ‘Take a Look at Your Shoes.’”
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