Giving Days 2026
Parents' Fund
Find out how this fund makes a difference in the lives of our students and their families.
A Southeastern Family: Jan and David Gagnon
Jan and David Gagnon are parents to Nick Gagnon, a pastor, missionary, and Southeastern Seminary Master of Divinity graduate. Seeing the transformation in their son’s life challenged Jan and David to partner with Southeastern financially — supporting the work of equipping future students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. Read the Gagnon’s story below!
Tell me a little about your family.
We have three boys. The oldest of our boys is a worship leader in one of the churches close by here. The middle one is a junior high P.E. teacher and coach. He has a mission field of his own. Nick is the youngest and is now in Massachusetts. He was abroad for five years. We have eight grandchildren.
How did Nick end up at Southeastern?
He went to Columbus State, and he played basketball. After he finished college, he went up to visit Southeastern. Afterward, there was never really any question in his mind: “This is where I want to be.” He didn’t know anybody up there. He didn’t have any real connections, but he said, “From what I see, this is where I want to go.” So that’s how he ended up there.
Where did he go after Southeastern?
Nick and his wife moved straight to East Asia after seminary. Southeastern challenged him in so many ways to be open to going overseas. He said that a missional heart was built into him while he studied there. He then went to Slovakia. After that, he and his wife moved up to Massachusetts to pastor there.
How did you see him grow at Southeastern?
I saw so much growth — in his faith, in his commitment to the Lord, and in his knowledge. We have had some amazing discussions about the Bible and about the way to look at things. And then, as I saw him begin to pastor, I realized, “Okay, Southeastern really had a huge effect on him.” I think they did such a good job of teaching him how to shepherd and care for people.
He also told me the other day, “Southeastern taught me a lot about how to think and how to have a critical thinking process through a Christ-centered lens.”
Why would you encourage your friends to send their children to Southeastern?
I think you get close to people; it’s like a family. You know, Nick still has friends there. He has a friend who planted a church who went to seminary with him, and he’ll go and speak at his church occasionally when they’re ever down this way.
I also think you need those classroom times and to be there with other people. You need to discuss; you need to hear. It’s one thing to just watch something online, and it’s another thing to actually be there in person and experience all these things. The training that I saw him get has been so instrumental in his pastoring and in his preaching.
Why did you decide to give?
Well, after Nick graduated, we had extra money during that time, and so we thought, we need to start giving somewhere else. When we began thinking about Southeastern and Nick, we just wanted to continue to invest in a place that’s going to invest in the next generation of pastors. We saw the training that he got there and how it has impacted his life as a pastor.
There are all these other students who were trained in the same way as Nick, and they have hearts for their congregations and for their towns, the way that Nick has for his town. Think of how many people have been educated and have been sent out and are in different places in the world and in our country. They are bringing God’s Kingdom to earth! We think it’s important to use our money in this way to help equip the next generation of pastors the way that Nick was equipped.
If you want your children to grow in their faith, to grow in their commitment to the Lord, and to be able to shepherd their congregations in a loving way, then Southeastern is the place for them. We continue to give because we want to invest in what we’ve seen take place in our own child’s life. We know that the work is continuing at Southeastern — that’s why we would encourage other people to give!
This Southeastern Giving Days, we’ve set a goal to receive gifts to the Parents Fund from 10 sets of parents of Southeastern students or alumni, going toward the training and equipping of current students! Consider giving any amount today and help us reach this goal.