Nick Elliott, one of God’s called disciples, went home to rest on Sunday, April 21, 2024, just as he desired – on a Sunday morning. He was a pastor to the end. Nick was a father, husband, brother, friend, mentor to many, and shepherd to more. He was a regular guy called to special service for God. If you weren’t touched by Nick, you never met him.
Nick served God under the banner of the United Methodist Church from his teenage years in Shelby, NC until his retirement in 2010 as Executive Director of Southeast Jurisdiction United Methodist Volunteers in Mission in Atlanta (10 years). Nick’s call was unique as he went from bricklayer to pastor. He pastored Sandy Springs / Zion UMC, Piedmont; Harris UMC, Greenwood; Herbert UMC, Georgetown; Leesville UMC, Leesville; and St. John’s UMC, Lugoff; and he served as interim pastor at Advent UMC, Simpsonville.
Nick’s next unique call was to missional ministry. This call came on his first volunteer trip (as a brick mason) on a trash mountain in Haiti as he watched a naked child eat an orange peel and used gum from the mouth of an American. God asked him, “What are you going to do about it?” In Nick’s missional service he has touched lives in every jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church and in 110 countries, and he fell in love with God’s children in Cuba.
Nick was preceded in death by his parents, Adlai and Grace Smith Elliott of Shelby, NC. He is survived by his God-given helpmate of 42 years, Judy Tabor Elliott; his children, Jill Reames (Michael) and Nick Elliott, Jr. (Sabrina); his children of the heart, Kristal Hicks Speakman (Shawn) and Mikelle Hicks Porter (Christopher); seven grandchildren who were the greatest joy on this earth to him, Jackson, Andy, and Meredith Reames, Jacob and Joshua Honeycutt (Elliott), Devin Elliott, and Christopher Speakman; his beloved “Sissy”, Connie Dedmon (Roy Lee); and nieces, Lizzie Grace, Sarah, and AnnaLee.
A celebration of Nick’s life and ministry will be held on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. at Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, Southeast followed by a time of visitation.
“In lieu of flowers, memorials may be offered to the SC United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) or Southeast Jurisdiction UMVIM, both through the Nick Elliott Memorial Fund.”
Friends are encouraged to share their favorite memories of Nicholas with the family by clicking on the button labeled “Leave A Message, Share A Memory” below.