David Reed-Brown, a pastor and a magician, will present a magic show at the Agawam Congregational Church this Saturday, March 28. The Simsbury, Connecticut, pastor used his magician skills to create this candle photo — not artificial intelligence or Photoshop.
Photo credit: David Reed-Brown
AGAWAM — A Connecticut pastor who is well-known in the region for his performances as a magician will bring his show to Agawam Congregational Church on Saturday, March 28.
Pastor and magician David Reed-Brown of Simsbury will present a show designed to give people “hope through the art of magic.”
Along with “astounding and fun magical wonders,” he will share meaningful stories that inspire and touch the heart, especially in tough times said Daniel Cohen, pastor at ACC. He added that the show is for people of all ages, not just adults.
Cohen, who was installed as pastor at ACC in September 2025, said he met Reed-Brown about six years ago when Cohen was asked to preach at a church in New Haven, Connecticut. Cohen learned that Reed-Brown was a magician through a friend and fellow pastor.
“When I wound up getting a pastor position in Connecticut at the Congregational Church of Burlington, I invited David to perform. The performance was spectacular and the number of children that came was very impressive. It was both spiritually enlightening and the magic was top-notch,” said Cohen.
Reed-Brown has performed at the Big E, First Night Hartford as well as many shows for companies, community organizations, weddings, all-night graduation parties and private events. Reed-Brown also has been an instructor at Jeff McBride’s Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas — where faculty train many of the magicians seen on TV and in theaters around the world.
Reed-Brown was a curious 7-year-old when he discovered a secret magic set in an aged wooden jewelry box, high atop a dusty old piano. Inside were small wooden magical wonders that immediately filled him with joy.
When he was around 19, Reed-Brown was working at his church camp when he noticed that if he first told a spiritually meaningful story from his life with some of his magic skills a number of amazing things happened.
“First, people paid very close attention. Second, magic gets practically all of people’s senses firing all at once. When I shared something inspiring, healing or insightful at the moment of astonishment, it was extremely effective and people remembered the experience for a long time,” he said.
People have been telling magical stories about life, death and the meaning of life around a campfire for millennia, said Reed-Brown. “The wandering preacher, healer and teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, frequently taught through parables: simple every-day stories from everyday life, usually with a surprising twist at the end to get your attention — a kind of joke in some ways,” he said.
Reed Brown said magic functions in a very similar way. “It’s a way to talk about spiritual things not directly, but on an angle — in a way that people are comfortable without all the religious jargon.”
A certified transitional minister, Reed-Brown most often goes in between long-term settled pastorates to help congregations transition between the two. “Sometimes I simply help people grieve the loss of their previous leader, help them get in touch with who they are at this point and time, their identity, discern some of what God is calling them to do and transition them to new leadership,” he said.
The show will begin at 3 p.m. Admission — which includes free popcorn — is $5 for adults and $3 for children and teens. The church is located at 745 Main St.
