The following is an introduction to our pastoral candidate, Rev. Lisa Williams Hood, who will preach and lead the prayer service at 9:30 AM on Sunday, March 12, 2017. There will be a reception for Rev Hood and her husband, Matt, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the church. All are welcome to come meet the candidate.
Introduction to our Pastoral Candidate
On the 12th of March, Rev. Lisa Williams Hood will lead our worship service as a candidate to be our pastor. There will also be social events on Saturday, the 11th for our congregation and others to meet Lisa and her husband, Matt Hood. Here is a brief introduction to Rev. Hood.
Rev. Lisa Williams Hood is from Harlem, Georgia, despite being an Air Force brat (her word) who moved to several different states during childhood. Lisa is currently serving at First Baptist Church of Forest City, North Carolina, where she has been on the ministerial staff since 2013. She teaches in a local high school.
Lisa is a 2002 graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where she earned bachelor’s degree in journalism (public relations). During her college years, she was a regular at the Baptist Student Union, where she had lots of hands-on missions experiences and experienced her call to ministry. After college, Lisa moved to Texas to earn her master of divinity degree. Lisa is a 2005 graduate of George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, where she studied Global Missions & World Christianity.
Lisa has served in several local churches in Tennessee and North Carolina over the past 10 years, primarily serving in roles that allowed her to hone her teaching skills with students, including children, teenagers and college students. In 2007, Lisa was ordained to the Gospel ministry by the First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, under the leadership of then-pastor Rev. Dr. Bill Shiell, who is now the President of Northern Seminary, an American Baptist Seminary. The Baptist Church in Knoxville belongs to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a denomination very similar to the ABCUSA.
While living in North Carolina, Lisa met and married Matthew Hood, a native of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Matt works for Pinecastle Records, a bluegrass recording label. Lisa & Matt have one son, Oliver, who will be two years old in March, and who keeps them busy! Oliver is a sweet, good-natured, and adventurous little man who loves to go new places and meet new people. Lisa loves to soak up the ambiance and aromas from local coffee shops, to bake, to read fiction, and to create crafts and home décor projects. Matt and Lisa also enjoy spending days out on a lake, aim to go camping more often, like watching football (Colts & Georgia Bulldogs, respectively), and enjoy good food.
Watch for announcements of specific times and locations for opportunities to meet Lisa and Matt.
On behalf of the Pastoral Search Committee,
Gordon Coppoc