Norwood Noel Hingle III is my given name. Other than my mom, people usually call me Woody. I love the city of New Orleans, but not just because I was born and raised there. I love the food, the culture, and the Saints! This is truly a great city. And we are a city in desperate need of Jesus’ love.

My home church growing up was Napoleon Ave. UMC. I went to high school at Ecole Classique (class of ’81) where during my junior year I made a commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior that stuck. My college years were at the University of New Orleans where I received a B.S. in General Business Administration in 1985. My interest in ministry grew in college through my involvement with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For seminary I chose Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and finished the Master of Divinity degree in 1988. After seminary I crossed the ocean and earned a Ph.D. in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, finishing in 1995.
In 1997 I was ordained an Elder in Full Connection in the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. The charges I have served in the past are Tangipahoa UMC-Pine Ridge UMC and Lacombe UMC as pastor, and St. Paul’s UMC in Monroe as the associate pastor. In 1999 I was given the privileged appointment as pastor to Lake Vista UMC. Today I am proud to call Lighthouse For Christ Church my home.

The Lord granted me a huge gift in my wife Elena, who is also a New Orleans native. The Lord has graciously given us three children who are our jewels: Norwood IV, Emily, and Nathan.

I love being a pastor! There are basically two deep passions I have for ministry. The first is to see women and men mature in a holistic way–in heart and mind– as disciples of Jesus with the Bible as their final authority. In this way people will learn to live and love like Jesus. Moreover, they will learn to defend the historical reliability of the Bible to a skeptical world and articulate why the Bible is extremely relevant for modern life. The second goal is to see Christians actively involved in making a difference in the world, and thus healing the world with Jesus’ love. In this way we will shine like lighthouses for Christ!

Email Woody @ nnhiii@bellsouth.net

In high school, I was advised not to take a typing class because the thinking back then was, if a girl learned now to type, she would be “typecast” as a secretary (sorry!) and that wasn’t for me! But here I am, anyway…

I was born and raised in New Orleans, a member of the first four-year graduating class of Marion Abramson High School (’71). I went on to earn a BA in English and Economics at Rice University (’75), and an MA in English at the University of New Orleans (‘85). I taught English composition for about 35 years at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, and began volunteering for Lighthouse For Christ Church as the secretary and office administrator in 2022.

Beginning in about 2000, a growing number of overt Christians apparently randomly started interacting with me, and for months I prayed to a God who may or may not have been real, for all I knew, and read His Word, trying to discern if what I was hearing was true. And then I knew it was—and is, and I gave my life to Him.
That’s about it. Woody tells me I am a very improbable Christian—a well-educated professional with a great many liberal colleagues and with no Christian upbringing who was willing to let the Lord turn her life inside-out at the age of 48. I know I am an improbable church secretary, but they let me keep this lovely job anyway, and they even supply me with HUGE cups of the most delicious coffee and chicory anywhere!
When I am not busy with church work, I love hanging out with family and friends, especially other people’s children (including my grown stepson). I like to cook and read, and I am actually trying to learn, at my advanced age, how to do housework!

Email Susan @ office@lighthouseforchristchurch.org

Randy was born and raised in Arabi, Louisiana. He graduated from Chalmette Senior High (class of ’73), and he earned an Associate’s Degree in Computer Assisted Drafting degree from River Parish Technical College. Randy is the Worship Leader at Lighthouse For Christ Church.

He became a Christian back in 1977 through First Assembly of God in New Orleans. Randy is a “jack of all trades”—and a master of many! His hobbies are organic gardening, singing, cooking, and small construction/carpentry work.