OUR PASTOR & LEADERSHIP
Ministering Together in Christ
THE CHURCH CONSISTORY
Our congregation is governed by a Consistory, chaired by the Senior Pastor and made up of two Councils...
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: Our Pastoral Ministry is made up of our ordained clergy (elders and deacons), licensed evangelists and missionaries, consecrated stewards, and acolytes. Worship planning and leadership, pastoral care and counseling, training in discipleship and evangelistic outreach are all coordinated by this council.
THE COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES: Our Administrative Ministry is made up of those elected by the congregation to provide for the care of our facilities and physical resources, administer the funding for our ministries, ensure fiscal accountability and maintain the records of the congregation.
The Rev. Pastor J.R. Norwood, PhD
Lead Pastor
The Rev. Dr. J.R. Norwood, Jr. is the Overseer of Preaching, Teaching, Pastoral and Administrative Ministries and, as such, serves as the chairman of the Consistory. Pastor Norwood has served in ordained ministry for over thirty years and is the founding pastor of this congregation. He has been a college, military, and correctional chaplain and has a passion for both learning, preaching, and teaching. For many years, Pastor Norwood served as a tribal spokesman, judge, and councilman of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation. Dr. Norwood also continues to serve as the primary minister for the indigenous 1st Light Mission outreach.
Dr. J.R. Norwood and Mrs. Tanya Norwood are the founding pastor and first lady of our congregation. They are a loving couple and blessed ministry team. They love the Lord Jesus Christ and have dedicated their lives to serving Him.
Pastor Norwood has been preaching for over forty years and served in pastoral ministry for over thirty years. He is the primary preacher and teacher of our congregation. He has served as a college, military, and correctional chaplain, and also lectures at numerous colleges, universities, and seminaries. He has earned degrees from Howard University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and North West University. His Doctor of Philosophy Degree is in Missiology (Theology of Missions) and his Doctor of Ministry degree is in Pastoral Care and Counseling.
First Lady Tanya Norwood is a mother to those who are younger and sister to those who are older in the congregation. She serves as a "preaching deacon" of the congregation and is the director of Christian Education and coordinates the Women's Ministry. Prior to being an ordained deacon, she served as a licensed missionary and evangelist (lay preacher). She established the Ujima Youth Ministry in 1990, the independent youth outreach that was the precursor of both the Ujima Village Christian Church and the community benefit and development agency, Ujima Ministries Inc.
For many years, Pastor Norwood served as a tribal leader with Sister Norwood also serving as the supervisor of the tribal youth council of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, their American Indian tribe. Pastor Norwood, a tribal historian and traditional craftsman, still coordinates the indigenous 1st Light Mission outreach.
Pastor and First Lady Norwood have three children and three grandchildren.
Ordained Elders
Rev. Dr. J.R. Norwood, Senior Pastor
Ordained Deacons
Caleb Collins
Andranette Hardwick
Derrick Hardwick
Pamela Hill
Tanya Norwood
Patricia Weeks
Consecrated Stewards
Sheldon Ewing
Clifford Rawls
Licensed Missionaries
Linda Rogers
Consecrated Acolytes
Adrian Roach
Johnnie Weeks
COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES
Sandra Baez, Clerk
Trinity Norwood, Treasurer
Our Beliefs
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that only scripture may bind the conscience. We believe that salvation is by sovereign grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We believe that all glory belongs to the One Triune God alone.
