Horace McMillon has served as the pastor of Open Door Mennonite Church since 2005. He and Monique, his bride of 19 years have two teenaged children. Prior to their move to Jackson, Horace served as Associate Pastor of the Community Mennonite Church in Markham, Illinois.
He is the author of “No Mo’Broke: Seven Keys to Success from a Christian Perspective.” Horace earned a Master of Arts from Chicago Theological Seminary.
Hugh Hollowell Jr was called by Open Door Mennonite Church in 2018 to be its Community Pastor, where he helps Open Door engage its neighbors and the larger world. He and his wife Renee live in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson where they co-parent three cats and four chickens. Prior to moving to Jackson, he was the founder and pastor of Love Wins Ministries, a congregation made up of people experiencing homelessness in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Hugh came to be a Mennonite in adulthood, lured in by hospitality, peacemaking, and potluck dinners. He is an active writer and speaker on issues of race, justice, and poverty, with his work being featured in places like The Washington Post and Sojourners.
Theologian-in-Residence
Theologians-in-Residence are trained theologians that reside in churches for periods of time to help them bridge the chasm between theological scholarship and practical application. Our Theologian-in-Residence will enhance our community through the intermittent creation of unique invitational spaces of intentional theological engagement. Rather than concentrating on doctrine, these theological spaces are intended to unite us in our common search for the fullness of both humanity and the divine. Furthermore, it is our hope that our Theologian-in-Residence will also have an extensive social justice background in social justice activism.
Open Door Mennonite Church is proud to announce that Jeff Hood is our inaugural Theologian-in-Residence.
Dr. Jeff Hood is a graduate of Auburn University (BA), Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), Emory University’s Candler School of Theology (ThM), University of Alabama (MA), Creighton University (MS), Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University (DMin) and the American Institute of Metaphysics (PhD). Dr. Hood has also completed international studies at Tel Aviv University (Israel) and Yonsei University (South Korea). His primary interest has always been in experimental theologies of liberation. In addition to his formal studies, Dr. Hood completed multiple units of Clinic Pastoral Education at a Level I Trauma Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
You can read the blog post with Dr. Hood’s complete bio and ministry history here.