About Rev. Nicholas Hood III

Experience the daily spiritual devotional written by Rev. Hood by going to http://nicholashoodiiiministries.wordpress.com

Early Life & Education

In 1951, Rev. Nicholas Hood III was born into the steamy, segregated southern city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Like many Detroiters, he and his family migrated north in 1958. He attended Doty, Winterhalter, and Chrysler Elementary schools and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1969. While in high school, he founded and led a popular dance band called The Seven Sounds. After graduating from Wayne State University in 1973 with a Bachelors in economics, Hood obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University in 1976.

Ministry Work & Present Life

After graduating from Yale and being ordained in 1976, he returned to Detroit to work as the assistant associate minister of Plymouth United Church of Christ under the direction of his father, Rev. Nicholas Hood, Sr. After a tenure at PUCC, Rev. Nicholas Hood III was called to be the senior pastor and minister of the Plymouth United Church of Christ in 1984 where he serves presently. In May of 2009, an honorary doctorate in ministry was conferred upon him by Olivet College. Currently, he has been married to the Honorable Denise Page Hood for more than 35 years. They have two sons together, Nathan and his wife Sharla, and Noah.  He lives by the words of Jesus: to those whom much is given, much is required.

Civic Contributions While on the City Council

In 1993, Rev. Nicholas Hood III was elected to the Detroit City Council and was later reelected for a second term. As a member of the city council, he authored an ordinance entitled The Municipal Civil Infractions Ordinance and hosted a weekly radio show on WCHB entitled Eyes on Government. He created the funding for the city council to be televised five days per week on cable TV. He was also arrested for supporting the striking newspaper workers and challenged Detroiters to stop shooting guns on New Year's Eve with a citywide effort called Ring in The New Year with A Bell, Not a Bang. Since 1997, this initiative has reduced random, celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve in Detroit and several surrounding cities to a safe and peaceful level.

Rev. Nicholas Hood III stepped down from the Detroit City Council in 2001.  Since 2001, in addition to pastoring the Plymouth United Church of Christ he has immersed himself in several local and international missions including: support for Liberian refugees of war; the establishment of a hospital in Awassa, Ethiopia in partnership with the Ethiopian North American Health Professions Association; and a computer mission to bridge the digital divide by providing over 120 new computers to inner city youth in Detroit, Michigan and much more.