First United Methodist Church in Eunice welcomed a new pastor in June. The Reverend Regina B. Hickman performed her first service with her new congregation on July 1.
Rev. Hickman was appointed senior pastor to the Louisiana Memorial United Methodist Church in Opelousas and the First United Methodist Church in Eunice in June and says that she is looking forward to helping both of these churches do all, “that we can to bless both communities and be the light of Christ where we are.”
Rev. Hickman was born in Wiggins, Mississippi on Dec. 29, 1955 to her parents Walter Shephard Brooks and Essie Mae Hall Brooks. She has three siblings, three brothers Dennis, Harvey and Kimble.
Rev. Hickman graduated from Stone County High School in 1973 and attended one semester at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. She then went to Memphis, Tennessee and attended the Optometric Technical Program at Southern College of Optometry.
Rev. Hickman married Anthony A. Hickman and the couple had two daughters Amanda Hickman Portera, and Sarah Hickman. Amanda was born in Aug. of 1977 and Sarah was born July of 1981.
She attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Associate Program from 1984 until 1986. In 1986, her family transferred to the United Methodist Church and soon after Rev. Hickman began her journey to ordination as a United Methodist Pastor.
In 1994, the family was blessed with a surprise, a son Anthony Brooks Hickman. He was raised attedning seminary with his mother and going to annual conferences and reporting to her office with his mother.
Rev. Hickman spent five years as an associate pastor of Luling UMC where she was in charge of music, and education and preached on a regular basis. She added, “The next five years were spent as an associate pastor of the Gretna United Methodist Chruch, where I was in charge of education. I also did a Sunday evening service with the help of two dear friends, who subsequently went into ministry in the UMC, Rev. Barbara Beaumont and the late Rev. Billy Turner.”
In 2001, the Rev. Hickman was ordained as a deacon in the United Methodist Church, and the following seven years she served as senior pastor of the Golden Meadow and Grand Isle UMC’s.
In 2002, Rev. Hickman’s husband Tony was killed in an accident on his boat. She said, “My son was two months shy of 9 years old at that time. In 2009, I took a year’s sabbatical and we lived in Luling with my oldest daughter and her family.”
Rev. Hickman served as pastor of the First UMC of LaPlace from 2010 until 2018. In 2017, she also served as an interim pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Galilean, which was next door to the United Methodist Church.
Rev. Hickman is a certified Spiritual Director. Her passion as she said, “is helping people find that close relationship with Their Creator.”
She added, “I am looking forward to knowing my church people and families, and to see what ministries they are gifted to do, and to preach and let them get to know me.”
Rev. Hickman’s hobbies include making music, writing, and gardening.