Staff
Pastor Billy in Israel
Our Pastor
Billy Turner.
Pastor Billy, 57, has been a local pastor since 1999. He served as pastor of Lutcher-Donaldsonville United Methodist Churchs in 1998-2000. From 2000-2002, he was pastor of Napoleon Avenue UMC. From 2002-2005 he was an associate at Gretna United Methodist Church. He has been pastor at Lacombe UMC since Sept. 27, 2006 and became pastor of Fitzgerald-Lacombe in 2007.
A multi-award-winning journalist since 1975, including sports editor of The Starkville Daily News, The Columbus Commerical Dispatch and the Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi, the Reno Gazette-Journal in Nevada, Pastor Billy was a deputy sports editor and prep editor of The Times-Picayune. He demoted himself out of management after 30 years in 2004 to become a high school sports writer so he could have more time in ministry. He has finished in the top three in the state sports writing contest for high school writers in each of the years since. He retired in November 2009 for full-time ministry.
He and his wife of 25 years, the former Mary McGaughey, moved to the Northshore in 2006. He is the father of three adult children, Jason, Shanna and Carrie and the father-in-law of Becky, Jason's wife and Blaine Burst, Carrie's husband. He and Mary have seven grandchildren, Mia, Gabriel, Carlie, Parker, Gavin,Olivia and Emma Rose .
He is the author of One Man, One Cross, an autobiography published in 2000. His next book, God on the Line: Answering Heaven's Call will be published in early 2011. He and Mary went to Israel for a 10-day journey where Jesus walked in January, 2010.
His cell is 985-640-9009. He and Mary live at 80158 Fitzgerald Church Road along with Sammie, Logan, Paris, Breezy, Elsie, Harry, Callie, Missy and Trudy, The menagerie of pets. He mourns the loss of Frankie, his beloved pet and Tweety, his 17-year-old Sheltie. Call anytime on the cell, or email at billyt62@hotmail.com.
