Sunday Mornings

If I had to describe 2021 in a couple of words I would say: faithfulness and perseverance. Although 2021 was not quite as much of a roller coaster ride as 2020, it did present some challenges that felt fairly on-going. Throughout all of 2021 we were asked to remain spaced-out and masked in the Worship Centre. And although we were quite glad to be able to meet together, this is not exactly ideal circumstances for corporately praising God together as a church.

Through all of these challenges the Lord remained faithful, as did our volunteers. Because of these circumstances, we were given a fresh perspective of how thankful we are, and should be, to be able to gather as a church and to worship the Lord together. Every Thursday night the worship team gathered for prayer, encouragement, study and rehearsal. The worship teams really have become these small groups that authentically share what is going on in their lives, and openly pray for and encourage each other. It is also very cool to see how we are one big worship team and each team loves and supports the other teams.

The book that we studied as a worship arts community through 2021 was called “The Reset: returning to the heart of worship and a life of undivided devotion” by Jeremy Riddle. It seemed like the studies kept bringing us back to the passage in John 4 where Jesus talks about worshipping in Spirit and Truth. We took a deep dive into what it means to worship in this way. I think what it really boils down to is worshipping God with all your heart, with passion and emotion AND worshipping God for who He really is; with an understanding of good theology and doctrine. This really is one of those BOTH/AND situations! It’s not one or the other, it’s Spirit AND Truth.

We continue to lean into our purpose statement of using music and technology to lead and facilitate an atmosphere of attention to and affection for God. Understanding this really helps us to focus our efforts where it is needed most. It makes decision making so much easier, because if something doesn’t fit inside this purpose we don’t even need to consider it. My prayer for our church is that we would have a greater understanding and revelation of what it means to worship the one true God.

I am so so thankful for all our volunteers that persevered and remained faithful through the whole pandemic. I really can’t thank them enough. If you see a band member or tech team member make sure to thank them for all they do.

If you’d like to get involved with a worship team or know someone who might, you can reach out to me here.

If you have any comments or questions about this report, please click the button below.

Young Adults

2021 was an awesome year for Young Adults ministry! There was and is a growing passion to see a community cultivated where young adults can get to know each other, as they get to know God and who He has made them to be.

In a lot of ways it was like a re-launch. We gathered a group of young adult leaders in the church and asked them what they would love to see in a young adults ministry. We heard things like vulnerability, authenticity, community, relationship, worship, testimony, fellowship and coffee of course. Some soft plans began as we were still in the COVID season, but a few things emerged including pre-service coffee, hang-out nights, worship & testimony nights (including prayer and discussion) and Sunday lunches. Through 2021 we found creative ways to make all these things happen.

In the summer we had the privilege of having Parkor Thomas take the lead with Young Adults. He began the regular pre-service coffee times, planned some awesome hang out nights, and was able to discover who the core group of young adults were at Hillcrest. The summer started off with an amazing night down at Kin Coulee where over 50 young adults came to play games, have a fire, and get to know one another. Parkor continued with the young adults through the summer before handing things off to me (Pastor Wade) for the fall.

Until the weather turned cold we were able to have Sunday lunches outside at Hillcrest’s back fire pit or at Central Park. Food is a great way to connect with people. I continued to encourage all the young adults to attend the 11:20 service specifically so that they could find each other on a Sunday and so new young adults would see and get to know the core group. We are still encouraging young adults to choose the 11:20 service for this reason, and then they are able to sleep in! Lucky.

Worship & Testimony nights have been such an encouragement. It is so cool to see a group of young adults worshipping, fellowshipping, encouraging, praying, and sharing testimony of what God is doing in their lives. These happen on the last Monday night of the month at 7pm, and we have been meeting in the gym or room 8 (as restrictions allowed). Each month we have small band lead us in a time of worship before one person shares a bit of their story. We get to hear about the amazing things that God is doing in the lives of these young people. The person sharing will then pose a question or two for discussion and we will break into groups and chat with and pray for each other. Before and after the worship and testimony we hang out and have coffee.

Personally I have been so encouraged and excited to see what God is doing here at Hillcrest with our community of Young Adults. There is a growing number joining us and we hope to continue with that momentum so that people will know that this is a place where young adults can grow in their faith and find community. And, in a few short years they will be the leaders in our church. Some of them already are!

If you know of a young adult who may want to get connected make sure to reach out to us.

If you have any comments or questions about this report, please click the button below.

Youth Worship

Each year we do our best to teach young people about what it means to worship God. We believe that the Holy Spirit is alive, active and moving in the hearts of all believers, no matter their age. 1 Timothy 4:12 says “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Youth Group worship bands are the perfect opportunity for young people to learn about the life of a worshipper. It says in John 4 that the Lord is looking for worshippers who worship in Spirit and in Truth. Through community, prayer, discipleship, and music, we do our best to lead youth into worshipping in Spirit and Truth.

In 2021 we had the privilege of having Alex Egert take on the main leadership role in Youth Worship. Through the year he worked with multiple bands made up of youth and young adults. He led the bands in a greater understanding of worship, the role of a worship leader, and spiritual authority. He also taught practical skills such as; music theory, playing in time, using technology, and working together as a team. We have designed the overall flow of the ministry so that if a young person wanted to get involved with Sunday morning worship, it would be an easy transition. In fact, we had two Sundays in 2021 where the youth bands led on a Sunday morning, and we have several youth who play/sing often on Sunday morning teams. These are the next generation of worship leaders in our church, and we have the joy and responsibility of working with them.

If you know of a youth or young adult who would like to get involved with music and worship reach out to me HERE.

If you have any comments or questions about this report, please click the button below.

Kings Kids

Hillcrest has a long, amazing history of children’s choirs. And 2021 was no different, even through the challenges that came with the pandemic. If you know much about the Kings Kids at Hillcrest, than you know that none of it would be possible without the leadership and direction of Sheila Reinheller and her volunteers.

Our goal with the children’s choir is to teach kids from a young age how important it is to worship; to give thanks to God in all circumstances. We want the times that the kids are involved to be more than a performance or a special number, but to be a time of young believers leading our church in a time of worship. We believe that there is life-long lessons being learned, and that these kids will be the future worship leaders in our church. Our desire is that they learn just how amazing God is, and who they are in Him.

Despite having restrictions of spacing and masks, the Kings Kids were able to participate in the Easter services in 2021. Leading up to Easter the kids met weekly to prepare to sing “Praise the King”. We tried something new this time and instead of the kids singing with a track, they sang with the worship band. It was so cool to have young and old using their gifts and worshipping together. The Kings Kids also led us in a song of worship at Thanksgiving, reminding us to be thankful everyday.

But the main event of the year is when the Kings Kids host a Christmas musical! On December 10th and 11th, under the direction of Sheila Reinheller the kids performed “We Three Spies”. There were many weeks of preparation and rehearsal leading up to this event. The children have to learn and memorize songs, choreography, and lines. These are skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. New families to Kings Kids joined in for this production. There were children involved at the minimum age and even a few who were old enough to be considered “graduated”, but really wanted to be involved. So cool! There was a total of 36 kids involved in the two evening performances, where over 200 people attended each evening.

We find so much value in this ministry, and Lord-willing we will be able to continue to have both Spring and Fall sessions. But we do need your help. Do you know of any children that would love to join in? Would you consider being a parent volunteer?

If you have any questions or want to get involved reach out here.