Hillside Church Community History
"Where it all began..."
It all began in the summer of 1996 when Jake and Mary Anne Friesen attended the Willow Creek Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Back in Morden, they shared their vision of a church that would reach out to the unchurched.
Once a group of people interested began to meet, they started to discuss the feasibility and reality of starting a new church. The plan and vision was not to start just another church, but to be different by focusing on reaching the unchurched with contemporary music, drama and practical Bible teaching.
After meeting throughout the summer, plans and decisions began to take shape, and about a dozen people committed to planting this church. A small, white church was rented and on September 8th, 1996, the first service was held, with 35 people in attendance. The church was born!
But like a newborn infant, the church was very tiny and very fragile. And over time steps were taken to solidify this new church and see that it continued to grow. The core group became the church board with every family being represented on the board. They were little more than acquaintances brought together not by friendship, but by the common vision of building a church that would impact the community. It was several weeks before the name “Hillside” was chosen.
But the church did not begin without its struggles. Not everyone saw the vision of Hillside in the same way that was so firmly established in the hearts of Jake and Mary Anne. Jake often reminded the church that Hillside’s style of dramas and contemporary music was not for everyone. As a result of working out these struggles, several people did leave Hillside.
The church started with some very humble beginnings. They worked with what they had - no sound system, a single keyboard, and a very dysfunctional stage. But God continued to bless Hillside in spite of the many obstacles that stood in the way of forming a contemporary church with such little resources.
“We are way over our heads,” was a common statement at many meetings. They had little to no leadership experience and no idea how to get started. But people of all ages and all walks of life kept coming back every Sunday.
In the months that followed a Sunday School program started. The first Christmas program featured Mary riding a live donkey and the manger holding a real baby. Potlucks became regular events in order to welcome people to the tiny, white church, with the even a tinier kitchen. And in that small kitchen meals were prepared as Hillside’s drama team presented a Christmas dinner theatre. Through these outreach efforts, many of the new attendees became regular attendees. Even though the founding core group of Hillsiders had possessed all the skills of music, drama and preaching, the struggling church still needed help.
As people and resources began to steadily increase, Hillside was taking on welcome changes and improvements. Pews were removed and chairs were purchased for the sanctuary. A larger, more functional stage was built. Audio equipment was purchased for the newly formed praise and worship band. In January of 1997, Hillside Community Church purchased the Conner Hill building for $55,000.00.
The Kids’ Church program began to focus on the needs of the community and a successful outreach brought a new dynamic to Hillside. As the congregation grew, so did many needs of the church. People to lead the ministries and its volunteers were critical at this point in the growing yet struggling congregation.
"Where we worship..."
Over the next three years, Hillside did see a surge in growth. As numbers grew, space was an issue for every aspect of the church. In the summer of 2000, it became apparent that something had to be done to accommodate the major increase in numbers. By this time the mortgage had been paid off and there was enough money to consider buying land. It was agreed upon to purchase seven acres in the northwest section of Morden. Shortly after this decision, Hillside was given the opportunity to move their services to the Morden Recreation Complex. And in June of 2000, Sunday morning services were now held in the hall.
The complex move was exciting, but along with the change came many more stressful situations. Many were sorry to leave the cosiness of the little, white church. But more people discovered this new church in the Complex and over the summer months, the church once again grew.
The church had also come to realize the youth of Hillside needed the help and guidance of a youth pastor. After a lengthy search, God led John & Jenn Melissen to Hillside in September of 2001. As Hillside continued to steadily grow in numbers, so did the need for spiritual guidance for our leaders and congregation. In May of 2003, Hans & Roelie Van Binsbergen joined the staff at Hillside as counsellor and coordinator of small groups.
In the spring of 2004, Hillside has 200 plus attendees per Sunday morning service. More than 60 kids are a part of the Kids’ Church program, which has seen extensive expansions to its space in the lower museum of the Complex. The youth group has about 30 teens involved in a junior and senior youth ministry. And the Sunday morning service is made up of two praise bands, a drama team, and many volunteers on the technical/audio team. The board has been moved into two groups – an elder board and a board of directors.
Many of the other services that Hillside provides are small groups, men’s breakfast, women’s group, servers, ushers and childcare for the morning service. A library and CD ministry has been well established. As well, Hillside has been blessed and is able to generously give to local charities and meet the needs in the community as all as broader mission organizations.
"Where all our weekday activities happen..."
Hillside has continued to grow and experience God’s blessing. In the early days, the people who had the vision to build a church based on the mission to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ may not have realized what Hillside Community Church has become. But through perseverance, forgiveness, and God’s guidance the people of Hillside can now see the fruits of their labours and the personal rewards from building God’s church.
