Ministering to Marketplace Leaders. Led by Solomon Sands, a business owner. We make use of excellent resources from www.FaithDrivenEntrepreneur.org. In 2024 there were 15 leaders, both men and women, who accessed this option for spiritual and professional growth as we learned to follow Jesus in the marketplace and encourage each other.
Ministering to Men. Our Monday PM Men’s Group led by Miles Wright & Pastor Jamie offered a Freedom in Christ Course in January. It ran 13 weeks and we saw a total of 42 men take part. The response was very encouraging and several participants mentioned the great value of taking this course, which exposes the lies of the enemy and helps us discover and be set free by the truth of who we are in Christ.
Monday evenings are the weekly connecting point for men in the church. We currently have 82 men who participate at some level. We enjoy coffee, food and fellowship in Hub 1, study God’s Word around coffee tables, allowing each group to discuss, process what God is saying and wants them to do, and to pray for each other.
2024 also included a study in the book of Jonah, an apologetics course led by veteran homicide detective, and archaeological discoveries supporting the truth of the Bible.
Ministering to Women. Included the IF:Gathering in February, led by Leanne Wright & Carrie McDonald. More than 70 ladies took part locally in this faith-building, livestream event which gathered more than 100,000 women from around the world.
Women’s Spring Brunch. Hosted in May with high-performance leadership coach and trainer Darlene Jenkins speaking on “You Can Make A Difference” and the truth that God does not give up on any one of us. The morning also featured a fashion show by Twinkle Dolls and a Jewelry Boutique with proceeds going to the Furniture Ministry. The brunch was a sold-out event with more than 200 ladies attending, including those invited or brought by a friend of family member from Hillcrest. The Spring Brunch was put on by a capable volunteer team led by Donna Serr, including Glenda Edwards and Kim Karg, and serves as a tremendous gospel outreach to the women of our community.
Mother’s Day. Honouring the moms with a hand-made gift bag of tea and a cookie, baked fresh by Karen Schlamp and creatively packaged by Linda Freimark and her team of volunteers.
Women’s Christmas Brunch. Our annual Christmas Brunch was a wonder-full success! This year’s event entitled, “Star of Wonder” was developed and directed by Carrie McDonald & Val Seitz, along with the help of many volunteers. Karen Schlamp and her team prepared an amazing assortment of foods. Kia Kannekens & Rhea Nayak provided Christmas music. Michelle Mauer & Christy Wonnenberg presented a gift wrapping demonstration. And this year, the message of Christmas was a drama enacted by Pastor Jamie, Jacinda Klaiber, Peter Grafton & Richard Grafton, with a follow-up call by Donna Serr to look to Jesus this Christmas Season. Many of the guests and first-time attenders were impacted by the truth of Jesus and were given an opportunity to accept the Lord, and 13 Bibles were handed out.
Ministering Cross-Culturally. Bruce Lee from our church had a vision to reach the Mandarin-speaking Chinese community. In January 2024, we launched a Saturday afternoon gym event and Bible study in Mandarin which Bruce oversaw. This ministry ran for a full a year with as many as 12 individuals participating, and was a way to connect this cultural group to the church and share the gospel with family and friends.
Ministering Through Bible Studies & Life Groups. Hillcrest was blessed in 2024 with 10 Life Groups meeting in homes and other venues, with 110 adults, teens and children participating in those groups. The church also has 6 adult Bible Study Groups meeting weekly for fellowship, prayer and the study of God’s Word in the church facility, with 365 men and women having actively participated in these groups. We are so thankful for our Bible Study and Life Group facilitators who pray, prepare and provide opportunity for God to speak and to minister through His people.
Ministering Through RightNow Media. According to our church’s engagement report, we have 991 registered users, 69 percent of whom are accessing Bible studies, while the remaining 31 percent are accessing kids shows. In 2024, we averaged 1,517 visits, and with an average of 5 unique viewers per visit, that amounts to 7,585 men, women and children accessing quality Christian teaching content throughout the year.
Each person who calls Hillcrest their church home can have free, instant access to this platform, with 20,000 videos and counting. It’s also a tremendous outreach tool, as it can be given away for free by simply accessing the share option on the app.
I am so thankful that Hillcrest is able to freely share such an excellent evangelism and disciple-making tool. Visit our website to get access today!
Ministering to Our EMCC Family. This year, I contributed to a theological paper on women in ministry, attended the Regional Conference as a representative of Hillcrest, and wrote an article for EMCC Together Magazine (published in 2025) on the 24/7 prayer movement in our city.
Ministering Through Celebration. Served on the Planning Team that put together the 75th Birthday celebration of Hillcrest Church.
Ministering Through Fun. With all that going on in our city and church, we try to plan one or more fun events per year so that adults can gather together, enjoy fellowship, and get to know one another better. This year it was a night of bowling and ice cream at DQ.
Ministering Through Craft Workshops. Led by Michelle Mauer & Christy Wonnenberg. It was a fun year of learning new crafts and making new friends! The workshops were well attended with 20-25 people joining and many bringing friends from outside the church.
Jan – Learn to Crochet – Maryanne Westgard
Feb – Bible Journaling – Christy, Michelle & Teresa Rempel
Mar – Cupcake Decorating Evening – Baking with Candice
Apr – Watercolor Botanicals with Mable Mund
Oct – Watercolor with Mable Mund
Nov – Cooking Decorating with Candice Funk
If you have any comments or questions about this report, please click the button below.