Peace In The Tough Times Do not let your hearts be troubled; Believe in God and trust in Him, believe in Me and trust in Me also. — John 14:1 Jesus is offering, even promising, His troubled disciples peace; and He would soon deliver on His promise. Jesus reminds His disciples that they can trust Him. His words would have been a voice of calm in the midst of their confusion—and it can be in ours too. The words of this verse were not spoken to tranquil people enjoying a pleasan

Chris Pratt, yes that Chris Pratt, from Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy, is an outspoken Christian and all-around good guy. (Obviously that last one is pure speculation, since I've never met him, but I assume so) He recently won a generational award and during his speech he used his time to share 9 rules for life and living. Though they weren't all serious in tone, there can be no doubt he takes each of these seriously. Mixed with humor, Pratt made a point to bring

Recently Hope Happens had a chance to conduct an interview with another of our life long members, Norma Petersen. Hilltop would not be what it is today without her, and there is little doubt that she wouldn’t be whom she has grown into. Hope Happens: What are your favorite memories of growing up in Hilltop? Norma Petersen: Sitting in a full pew with my whole family – there were six of us. I loved sitting on my dad’s lap listening to the service. My dad passed away when I w

Hot dogs, fireworks, baseball, freedom of speech and the stars and stripes. This is America. Gun shots, abuse of power, children separated, and blind faith. This, is also America. Every other week there’s blood in our streets. Blood that’s spilled, color doesn’t matter, the stain left behind is red either way. We offer our apologies, our thoughts, our prayers, but that isn’t enough. We so often turn a blind eye, it isn’t happening to us, so it isn’t our problem. Too soon the

By Hannah Sweet What are you afraid of? Perhaps you're afraid of water, heights, clowns, or perhaps you're afraid of the dentist or babies. My father is afraid of water, so he doesn't swim and my mother of heights, so she avoids them. People are afraid of lots of things, but not me. I'm fearless. Growing up I was often in more trouble than out of it. I wasn't a bad child, I was just not afraid of anything, so I would often try things without working it out to the end because

July- Summertime and picnics, fireworks and the Fourth. July is as American as apple pie. I don't think any other month is as swelling with national pride as July. We, as Americans, are proud of our "Can Do" attitude, and our American-made freedom. As a nation we are proud to celebrate our independence; and we do have much to be proud of, much to celebrate. But as America so proudly celebrates its independence as a nation there is another type of celebration which should be t

Do you love food? Do you enjoy trying new things? Is cooking a passion for you? Are you looking for a gift for your favorite summer bride? If you answered yes to any of those questions, have we got a bargain for you! For only a small deposit of $10.00 you can reserve your own copy of our 175th anniversary cookbook. Filled to the brim with recipes spanning our rich history, from members of the past to members of today. You are sure to find your favorite foods listed in here. T

The first Sunday in May, Hilltop received a special treat. Bishop Cynthia Moore KoiKoi came to Hilltop! She was as lovely as her photograph suggests her to be. During the service the Bishop and Reverend Randy reminded us, that the message of communion should be felt at every meal, by sharing the joy of communion with the congregation. She lead our message with a call to friendship. Inspiring her message was a song by the 1980’s group, Whodini. The song entitled “Friends” begs

This past month gave way to an opportunity to learn more about the past of Hilltop; through the eyes of one of our most distinguished members, Lester Greenawalt, we are able to see a picture of the roots that remain a strong foundation for the church we know and love. During the interview he was asked a series of six questions pertaining to his experience at Hilltop. Lester is the second of three generations to attend Hilltop. His father, Leroy R. Greenawalt, started the trad

By Hannah Sweet When I was a little girl I had many dreams and aspirations. One of my biggest growing up was to be a trapeze artist. To me they were breathtaking, and fearless; everything I aspired to be. I was so adamant about being a circus performer I would often enlist my brother, Lukke, in creating our own “death-defying” circus acts. I am sure we gave our mother plenty of scares with those routines. Now that I am grown-up from a childhood that feels like a lifetime ago,

In May we celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the church, Christ’s church — birthed in Jerusalem and spread throughout the world. We are a part of that church and that tradition, but even more we are a part of something that is alive and growing. For 175 years our church, Hilltop United Methodist Church, has been in God’s hands and the Holy Spirit is Hilltop’s animating breath. There are some things that we must continue to do in order to keep Hilltop alive and growing for