Grateful worship, reflection and reunion defined Hillcrest Evangelical Free Church’s 50th anniversary event, where nearly 500 people gathered to not only remember the blessings of the past, but look toward what God has in store for the church’s future.
Pastor Paul Bauman said the Nov. 3 event truly felt like a birthday party, and some families from Kansas, Iowa and other parts of Nebraska made the trek to Hillcrest for the celebration.
“We had several people that came and visited that had been a part of the church over the 50 years and maybe have moved away during that, so it was neat for people to kind of get reacquainted,” he said.
The afternoon started with worship and music and had an overall focus on Psalm 105: 1-5, which instructs followers to praise the Lord for His good works, look to Him for strength and spread the news of His wonderful acts.
Bauman then interviewed Pastor Lowell Myers, who led Hillcrest for 33 years, in front of the congregation. Bauman asked Myers about consistent themes he saw in the church’s history over the years and the ways he saw God faithfully at work as the church grew.
Myers said a church is about its people, and the people of Hillcrest are what has made his many years there so enjoyable.
“From the 40 and 50 people that we had at morning worship back in the early 80s to now, sometimes having over 600, it is really God's story of what He's been doing through the church, through the individual people,” Myers said. "I always think that the church is its people. Church meets in a building, but the church is really the people as they scatter out in the community, and God has certainly been using those people to reach others.”
Now retired, Myers continues to be involved within the congregation. He said he loves how Hillcrest has always kept its focus on the gospel.
“Hillcrest is a Bible-teaching church with the emphasis on the gospel, and that is what has contributed to its growth over the 50 years to this day, is that people see the need to hear the truth of God being spoken,” church member Bill Sloup said.
The interview was followed by more songs and a dinner catered by Pizza Kitchen, all paid for by the church.
Bauman said the 50-year mark is particularly special because there are still church members who remember being there since its beginning and can share their perspectives. He said the success rate of evangelical churches is low in America, which makes Hillcrest’s half-century even more impressive.
Brauman enjoyed being able to look back on the church’s past and connect that with how it will move forward at the event. In the coming years, he plans for Hillcrest to become even more focused on serving its community and to maintain its focus on humanity's greatest need – Christ.
“Sometimes, when you do these celebrations, I think the tendency is you can kind of embalm your past,” Brauman said. “I think when we do that, we get stuck. And I didn't sense that at all. I sensed a real excitement about ‘This is neat to see what God has done, and now we look forward to what He's going to do.’”
