Kate Hillis will serve as the pastor of the Hopewell United Methodist Church, starting the first Sunday of July.
The Rev. Hillis said she seeks to build connections and bridges with the community.
“The church can be a place that serves as a resource for its surrounding community, where all people feel welcome and cared for,” Pastor Hillis said. “We share the love of Christ, not just in what we say, but in our actions.”
In conversations with members, Pastor Hillis has found that the congregation is also passionate about being a benefit to the community.
“Hopewell UMC has a lot to offer. The First Friday Open Mic nights, the passion our people have for the arts, and even our church kitchen are all gifts we have been given,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to use them to glorify God and take care of others.”
Her areas of interest include the arts, gardening, cooking and ministry opportunities around food and nutrition.
“I think that there is a lot that gardening and agriculture can teach us about the Christian faith,” she said. “Scripture tells us that all of creation came alive when God breathed life into the soil. We are all made of the same stuff and were created to be dependent upon one another.”
A native of upstate New York, Pastor Hillis has spent the last seven years doing ministry in various settings in central New Jersey. She has served as senior pastor at the Lumberton United Methodist Church, director of youth and children’s ministries at Kingston United Methodist Church, and as chaplain at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in religion and youth ministry from Houghton College (New York) and a Master’s of Divinity and a Master’s of Arts in Christian education from Princeton Theological Seminary.
She is married to Wren Hillis, a Drew Theological student, who is also pursuing ordained ministry.
Pastor Hillis succeeds Rev. Dr. Ken Robinson, who retired from the church last week after 24 years of service in Hopewell and nearly 40 years in ministry.
For information about the church, visit www.hopewellmethodist.org.
