Community Highlights: Meet Seth McDonald of Hill Crest Bible Church

Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth McDonald.

Hi Seth, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today. 
Hill Crest was started on November 4th, 2018. My Wife (Jerri-Lynne) and I had a calling on our life to start a church. With our two kiddos (Mac and Gwenn) and a small group of friends, we started Hill Crest. We had a vision for how we felt the Lord was leading us to start and operate HC; we just needed a place to call home and host our plans. We started renting our current location (3 Towne Square) in late October (2018) and began preparing classrooms and the chapel for our first service. The Grace Chapel is where we held services for a few months until we quickly outgrew the 68 chairs in the room. As we continued to grow, I knew we would have to make some decisions quickly because we were running out of space. We began talks on renting more space at our current location, then COVID… we were not allowed to meet in the building. We streamed services for about 3 months, then we granted permission to set up two tents on the south lawn and hold outdoor services. We cherished our time together out there and learned much about our faith. Once the snow started to fly in early November (2020), we were able to move into the fellowship hall to hold services there. In December of 2020, we began to talk about finding a permanent location. We held business meetings and laid the groundwork for starting the process of purchasing our own property. The process was challenging. Understandably, the banks would not lend to us because we were only a year and a half old, and most of that was COVID. We prayed on direction once again, and God was faithful. We met with the sales team and began negotiations for a final sale. I was contacted by a friend that loaned me the cash for our property. In January (2021) my family sold our home to help the purchase of the property and closed on the church property later that month. Since closing, we have slowly updated the sanctuary as well as other rooms in the church. The building was a huge blessing from God, and we are doing our best to be good stewards of His blessings. 

We are blessed with a congregation that is full of servants. Sure, most people know me as the lead pastor, but we have many others that make the church run smoothly. Many department heads lead ministry every week. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think that there are any smooth roads in this life. As a believer, I know that there are going to be challenges along the way. I try to always focus on God and let Him anchor me. 

Some challenges have been updating a building that was built in the early 1900’s. Adding central air to the sanctuary was a huge task full of trials and errors. With lots of hard work from our members, we made it happen. 

The biggest challenge was during Covid not being able to meet in person for so long. We started to livestream on Facebook and came up with the fun idea of hosting the Hill Crest games. These were crazy times, that we made fun through laughing and singing. 

While holding outdoor services we were screamed at, honked at, cussed at, people would drive down the road honking and playing their music really loud. 

We continue to seek new families and people, challenges in doing so is people tend to have their ideas about who we are and what we stand for before even meeting us. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Hill Crest Bible Church?
“Come as you are, Serve where you are, Love Whose you are” is our motto at Hill Crest. We are a church that is founded in Christ, and everything we do should represent Him. We are a church that wants to show our surrounding community the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus. In our city of Wayne, we work closely with the local government to help serve the people. They have entrusted us with hosting many of the city-wide events. In past years, we have given out thousands of toys at Christmas time to help our small community have a better Christmas. The mayor has called us the hands and feet of Christ; this was a huge honor for us. The city we love has seen that we are here to help them and give back. We hold to the truth the Lord’s goodness to us is not for us but for us to spread throughout our community. We also host our own community outreach events throughout the year. Our Hospitality Team works hard at making sure people feel comfortable and well-fed. We believe that people are more open to spiritual conversations when they have their physical needs met. Two of the bigger events are our fish fry in September and our 4th of July event. HC does not charge or even ask for donation at these events. After feeding the people we hold a 45-minute firework show to bring back the small-town feel. We serve the community and meet needs through Pots, Pans, and Helping Hands. This is our food pantry, and others need ministry. We are able to serve those in need regularly through the donation of our members. 

We hold services regularly through the week. Sunday 11 am & 6 pm, Wednesday 6:30 pm (a bible study for all ages), many other weekly events – bible studies, craft nights, bible journaling, teen activities, and much more. 

When it comes down to it… I encourage everyone to come out and visit us and experience all that God is doing at Hill Crest at the heart of Wayne! 

What matters most to you?
Jesus matters the most. Of course, the preacher says that… but in this life, what you do with Jesus is what matters the most. I often remind our church that we are here to overcrowd heaven and let God deal with the logistics. At the end of the day, I want to make much of HIM(Jesus). Through making much of Jesus, we must serve and love as He does. Jesus places high value on people, and we are to do the same. We honor God by serving and helping people. We want to love them to the cross. 

Reasoning: All He has done for me, my family, and Hill Crest… I owe everything I have to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Contact Info:

• Website: hillcrestbible.com
• Instagram: Hill Crest Bible Church
• Facebook: Hill Crest Bible Church
• Twitter: @HillBible
• Youtube: @hillcrestbiblechurch3742 Hill Crest Bible Church