Eastern Hills Church of Christ sits on East Corsicana Street on the east side of Athens, Texas, a small-town congregation that has quietly become a hub for ministries well beyond Sunday morning. The church has spent more than three decades running a drive-through food pantry that feeds Henderson County families, hosts a Christ-centered Celebrate Recovery program, and pours itself into children through Kingdom Kids and an on-campus preschool called Angel Keepers. Through all of it, the congregation has held to the worship patterns long associated with Churches of Christ: a cappella singing, weekly communion, and a steady diet of Bible teaching.
Sunday Mornings on East Corsicana
The week centers on Sunday. Bible classes for all ages begin at 9:00 AM in the building's education wing, and the main worship service follows at 10:00 AM. Visitors arriving for the first time are met at a front desk in the atrium, where someone is ready to help with directions to children's check-in, a Bible class, or simply a cup of coffee.
The worship hour follows a familiar Church of Christ shape. The congregation sings without the use of instruments, so voices carry the music; new attenders are gently invited to join in. Every week the church takes open communion, and visitors are welcomed to share it. A weekly offering is collected, but guests are never expected to give. The sermon follows, drawn directly from Scripture and aimed at honoring the nature and character of God as the Bible presents him. Sermons are recorded and posted on the church's YouTube channel, and a full archive of recent series is available to watch or listen to on demand, including a walk through the Tabernacle, an Advent series, a study in Colossians, and a series on prayer called "Teach Us to Pray".
Kingdom Kids: Teaching the Youngest Disciples
Children meet for their own Bible class at 9:00 AM, in a program the church calls Kingdom Kids. The children's ministry is led by Tyna Gore, who along with her husband Philip has been part of Eastern Hills for 28 years. Her hope is that every child who walks through the doors feels loved and included and comes away knowing the grace of Jesus Christ.
Classes for children meet in a wing of the building called "The Well," where families check in at a desk on the left side of the building. Each child and parent receives a matching ticket to ensure only the right adult can pick the child up. Children sing worship songs, hear Bible stories, and take part in hands-on activities designed to keep young minds engaged. If a child needs a parent during the worship service, the staff texts the parent directly; if that doesn't reach them, someone comes to find them in the auditorium.
Angel Keepers Preschool
The same campus that hosts Sunday worship is home to Angel Keepers Preschool, a play-based weekday program that carries the church's ministry to families with younger children. The preschool's name and motto come from Mark 10:14: "Let the little children come to me... for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." The school offers three rhythms for families, called Play, Learn, and Grow, and registration is handled through the preschool office at the church. Angel Keepers gives the church a year-round presence with Athens-area families and serves as a natural bridge into the church's children's ministries.
Wednesday Nights for Students
Students in middle and high school have their own gathering on Wednesday nights, led by Student Minister Sam Roberson. The evening starts at 6:00 PM when a coffee bar area opens; students grab a drink, find a table, do homework, charge their phones, and hang out. At 6:30 PM the group moves upstairs for a devotional time built around worship, prayer, Scripture, and stories, and the night wraps up by 7:15 PM. The youth ministry grounds itself in 1 Timothy 4:12, encouraging young people to set an example in speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity.
Life Groups and the Family Minister
Past Sundays at 9:00 and Wednesday nights are not the only on-ramps into the congregation. Family Minister Dan Rogers oversees the church's Life Groups, small gatherings designed to move beyond a classroom and into real, ongoing community. Becky and Dan have been in ministry at Eastern Hills for more than thirty years, raised five children through the church, and now have five grandchildren. The Life Groups program exists to help believers walk with Jesus alongside Christian brothers and sisters, a value Rogers and others at the church describe as doing life together, not just meeting together.
Cornerstone: A Ministry for Seniors
Older members of the congregation have their own ministry called Cornerstone, named for Jesus as the cornerstone on which the church is built (a theme drawn from Job 38 and the New Testament). The work is led by David Deas, with several church families pitching in. Cornerstone gathers seniors for fellowship, movie nights built around classic films, and day trips to local spots like an arboretum or a bluebonnet festival, with lunches together along the way.
Tied closely to Cornerstone is a hands-on ministry called Helping Hands. Helping Hands pairs volunteers from the church with elderly members and widows who need a little extra help around the house, such as changing a hard-to-reach light bulb or a smoke alarm battery. The ministry is open to men and women, since many needs are better served by women of the church. The church office maintains a list of volunteers and routes requests through Sharon, who then connects the person in need with a volunteer.
Celebrate Recovery on Thursday Nights
On Thursday evenings the building opens for Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered twelve-step program for people working through hurts, habits, and hang-ups, including addiction. The night begins with a free meal at 5:45 PM, followed by the meeting at 6:00 PM. The program is open to anyone in the community who could use it, not just members of Eastern Hills.
The Community Care Food Pantry
Arguably the most visible ministry the church runs is the Community Care Food Pantry, which has served Henderson County residents for over thirty years. The pantry operates out of a building behind the main church, and guests receive groceries through a drive-through pickup line that runs through the church parking lot off East Corsicana. Food is distributed on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from 8:00 AM to 11:50 AM.
First-time guests bring a government-issued photo ID and proof of residency, such as a utility bill dated within the last sixty days. Repeat guests bring their pantry card. Volunteers staff the pantry during hours of operation, sort food donations, answer phones, and help with light office work. High school and college students are welcome to log service hours alongside the regular volunteers, and donations, both food and monetary, are accepted during pantry hours or by mail at PO Box 1997, Athens, TX 75751. A separate number, 903-677-5550, is dedicated to the pantry for volunteer questions and drop-off arrangements.
Missions Beyond Athens
Eastern Hills carries its ministry outside of Henderson County through several partnerships. Each year the church sends a team to Costa Rica to work alongside Ricardo Salas Mata and his wife Claudia, missionaries supported by the congregation who serve their community and teach God's Word. The church also supports Eastern European Missions (EEM), an organization that distributes Bibles in over twenty languages across the former Communist Bloc; the Bibles are used in classrooms to teach English and to share Scripture. Closer to home, Eastern Hills backs Camp of the Hills, a retreat that introduces at-risk children to the love of God through Christian university students serving as counselors. The camp also hosts retreats for churches, university ministries, marriage groups, and parent-child weekends.
What the Church Believes
Eastern Hills identifies as a Church of Christ congregation, and its worship reflects that heritage. The congregation shares a common confession of faith with other Churches of Christ: a high view of Scripture, weekly observance of the Lord's Supper open to all believers, a cappella congregational singing, and a commitment to follow the Bible as the authoritative guide for Christian life and practice. Members and visitors are invited to take communion each Sunday as part of that pattern. The church extends an open invitation to anyone whose convictions line up with these beliefs to pursue membership.
The Ministry Team and Elders
Preaching Minister Billy Gurley grew up in Athens and, after spending most of his adult life in Fort Worth, returned to his hometown to serve the church. He and his wife Shannon have four adult children. Tyna Gore leads the children's ministry alongside her husband Philip, Dan Rogers and his wife Becky lead the family ministry, and Sam Roberson, a former military "brat" who came to Eastern Hills in 2019, leads the student ministry and provides family counseling. Seven elders shepherd the congregation: Danny Davis, Tommy Davis, Jerry Houston, Mark Immel, Bob Spears, Randy Holton, and Ray Holton.
Planning a Visit
Anyone planning a first visit can fill out a short online form so the team can be ready to greet them. Services are held at 1200 E Corsicana St. Children are welcome in worship, and a staffed children's ministry is available during the Bible class hour. Weekly services are livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person, and giving can be done online through the church's Breeze platform. Members and regular attenders find ways to serve through Life Groups, volunteer teams, the food pantry, Celebrate Recovery, and the preschool, and a membership form is available online for anyone ready to make Eastern Hills their church home.