A Small PC(USA) Congregation in Hilliard
Hilliard Presbyterian Church meets on Leap Road in Hilliard, Ohio, a suburb just west of Columbus. The congregation is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and sits within the Presbytery of Scioto Valley, which gathers with the church each November. Members describe themselves as people journeying together, working to shape lives of justice and love, centering on the God Who Is Love, following Jesus, and being transformed by the Spirit of the Living God.
The church is small by design. Visitors will not be pressured to join or to give. Members say plainly: everyone is welcome, and the only things a non-member cannot do are vote at a congregational meeting or be elected to office as a deacon or elder. The community is open about its variety of ideas and commitments, and equally open about the promise to take care of one another, listen, and grow in faith and love because of each other.
Sunday Worship at 10 AM
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary. The Lord's Supper is celebrated twice a month, and all who trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are invited to the Lord's Table. Services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and recordings typically appear on the church's YouTube channel the following Monday morning for anyone who wants to revisit a sermon or catch up after travel.
Anyone joining in person can expect a warm, traditional Presbyterian service shaped around scripture, prayer, preaching, and music. Additional services through the year are announced on the notice board and on Facebook.
Engaging the Bible Together
Scripture study sits at the heart of the congregation's rhythm. Each Sunday from 9:15 to 9:45 AM, adults gather for a session called Engaging the Bible. The approach treats the biblical texts as complex stories and letters, listened to for the Word of God in and through the words on the page, and for the Spirit moving through the insights and questions of those reading together. The goal is to find language that draws people nearer to God and helps them understand their relationship with the Holy One so they can live lives of justice and love.
A second Bible study meets on Mondays at 3:00 PM in the Room with No Name. The Monday gathering offers a midweek space for the same kind of listening and conversation, open to anyone who wants to come.
Pastor Katie Kinnison
The church is served by Rev. Katie Kinnison, who was newly called and installed at the time the congregation's ministry description was written. She describes herself as a mystic, one who loves God and sees all of creation in connection with God, and is passionate about ideas, books, fungi, rocks, her three grown daughters, laughing, and anything that takes her breath away. Preaching and teaching sit at the heart of her calling, with the goal of helping the people of the church figure out how to come all the way alive in God.
Her writing carries the same themes. In her writing she returns often to forgiveness, hope, calling, and trust, and to the conviction that the first truth about every person is that they are beloved by the Holy One. She writes of the Spirit at work in and through the congregation, and of a way of life that leans into trust rather than control.
Hands-On Ministry Beyond the Church
The congregation's sense of calling reaches well beyond its own walls. Members regularly play bingo with women at the Marysville Reformatory, a trip described simply as a fun time of playing and winning small prizes together. They collect candy for the women there, money for a local food pantry, and clothing and toiletries for women who have been or are being trafficked.
They also support Sleep in Heavenly Peace's Hilliard chapter, helping ensure that children in the community have their own beds. Through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program, the church has responded to earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and to events such as the shooting at Michigan State University, and the church continues to ask members and visitors to consider giving to that effort.
Growing in the Ability to Love
Alongside Bible study and outreach, the church invests in the inward work that lets those things happen. Members describe doing things together to grow spiritually, with the conviction that learning to deepen their experience of God helps them love better, and that learning to be in healthy, supportive, and loving relationships with one another makes them more committed and loving children of God.
The church is in a season of re-imagining. A new pastor, new members, and a rapidly changing world are reshaping who the congregation is and what it is called to do in Hilliard and beyond. Members describe themselves as following a Living God and being led by a Spirit who moves where She will, doing their best to pay attention to the many ways God is speaking and to respond.
Visiting and Giving
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 AM at the church on Leap Road. For first-time guests, the message is simple: come as you are, give as God leads you during the offering if you choose, and feel free to participate in everything the church does without any obligation to join.
Giving can be placed in the offering plate just inside the sanctuary entrance, mailed to the church's PO Box, or given online through the Presbyterian Foundation or by linking a Kroger Community Rewards card to the congregation. Snow emergencies are handled with care: worship happens under a Level 1 Snow Emergency, a decision is made by the pastor and key leaders under Level 2, and worship does not happen at the building under Level 3, though the congregation notes that worship itself continues in every circumstance.