Pastor Charles Hill walked to the pulpit on Sunday morning to give his final sermon at the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church. (Photo by Megan Bachman)
Pastor Hill’s Final Sermon
- Published: May 31, 2010
Eight years ago, Pastor Charles Hill came out of retirement to serve at the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church. On Sunday, he gave his final sermon at the church and in his 52-year career as a pastor.
“This is a painfully beautiful moment,” he told parishioners who packed the church for a morning service. “I don’t know when a pastor and congregation have worked more closely together and for our size, achieved so much.”
Pastor Hill presided over a period of tremendous growth for the Yellow Springs church. Attendance doubled, income increased, more young families joined and the church building and parsonage, or pastor’s house, were renovated for $500,000.
“This congregation has done far more than I dreamed possible in the sense of recreating this building,” Hill said in a recent interview. “They got this church looking like a place we wanted to invite people into.”
Pastor Hill gave his final sermon on the church's past successes and future plans. (Photo by Megan Bachman)
Before coming to Yellow Springs, Pastor Hill was a district superintendent, overseeing 97 United Methodist churches in Southwest Ohio. The 76-year old Springfield resident now retires from his last long-term appointment.
“The activity of church increased and my energy has decreased,” he said.
Next week, Yellow Springs native Pastor Sherri Blackwell will be welcomed as the new pastor. Coming from Faith United Methodist Church in Springfield, Blackwell knows the Yellow Springs community and is excited to work with such a passionate and powerful congregation, she said.
“The person following me will be an absolute wonderful fit,” Hill said. “She will be able to do things I won’t.”
On his tenure in Yellow Springs, Hill said, “What’s really important is that [the congregation] united, got itself together, did a lot of work and are ready to welcome a young pastor with more energy.”
See this week’s print edition of the YS News for a longer article on changes at the United Methodist Church.
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What a wonderful story; what a wonderful person! Blessings on you all!