About Pastor Kevin

I grew up in Grand Rapids where our family attended a very strict fundamentalist church -- the kind that teaches that you will go to hell if you play cards, go to movies, or dance.  Despite their strict religious roots, my parents divorced when I was 9 and I became the “man of the house” for my mom and four younger siblings.  We eventually moved to a Lutheran church when my mom re-married, which I found to be much less rule oriented, but lifeless -- having religious forms, but lacking any sense that what we were doing was real.

When I went to college, I discovered a church that took the Bible seriously without falling into the rules trap.  Here I began to see what life was like when people really tried to live out lives that were centered around the good news that Jesus died in our place for our sins.  This good news shaped how they approached their work, their families, and their community.  Here we experienced relationships with other families where we really helped each other to walk with God through faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of age, race, or status.

After college, I taught for two years before going back to law school.  I practiced law for ten years, mostly as a public defender, where God shaped how I view people – and myself.  I realized that even though I was a compliant kid who never got in trouble growing up, my religious pride was just as offensive to God as the crimes committed by my clients.  Now, I want to help people to come to know freedom from their rebellion against God -- whether they rebel by being bad or by being prideful of their own good.

We hope that Cross Hill Community Church will grow to be a place where the good news of Jesus transforms how individuals live, but also a place where the good news transforms an entire community of people to better reflect the way God intended the world to work.  It’s not about grudgingly following rules, but joyfully following a real person -- Jesus!

So whether you are a pillar of the community or a person with a shameful past, we invite you to come meet Jesus at Cross Hill Community Church!

Pastor Kevin, his wife Kim and 5 children
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