HillcrestHistory - Hillcrest Congregational Church, UCC

A Caring Community Where Everyone is Welcome!

50 Plus Years and Still Going Strong ...

On September 17, 1950, the Community Congregational Church held its first worship service in Pleasant Hill. On October 15, 1950 the church was renamed to be Hillcrest Congregational Church, as we know oursevles today. On January 21, 1951 Hillcrest Congregational Church was officially chartered with 101 charter members. The Reverend Bob Carlson was our first minister.

How it all began...

After the Northern California Conference of Congregational Churches purchased land for a new, "progressive" church in Pleasant Hill, the search began for just the right "missionary" to send to Pleasant Hill to establish the new church, and very quickly that person was found.In July, 1950, the young, eager, and just-out-of-seminary, Robert Carlson was sent forth to Pleasant Hill to plant a church. He, his wife Mae, and their small daughter Kathy moved into a parsonage which was purchased with the generous help of the Women's Guild of the First Congregational Church of Oakland.

Since 1952 worship services had been held in what we now know as Fellowship Hall. In 1954 Hillcrest's membership had grown to 360 and it seemed the time had come to move the dream of a true sanctuary to reality. Hillcrest members responded again with a sacrificial giving of over $91,000. Floyd Comstock, a Hillcrest Charter Member and architect, proceeded to design a place of worship that perfectly reflected the spirit of the congregation. With great joy, the sanctuary was dedicated on March 10, 1957.

Over the years the sanctuary has been a special place for many of God's creatures, not all of them human! Once upon a time bees built a bee hive here. Once the beekeeper removed them he named the church "holy honey." No sooner were the bees gone when a falcon nest was soon found. Next nest was left until the baby falcons were hatched and ready to fly. We have heard of "Bats in the Belfry" and "Church Mice" but did you know that Hillcrest had its own episode of "Rats in the Sanctuary" or "in the Organ Blower Room" to be more specific. Some of us remember when a woodpecker pecked on the window above the pulpit as Senior Minister Gene Sill gave a sermon. Many more of us remember an occasion when songbirds joined us in this sanctuary and added their voices to ours. We and all of God's creatures who have spent time here appreciate the beauty of this sanctuary. It stands as one of the crowning achievements of those first-decade pilgrims who founded Hillcrest Congregational Church.

CELEBRATING 50 PLUS YEARS!

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