ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY
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The mission of Hillside UMC is "To share and experience our faith in God through Jesus Christ, to serve one another and our community, welcoming all who come through our doors." Through out our life at Hillside we seek to embody this mission, living it out in all that we do from worship on Sunday mornings to our service in the community throughout the week and in our daily lives.
Hillside UMC is a community of people who function as a family. Members of the church truly care for one another. There are a number of events that occur throughout the week to encourage fellowship, deepening connections with others and spiritual growth. Each week we offer a Children's Message as a part of our worship service and have a time of learning and crafts during worship. In addition, we have a United Methodist Men's group, United Methodist Women's group, weekly Choir Rehearsal, weekly Bible Study, and much more. For up to date information on our community's activities, please see our calendar here. |
OUR PASTOR
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GiL's story #01 Korean name
Gil's Story #01 My Korean Name My Korean name is Gil Pyo Lee. ‘Gil’ means ‘road’ and ‘Pyo’ means ‘sign’ so the meaning of my Korean name is ‘roadsign.’ Have you ever seen some signs on the street like ‘Stop’ sign, ‘Turn Left’ or ‘Turn Right’? My name is something like those. One day I got an idea to make my name more meaningful for God so I added some words to my Korean name like ‘Roadsigns to the Lord.’ I realized that a pastor is not the person who gets attention or fame from the people but the person who guides people where to go or what to do for knowing and building a relationship with God. So I learned that the pastor must be a good and right sign for the people in the world to help them move closer and know God more. Then I thought my name is a very good for pastor. Do you think so? haha! Do roadsigns apply just for pastors? I think every Christian who confess Jesus is the Lord, the Savior, and the Son of the Living God must be a roadsign because God want His people to live as the priests of the world. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) Who is a priest? The priest is an intercessor between God and the people in the world to help connect them to Christ. I hope and pray that all of us who came to worship God today can live as roadsigns for someone else by making ourselves available help guide others on their journey to God and building a good relationship with God. on Sunday, July 7, 2019 Gil's story #02 family background
Gil's Story #02 Family Background Today I would like to share my family background. My father was a pastor, my grandfather was a pastor, and my great-grandfather was a pastor making me a fourth generation pastor. This is the biggest blessing in my life. I am so grateful for all the prayers and spiritual heritage from all Pastors in my family. I am so thankful to God for giving me a great spiritual family. Before telling a story, I need to introduce one of the Korean customs. Koreans use the title rather than call someone by their first name. When people gather together, they call me ‘Pastor Lee’ rather than ‘Gil.’ Koreans are very used to using the title of the people to show respect and be polite. When my family gathers together for a special days or holidays, like New Year’s day, Thanksgiving or Christmas in the US. Some of the younger people call me ‘Pastor Lee’ then most of men turn their faces to the person who called ‘Pastor Lee’ because most men in my family are pastors. This is absolutely a huge blessing for my family. One day I began to understand, that I believed in the God my father believed. The God I believed was not the God I encountered but the God I heard about from my father. I also realized that I believed the God my mother believed. The God I believed was not the God I had relationship with. I realized that I need to encounter God personally, I need to know God by myself rather than through my father or mother, or grandfather or even great-grandfather. So I spent time getting to know God and building My relationship with God. My family background is a huge blessing for me but I realized that I must encounter God face to face. And then I can say God is my God so that I can give testimony, about my relationship with God. John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Whose God do you believe in now? Do you have your own relationship with God? Do you have a conversation with God face to face? I hope and pray that all of us can have our own personal relationship with God through the Word of God. on Sunday, July 14, 2019 My name is Gil Lee. My wife Hannah, our children, Grace and Daniel, and we moved here to Contoocook from Singapore and I began serving Contoocook United Methodist Church on July 1, 2018 and now started Hillside United Methodist Church on July 1, 2019.
This is not my first move to a new time zone. I have have served as a missionary trainer in Singapore, pastored at churches in Severn, MD, studied Missiology in Wilmore, KY and pastored Glory Korean Methodist Church in Singapore, and been a missiology professor in Korea, Indonesia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. I have thought of myself as a mobile church, moving around the world sharing God's dream from 1 Timothy 2:4 “For all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”. While Gil is my given name, it is also an acronym for God Is Love. In all the positions I have held, I have served with God in my heart and with the hope that I can spread God's Love to individuals all over the world. I am here to help folks to move closer to God as disciples of Jesus Christ. My family and I are excited to learn about American traditions, cultures and foods. “Our tongues were born in Korea” so we are slowly acquiring a taste for these new foods while longing for familiar tastes such as Kimchi. I look forward to meeting you. I hope that you can enjoy your Christian life, as “the called to be sent” with my family and I at the Hillside United Methodist Church, so stop in and visit at our offline location soon! |
OUR CHURCH HISTORY
In 1842, Rev. E. K. Baily was pastor of First Baptist Church located in (Goffstown) Amoskeag Village (which was annexed by Manchester in 1853). The church was in its greatest season of prosperity, and membership numbered one-hundred and fifty members. Like other ministers of the town of Goffstown, Rev. Baily had a great fear for his church, on account of a woman preacher who was drawing large audiences from his, as well as the other churches.
Miss Clementine Parker came to Goffstown in 1841 and began preaching in the old meeting house at Grasmere, which was the center of Goffstown at the time. She claimed to be independent of all churches, but had formerly been a Methodist. The Rev. Isaac Willey said: "Her hearers increased until she had an audience of nearly one thousand persons. In the spring of 1842 more than one half of the voters in town, and nearly all those who had never been willing to support any other preacher, came to her support." Near the close of her labors, she advised her converts to form a Methodist church. Some dissatisfaction arose, in regards to the occupation of the Congregations Church at the Center, by her followers, whereupon, Samuel Little and Capt. Joseph Sargent purchased the building.
In the autumn of 1842 a Methodist Society was organized, and pews were sold in the house to various individuals by Messrs. Little and Sargent. Rev. Mr. Smart, a local preacher, was secured until the next session of the conference, which occurred June, 1843.
On the 18th of August, 1877, the church was struck by lightning and totally destroyed, and a new one was erected before the close of the year.
In 1881 a new parsonage was erected. (It is located across the street, but no longer is a parsonage today).
In 1914 a substantial kitchen and dining room were finished under the church, where church suppers were held. (They actually excavated under the church to gain this space).
June 9, 1918, there occurred a very remarkable instance in the history of this church. Nineteen members were received, and among the number was Irad Poore, 94 years of age, the oldest person in the town, and active. After the service, a photograph of the entire congregation was taken, in which four generations were represented: Irad Poore, his daughter, Mrs. Charles E. Pollard, his grandson, Herman Pollard, and his great-granddaughter, Grendolyn Mary Pollard.
"In the year 1872, with the increasing population of the town, the needs of the people called for more church room, and quite an interest was manifest in Methodist preaching at the village. Accordingly, the annual conference sent Rev. W.E Bennett to preach at the Center. Also to hold meeting as at the west village; this he did with evident success, ministering to good-sized congregations and receiving a generous support”
"The church was to be known as the Second Methodist Episcopal Church of Goffstown. Work on the new church commenced on March 26, 1889.
Recent discoveries and interesting facts:
Remaining Features of the historic church:
Recent work:
Ministry:
Hillside Cemetery:
The cemetery is owned by the town and they have a right-of-way (the only vehicle access) to cemetery over church property on the right side of the church.
* Based upon Town of Goffstown History Research and Hillside UMC Membership Witness
Sources:
Hadley, G. (1922). History of the Town of Goffstown 1733 – 1920: Volume One. Concord, NH. The Rumford Press.
Mitchell and Weston. (1905). The Goffstown Register 1905. Brunswick, ME: H.E. Mitchell Co.
Miss Clementine Parker came to Goffstown in 1841 and began preaching in the old meeting house at Grasmere, which was the center of Goffstown at the time. She claimed to be independent of all churches, but had formerly been a Methodist. The Rev. Isaac Willey said: "Her hearers increased until she had an audience of nearly one thousand persons. In the spring of 1842 more than one half of the voters in town, and nearly all those who had never been willing to support any other preacher, came to her support." Near the close of her labors, she advised her converts to form a Methodist church. Some dissatisfaction arose, in regards to the occupation of the Congregations Church at the Center, by her followers, whereupon, Samuel Little and Capt. Joseph Sargent purchased the building.
In the autumn of 1842 a Methodist Society was organized, and pews were sold in the house to various individuals by Messrs. Little and Sargent. Rev. Mr. Smart, a local preacher, was secured until the next session of the conference, which occurred June, 1843.
On the 18th of August, 1877, the church was struck by lightning and totally destroyed, and a new one was erected before the close of the year.
In 1881 a new parsonage was erected. (It is located across the street, but no longer is a parsonage today).
In 1914 a substantial kitchen and dining room were finished under the church, where church suppers were held. (They actually excavated under the church to gain this space).
June 9, 1918, there occurred a very remarkable instance in the history of this church. Nineteen members were received, and among the number was Irad Poore, 94 years of age, the oldest person in the town, and active. After the service, a photograph of the entire congregation was taken, in which four generations were represented: Irad Poore, his daughter, Mrs. Charles E. Pollard, his grandson, Herman Pollard, and his great-granddaughter, Grendolyn Mary Pollard.
"In the year 1872, with the increasing population of the town, the needs of the people called for more church room, and quite an interest was manifest in Methodist preaching at the village. Accordingly, the annual conference sent Rev. W.E Bennett to preach at the Center. Also to hold meeting as at the west village; this he did with evident success, ministering to good-sized congregations and receiving a generous support”
"The church was to be known as the Second Methodist Episcopal Church of Goffstown. Work on the new church commenced on March 26, 1889.
Recent discoveries and interesting facts:
- Paul Hartigan – State Trooper – during WWII, wound the clock and started a fire in the furnace under the grate in the aisle (center of church) on Sundays. He said the church was never warm in the winter.
- Stones and pulleys for pulling down oil lamps were found in the attic while doing recent insulating.
- The church once lowered the ceiling for energy conservation and the entire ceiling later collapsed shortly after Ms. Imogene William’s sister finished practicing on the organ. There is no record of what she was playing that might have brought the ceiling down.
Remaining Features of the historic church:
- Some of the panes of glass are original.
- The front of church is being maintained in the original wood clapboards.
- The basic structure is the same as when it was built.
Recent work:
- In 2002, the downstairs was remodeled to change that space, creating a pastor’s office for pastoral counseling.
- In 2017 Hillside completed a new addition for a full access bathroom and kitchenette. New covered side and rear entrances provide much better access to the fellowship room and lower level rooms from outside. Three sides of building were sided to make them maintenance free (front was left as wood clapboards).The fellowship room was renovated with new flooring and paint. The flooring was replaced in the pastor’s office.
Ministry:
- At least three women pastors have served the church since Miss Clementine Parker called for the formation of a Methodist Church in Grasmere.
- The Hillside Church had shared a pastor with the 2nd UMC in the village church and eventually a full time pastor when that church closed.
Hillside Cemetery:
The cemetery is owned by the town and they have a right-of-way (the only vehicle access) to cemetery over church property on the right side of the church.
* Based upon Town of Goffstown History Research and Hillside UMC Membership Witness
Sources:
Hadley, G. (1922). History of the Town of Goffstown 1733 – 1920: Volume One. Concord, NH. The Rumford Press.
Mitchell and Weston. (1905). The Goffstown Register 1905. Brunswick, ME: H.E. Mitchell Co.