Rev. Gerry Hill is new to Oregon City United Methodist Church. He came in July 2009 to be our pastor. Gerry has been in ordained ministry since 1983. He went to Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA for his graduate degree. Willamette University is where he earned his undergrad degree.

Gerry is married to Rev. Robyn Morrison who is pastor on staff at First United Methodist Church in Salem. Their combined family includes seven children and four grandsons.

Here is some of what Gerry shared about himself in his first sermon at our church:

I grew up in the church and became very active in district and conference events as a youth. I attended camp at Suttle Lake and Magruder United Methodist camps. In those days we had a conference youth gathering each year. I was elected to our Senior Youth Ministry Council and helped plan and lead the gathering in 1973.

I graduated from Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis and left for college after working the summer at Suttle Lake. At Willamette University, I studied psychology, swam on the swim team and worked a couple of years as youth pastor for a two United Methodist churches. I worked as a janitor to help pay for my education.

My call took me to seminary at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. Then I served as associate pastor of Salem 1st UMC for three years. The Lord and cabinet moved my and my family (four children by now) to Buhl, ID where I served for seven years. Christ’s Church Methodist and Presbyterian United was the next church I served in Monmouth, OR for six years. It was a church my father (Rev. Wayne Hill) served from when I was age two until eight. I became the pastor for my former Sunday School teachers. My son, Zach, was adopted as an infant from Vietnam in 1997.

The Lord called me to Redmond, OR to serve a new faith community. Next, I moved to Sherwood where I have just completed six years of ministry.

In my call, I am set apart to serve as an ordained elder in the UMC. Ordination is fulfilled in leadership of the people of God through ministries of Service, Word, Sacrament, and Order. Those are the special ministries of an elder.

My ministry includes Worship, prayer, developing leaders, evangelism and discipleship. You will notice that I have a special passion for developing children and youth as disciples of Jesus.