Lead Pastor
Pastor April (she/her) was called to serve as Lead Pastor at Hilliard UMC in October 2016, after serving at Summit on 16th UMC and Riverside UMC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas and a Master of Divinity from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and she was ordained an elder in 2012. She and her husband Martin have two school-age boys, Eugene and Marcus.
She writes, “Despite its flaws, I believe the church has incredible potential to be a force for good in the world and to embody the incredible power of God’s love for all people. I am passionate about helping people to discover that they are beloved by God, and walking with them as we all learn what it means to live in tune with the work of God’s spirit that is as close to us as the air we breathe.”
“God Loves You… No Matter What is more than just a tag line for us at HUMC. The incredible people of this church are truly desiring to be the kind of place where this is what people experience. That means that we aren’t afraid to talk about hard things. That means we make decisions based on our values of God’s love and inclusion for all people. That means we are doing the work to dismantle our church’s entanglement with systems that oppress others. We also really like each other. The relationships we’ve built with one another are REAL. They are loving. We have each other’s backs when the going gets tough. We are far from perfect. We have a lot of work to do to continue this journey, but I LOVE that we are doing that work TOGETHER.”
She also loves to read, travel, eat delicious food, play practical jokes on her colleagues and friends, talk trash in her Fantasy Football league, disappear in the woods for some solitude, and play board games with her family.
Pastor April usually takes her sabbath and day off on Saturdays and Mondays, when she doesn’t check email. If you have a pastoral emergency on a Saturday or Monday, please call the church office (614.876.2403) and either let the staff know or leave a voicemail message (select the hospital option; the pastors will be alerted).
