2024 YEAR IN REVIEW
A LETTER FROM JAMES...
JAMES WALKER Lead Pastor
I am thankful for the privilege of serving as the Pastor of Lake Hills Church. Over the past twelve and a half years we have traveled through several challenging times, but we did it together with the hand of the Lord guiding our steps. Covid and the recent hurricane devastation obviously altered our “norm,” but our people continue to rise to the occasion every time, keeping our hearts focused on the vision pursuit that we call “The Matthew Project.”
We are a people UNITED embracing the work of the Holy Spirit, STRIVING to see lives transformed in our community, region, nation, and world.
We have a foundation to build from, laid by those who came before us. God has blessed us with so many wonderful people who have joined in with the willingness, talents and generosity needed to move us forward. 2025 is going to take us into deeper uncharted waters, but we are strong together as long as we place our emphasis on the things that are important to God. You are beautiful people and each of you have been sent here as a gift to this church.
The following pages will provide a brief glimpse into the ministry, health, and effect of LHC over the 2024 calendar year.
You matter here and I am so grateful for your involvement and support.
IN THIS ISSUE...
REACHING AND MISSIONS
JEFF HENRY Executive Pastor
2024 was a great year full of opportunities to see people’s lives transformed across our community, region, nation, and world.
Many people gave their lives to Christ through our Kids and Student Ministries and also at the altar in our worship services. We’ve stirred the waters and celebrated life change through 51 baptisms! Last year we sent more people on mission opportunities than the last 5 years.
Something new this year on the mission front: In January, we adopted a new mission partner, Redemption Church, a new church plant in Beckley, WV. We look forward to growing this partnership by sending a team to help advance the mission of their church.
2025 is going to be a year where we do MORE… more opportunities to share the hope of Jesus… more opportunities to walk with Christians in another culture… more opportunities to serve those affected by hurricane Helene.
Where will you go?
Where can you serve?
As the LHC Executive Pastor, I am grateful to serve alongside a wonderful staff team. I look forward to cheering you on as you take the opportunity to share the gospel across the street and around the world!
Here are a few highlights of places we were able to take The Gospel in 2024
GUATEMALA NOVEMBER
In November we sent a team to Guatemala to serve vulnerable women and children in need.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JUNE & SEPTEMBER
In June and September, we sent mission teams to the Dominican Republic to partner with local pastors to help build a school, provide health screenings, and offer leadership development.
MISSION HIGHLIGHTS
In August, we came together for Serve NC where we loved our community through 14 local projects serving schools and our local mission partners.
SERVE NC AUGUST
HURRICANE HELENE
When we sat down at the end of 2023 to plan this past year, none of us could have ever imagined what the end of 2024 would look like. You plan all the events, all the ministry opportunities, all the programing, etc. and then in one weekend, it all changes.
When Hurricane Helene hit those last few days of September, it’s safe to say our whole community was shaken to the core. No one was prepared for that level of devastation to make its way here to our home. Everything halted.
Every fall schedule, staff job description, and shortterm goals changed as we scrambled to figure out how to serve the people around us.These are exactly the kinds of times where the church needs to be… the church. No other ministry took priority at that time. We are so proud of the efforts our church
gave in the wake of Hurricane Helene. So many of you eagerly came to volunteer, sort, distribute, hand out water, and pray with people. We were a first responder church reaching out to provide leadership in many areas of disaster relief. Even church members who were struggling and in need themselves showed up to be a part of the efforts. It was a wonderful time to come together to serve others, and we believe it made us healthier, stronger, and more focused as church.
We continue to this day sending teams with supplies to needed areas including Bee Long, Pensacola, Spruce Pine, Burnsville, and Old Fort. As we look ahead to the next phases of relief, we will shift efforts to providing support in family counseling, home repairs, and construction of new homes. Please continue to support and volunteer in the relief efforts in the days ahead.
LIFEGROUPS, PRAYER GROUPS, & ADULT MINISTRY
LEE O’BRIANT Pastor of Discipleship
LifeGroups at Lake Hills are where connection meets transformation—and 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary! More people than ever are stepping into these vibrant communities, finding not just a group, but a family where they can grow, belong, and do life together. Each week, our incredible LifeGroup leaders (who are my heroes!) pour their hearts into preparing dynamic, relevant Bible studies that faithfully teach God’s Word while also making practical applications to your life.
LifeGroups are so much more than Bible study (although that’s a huge part!). Guests become friends, friends become family, and before you know it, you’re surrounded by a supportive, prayerful community that cheers you on, lifts you up, and helps you grow. No wonder our LifeGroups are continuing to grow! Outside of our weekly gatherings, LifeGroups are buzzing with energy— fellowship, hands-on ministry, and serving others. Many of our members were on the front lines of our Hurricane Relief efforts, making a real difference in our community. And that’s just the beginning. LifeGroups connect through weekly Prayer Groups, fun day trips, retreats, and other exciting events that build lasting friendships and deepen bonds.
With Prayer as an important priority of our church, we have nearly 20 groups faithfully gathering each week. Our Prayer Groups meet weekly for one hour and pray for God’s power, provision, and protection over every area of our church. These groups have been so valuable in our discipleship ministry and in the life of our church as we’ve experienced God’s continued blessings and answered prayers time and time again. We are actively looking to start new groups and encourage our faithful attenders to participate.
If you haven’t plugged into an adult LifeGroup, now’s the time! With 15 different Groups to choose from, we have one that has a seat for you. While most meet on Sunday mornings, we have several that meet throughout the week. If one doesn’t fit your need, let us know and we’ll help start one. Head on over to lakehillslife.com/groups to find out how you can join a life-changing, dynamic community and continue your life journey with others who will walk with you every step of the way.
BAPTISMS AT LAKE HILLS
RAISED TO LIFE
WORSHIP
MICHAEL WEST
Worship & Arts Pastor
This past year has been one full of the unexpected and life in the Worship Ministry hasn’t been any different. From Sunday worship to kids’ choir to tech crew, we’ve had a year of growth mixed with challenges. The goals we have every year are to focus on the worship needs of our LHC people, strive for excellence in all that we do, and to point away from ourselves and to the Lamb of God.
We have such an incredible Worship Team, complete with dedicated singers who faithfully lead us in worship and a highly talented band who consistently delivers excellence each week. We are truly blessed.
This has been a big year for technical advances in our worship center. We added fixtures and upgraded our lighting system, installed wireless in-ear monitors for all of our Worship Team, and upgraded our video technology. These enhancements are all in the heart of providing a more inviting atmosphere of worship. Our Sunday services have seen a growth in attendance with our faithful members, and we have welcomed so many new guests this past year.
A Lake Hills Christmas has been the culmination of the Worship Ministry’s year since 2019. In 2024, we were met with some uncertainty in the midst of Hurricane Helene and wondered what our community might need after such a strange and tough season. Ultimately, we decided that people needed something familiar, warm, and Christ-centered. Over 1,000 people worshipped our new-born Savior with us in the 2024 Christmas season.
We begin 2025 with renewed praise at all our Lord has done and all we know He will do! We truly can’t wait to experience it with all of you.
A LOOK AT NEXT GEN
KIDS
HEIDI WIGGINS
Minister of Children’s Ministry
We love seeing the work of the Holy Spirit each week as every unique child grows in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. It is such a gift to build relationships with these children as we teach them more about Jesus’ unfailing love for them. It is a joy to go out and tell others about Him and to explore ways to serve. We are still celebrating the fact that 27 children gave their heart and life to Jesus last year!
In 2024 we launched our Embrace Ministry. This has allowed families with children who have special needs to feel confident in bringing their children to church. Their children are loved, accepted, and shadowed by a speciallytrained buddy, all while learning about the love of Jesus. This ministry has already brought several new families to our church, and we are excited to see how this community continues to grow.
During the summer, over 120 volunteers of all ages staffed our VBS where 312 children from our church and all over our community attended and heard the Gospel. We also had another
successful year of our “Pray for Me Campaign,” in which young families partnered with older generation prayer champions. Through these ministries, we have seen multigenerational relationships across our church family grow.
“We love seeing the work of the Holy Spirit each week as every unique child grows in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.”
We value not only providing sweet opportunities for our church family but also being able to reach the community around us. In December, our Kid Min was able to organize a Community Christmas Store where 200 families affected by Hurricane Helene were able to shop at no cost for their children’s Christmas gifts.
God has placed so many new ideas and goals on our hearts for 2025 and we are excited to get started!
VALERIE LANGDON Preschool Ministry Coordinator
STUDENTS
DANIEL HODUM Pastor of Students
If 2024 has shown us anything about our ministry, it has shown that we are flexible and constantly changing. Yet amidst that change, we have remained faithful to the things that God cares about most. We are truly excited to see where He leads us next.
One of the most unique aspects of our student ministry is our growing connection with unchurched teenagers. During the 2024 church year, we’ve seen more students than ever before come through our doors - students who had no previous involvement with church. In fact, over 40 unique students have visited our church for the first time in 2024, and many are now becoming deeply invested in the life of our ministry.
Several standout moments highlight the incredible impact of our students who have served both our church and the wider community. Thirty-eight students volunteered in the relief efforts following Hurricane Helene, demonstrating their commitment to helping others. Additionally, our students engaged their friends by inviting them to our outreach dodgeball tournament, which attracted over 120 participants. To further support the spiritual growth of our students, we’ve added four small group leaders to our team. We also had the privilege of providing a meal for the Enka football team every Friday throughout their season with all resources generously supplied by our Lake Hills Life Groups.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited about what’s to come. We’ll be hosting a DNOW (Discipleship Now) event in March, Dodgeball Tournament in June, and in August, we’re taking a student mission trip to Guatemala. Please join us in praying for these upcoming events as we seek to serve and grow together.
YOUNG PROS
IAN WALKER Minister to Missions and Young Professionals
God has been powerfully at work in and through the Lake Hills family throughout 2024. It has been an incredible blessing to be a part of His mission, witnessing lives transformed, hearts renewed, and faith celebrated.
Our Young Pros ministry has been no exception to this movement. This year, our community embraced several missional opportunities, both locally and internationally.
Locally, members of our group joined forces with one of our mission partners, ABCCM, to support their vital work by painting part of their facility. Internationally, our Young Pros were active participants in multiple mission trips. In the summer, several members traveled to the Dominican Republic, where we experienced the joy of seeing
over 20 individuals make the life-changing decision to accept Christ. Later in the year, our community joined mission trips to both the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. It has been a truly inspiring year, and we cannot wait to see how the Lord will continue to work in 2025!
On Thursday nights, our group has participated in some powerful studies exploring cultural topics, focused scripture, and living out our faith. We’ve seen results of growing together in community and growing deeper in our faith.
Another exciting development in 2024 has been starting a new “Young Marrieds” group. This comm unity gathers on Sunday mornings and is steadily growing. This new Life Group gives young couples a community to plug into and an opportunity to set roots in the life of our church.
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As always, our Young Pros ministry strives to disciple mature believers and grow in our faith as we pursue Christ, community, and serving others.
CAMPUS OUTREACH
One of the ways that our Next Gen Ministries are reaching our community is through ServeNC at local schools. Some of those partnerships include: feeding the Enka High School Football team each week, hosting the Enka Choir event, packing weekly food bags for Candler Elementary, serving meals to teachers from time to time, helping coach various sports teams, and much more.
LOOKING FORWARD
Even in the midst of an unexpected year, the Lord has been so faithful to this church, and we are beyond excited for all He has in store for 2025.
We look forward to adding new LifeGroups and Prayer Groups and connecting more people to find deeper community. We look forward to offering more studies and sermon series to help us all grow in our knowledge and understanding of God’s word.
We already have lots of great events and opportunities planned and are excited to see all that the Lord will do through each of our ministries.
As 2025 unfolds, we are praying with expectant hearts for the big things we know God will do. We open-handedly step out, ready to be used however He sees fit.
It’s an honor to be on this journey with you!
– The Lake Hills Staff
A WORD FROM FINANCE
KELLI FINK Finance Manager
Looking at Lake Hills Church through the ministry of finance, every year is a challenge. My reflection of 2024 is being able to rest on knowing how faithful our Savior is, always and forever! He shows up in times of good and not so good and provides all we need, when we need it. Our faithful members and regular attenders love and support each other and serve this church with a heartfelt passion. As new people come into the life of the church body, we are encouraged to see them contributing to the financial health of our operating budget.
As the year ended, we were short of our challenge budget by $33,892. However, with diligent stewardship and mindful spending, we were able to come out ahead $75,025 in spending vs. actual giving. I’m additionally proud of two parts of the financial health of church. One, I’m proud that we were able to pay $169,726 towards our debt. Secondly, I’m proud of our church family serving our community through lasting contributions given for hurricane relief efforts.
As we continue to challenge ourselves in 2025, we will remain steadfast to being great stewards of the gifts He provides.
Here are just a few ways to get more connected at Lake Hills this year.
PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY WORSHIP
Services on Sunday at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
JOIN A LIFEGROUP AND/OR PRAYER GROUP
Reach out to Lee O’Briant at LObriant@Lakehillslife.com to see what group might be a good fit for you. We have groups that meet on Sundays and throughout the week.
FIND A PLACE TO SERVE
Every ministry area has an opportunity for you to serve. To find out more about our current volunteer needs, visit Lakehillslife.com/serve or reach out to Lisa Wilson at LWilson@lakehillslife.com.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
To hear more stories like the ones told here and stay in the know about upcoming events and opportunities, follow us on social media or join our weekly E-Newsletter.
