OUR STAFF
Laurie Johnston
Lead Pastor
Pastor Laurie (Rowley) Johnston was born in Bloomington, Illinois, but moved to Kansas when she was 9 years old. Her father, the late Rev. Edward Rowley, pastored many United Methodist Churches in Sterling, Hutchison, Hays, and Wichita, Kansas. Laurie graduated from Hutchison High School in 1981.
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In 1985, Laurie obtained her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from The American University in Washington D.C. In 1987, she attended Princeton Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. It was there that she met and married her husband, A. Kirk Johnston, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1990, both Laurie and Kirk graduated from Princeton Seminary with their Masters of Divinity.
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After Seminary, Laurie and Kirk were ordained in the PC(USA) and were a clergy couple at the First Presbyterian Church in Mansfield, Ohio. In 1992, Laurie and Kirk moved to Paola, Kansas where Kirk was called as Pastor to the Paola Presbyterian Church. In 1998, Laurie began pastoring part-time at the Hillsdale Presbyterian Church. Since 1998, the church has grown from 30 members to over 200 members. Currently, both Kirk and Laurie have transferred their ordinations to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
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Laurie is a loving mother and grandmother. Her oldest, Lindsey, serves at Hillsdale as a worship leader and regularly attends with her wonderful husband, Dustin, and their two boys, Reagan and Wesley. Her middle, Luke, serves at GlenHaven Church as their pastor and is a loving husband to his wife, Jamie, and father to their three girls, Norah, Emmi, and Lucy. Her youngest, Ian, also serves as an ordained pastor in the EPC and is a loving husband to McKayla, Hillsdale’s youth director.
Marjorie Powell
Office Administrator
Marjorie was born and raised in Paola, KS. She was married at a very young age to her late husband, Greg Powell, also from Paola. Their three children were the fourth generation to graduate from Paola High School. They continued to reside in the Paola community until 2013 when they moved to Gardner, KS.
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She spent most of her adult life working in finance. She retired in December 2013 after working almost 12 years for Spring Hill USD 230 as Bookkeeper for the district. In 2014 she became the Administrative Secretary to the Pastor.
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Marjorie was raised in the Methodist Church in Paola where she continued as a member until 2009 when the Lord led both her husband and herself to the Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, where they became members. Her family, which includes several grandchildren, keeps her very busy.
Photo Coming Soon!
Renee Avenaim
Director of Frontier Kids
Renee Avenaim was born in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Her husband Dan and her two daughters, Alex and Erin, moved to Paola in 2001. They began attending Hillsdale Presbyterian Church in 2002 and she became a member in 2004. During her time at HPC, she has volunteered in the daycare, as a Sunday school teacher, and as a Vacation Bible School leader.
From 2007 to 2017, she volunteered at Lighthouse Presbyterian Church in the Wednesday evening Kingdom Kids program and organized and built props as well as helped in the Living Nativity Play for 8 of those years.
In 2017, Renee was involved in starting the Frontier Kids Program at
HPC. Renee has been the Frontier Kids director for the last five years and was ordained as an Elder and Deacon from 2018 until 2023.
Renee’s life has been truly a blessing serving the Lord and working
with the volunteers and most of all the children at Hillsdale Presbyterian Church.
McKayla Johnston
Director of Youth Ministry
McKayla grew up in Paola, KS, and began attending Lighthouse Presbyterian Church in her freshman year of high school. It was there that she began to walk with Jesus, eventually feeling a call to special needs and youth ministry.
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She initially went to Johnson County Community College to study special education and soon became the EnCompass Special Needs Ministry Coordinator at Lighthouse after serving as the Youth Coordinator for a few years. After working as a para for a brief time, she quickly realized that the school system was not where her mission field was, but rather the church. She then transferred to Spurgeon College in Kansas City, MO, and received her BA in Christian Ministry while working at GlenHaven Church as their Youth & Connections Intern.
Following her graduation in May 2022, McKayla married Ian Johnston in June 2022. She, then, began her work at Hillsdale as the Youth Ministry Director leading youth in worship and lessons on Wednesday and Sunday nights. She and Ian also excitedly welcomed their daughter, Kerigan, into the world in September 2024.
Angie Freeman
Custodian
Angie has been a lifelong resident of Spring Hill. In 1985, she married her husband Craig. She became an active member at Hillsdale Presbyterian Church in 2016. Angie enjoys participating in the Prayers and Squares ministry here at Hillsdale. In her spare time, Angie enjoys spending time with her grandson, sewing, and quilting.
OUR ELDERS + DEACONS
Maintenance + Grounds
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Elder Chair: Stan Heth​
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Finance + Stewardship
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Elder Chairs: Calvin Loveall + Brian Hardy
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Fellowship + Evangelism
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Elder Chair: Brenda Christy
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Kitchen Coordinator: Judy Gregory
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Missions
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Elder: Bette DeCavelle
Worship + Music
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Elder: Tom Cole​
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Children's Education Elder
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Elder: Erin Burch
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Youth Education
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Elder: Kim Handy
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Deacons
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Glenda Watkins, Donna Powell, Dennis Powell, Sarah Hays, Kim Springstead, Trisha Fowler, Charlie Birmingham