INTERIM SENIOR PASTOR
The Reverend Paul A. Hill was born and raised in Dallas, TX where he completed his elementary and secondary education. He attended East Texas State University for two years before he was drafted in the last call to serve in the U.S. Army at the end of the Vietnam War. He served in Korea as part of the Finance and chaplaincy corps and was honorably discharged. He returned to Texas where he continued his undergraduate studies at North Texas State University and completed his B.A. in Psychology and Counseling. After accepting a call to ministry, he enrolled at Boston University School of Theology, a United Methodist institution. During the course of his studies, he served a Presbyterian congregation in Brooklyn, NY and Methodist congregations in Boston and Woburn, MA. He graduated with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Counseling and Care.
After graduation, Rev. Hill relocated to the Dallas area (North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church) where he served as campus minister at North Texas State and Texas Women’s Universities. He served as a United Methodist chaplain at Parkland Memorial and Methodist Central Hospitals in Dallas, TX. He was later assigned in a cross-racial appointment to Forest Hills United Methodist Church, a predominately white congregation in Fort Worth, TX (Central Texas Conference). He was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church and was then appointed as the first Associate Pastor at Hamilton Park United Methodist Church (North Texas Conference), his family church located in North Dallas.
In June, 1986, he accepted an appointment as pastor at Bowen Memorial United Methodist Church in Los Angeles (California Pacific Annual Conference). After two years, Rev. Hill was appointed pastor to First Compton United Methodist Church where he served for five years. His next appointment was a cross-racial appointment to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Tarzana, CA. After one year, he was appointed Associate Pastor at Holman United Methodist Church, the largest African American United Methodist congregation in Southern California. After seven years, he was appointed as pastor at Grace United Methodist Church, Los Angeles from which he entered into full-time retirement after 17 years.
Reverend Hill has been instrumental in developing outstanding age-level ministries, especially programs directed at children, youth and seniors. He is known for providing outstanding pastoral care, creativity in the visual arts and church administration. His recent interests are after-school/summer programs for elementary children based on a Children’s Defense Fund model and innovative HIV/AIDS outreach in Los Angeles.
Across his years of active ministry, Rev. Hill has worked with a variety of civic, religious and educational institutions. Among the many boards, organizations and institutions in which he served are the Los Angeles Council of Churches, Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, Board of Ordained Ministries of the California Pacific Annual Conference, National Council of Communities of Justice, Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry Board at UCLA, Ladera Heights Clergy Police Council and an instructor/director of Pastor’s License School at the Claremont School of Theology, Children’s Defense Fund “Freedom School” (a mentoring program for primary school age children, Strength for the Journey Camps/Programs (offering support programs counseling and HIV/AIDS education programs to persons HIV+ and living with AIDSs).
Reverend Hill has been married for 34 years to his wife Allyson, and they are the parents of two sons, 31 years old Paul II and 28 years old Andrew (and his wife Qiauna). The family, which also includes a cocker spaniel named Snoops, live in Los Angeles.