Our History
The Southern Hills Evangelical Free Church was established in 1986, with five families, consisting of ten adults and nine kids ranging in age from elementary to junior high. The Bible says not to despise small beginnings, and we certainly had that!
We met in homes for the first several months. It was during this time that we first met Pastor Mark. At that time, he was not a pastor, but amazingly by God’s providence, he was our very first speaker for our first Sunday service! After several months of meeting in homes, with various speakers coming down from Rapid City, we had the opportunity to rent the room above the Black Hills Power & Light for our Sunday services. We were excited to have a place in which to meet each week, which helped us become a bit more known in the community! New families began to attend, and during that summer, Mark became our weekly speaker–what a blessing!
We were sad when Mark left in the fall to pursue other avenues, but some of the congregation really believed that some day, he might be back. In a little more than a year’s time, we were able to purchase the old United Pentecostal Church building, as well as call our first pastor. He remained with us for a little more than 18 months. We continued to grow slowly, and as we searched for our second pastor, we had more speakers who came down from Rapid City to fill the pulpit. During one of our evening meetings, while we were still searching and praying about a pastor, someone suggested that we call and see if Mark might be interested. After praying, Mark accepted our offer, becoming our full-time pastor. A little more than a year later, Mark married his girlfriend, D.J., and she along with him, have faithfully served our congregation and the community for more than 20 years! They added three children to their family, and at the same time, our church family grew substantially too. Because of this, more room was needed, and we built the new building that we presently enjoy!
With the increase in our membership, the Lord has provided individuals who willingly work in ministries, both in Hot Springs, in other places in our country and also internationally. The Lord has allowed us to share His Word and love through these various ministries:
We are a part of a group of churches that run a camp for kids each summer called Camp Hallawasa. We support missionaries in various places overseas, and the youth does inner-city mission work in the Minneapolis St. Paul area–having the opportunity to share the Gospel with little ones through an established church.
When the church was small and new, the hope was that it would be a place of grace–both for the ones who would walk through the doors, as well as for those who would be touched by the outreaches. We have begun well–may the Lord continue to direct His love through us as He chooses and for His honor and glory.