About Western Hills Church
About Western Hills Church
Our Message
Living out the reality of Jesus for those far from the Gospel.
A famous theologian has noted that a vast majority of people in the world are destined to a life without hope or purpose because while they may have heard a lot about Jesus, they’ve never seen Jesus lived out in front of them. We believe this is the ‘prime directive’ of God—to live out Jesus by being good friends, good neighbors, and good citizens. We want to follow Jesus’ example of loving people as they are. We want to serve those far from Jesus with grace and humility. We want to be known as people who love others and love Jesus.
Our Mantra
Love. Live. Serve. Multiply.
How does one live out the reality of Jesus? By loving Jesus and following his two Greats—the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. These four words sum them up: love, live, serve, and multiply. Love God above everything in our lives. Live connected to Him and to each other. Serve all people regardless of creed, color, or culture. Multiply another Christ-follower along the way.
Our Model
It’s all about relationships.
God has created us with the capacity to have deep and meaningful relationships, but sin damages our ability to have them. So, we need salvation in Jesus to restore these broken relationships with God and others. We also need a transformational community to grow in these restored relationships with God and others. Our Connect Groups are places where a transformational community can be developed.
Our Values
We want to make much of Jesus.
We think church is something we are, not somewhere we meet. We believe the church should be the most redemptive force in our culture. This is fleshed out by modeling forgiveness, grace, and generosity in our city, our schools, and our places of work. We do this by serving them in the name of Jesus. We focus on living out our faith. We think the real measure of our faith happens in grocery stores, schools, workplaces, and homes across our city. We think church (people) should focus on serving those who aren’t in the building. Ultimately, we want Jesus to have the last word in all of our decisions.
Our Staff
Lead Pastor
Grant English
After 18 years of student ministry, Grant came to be our Lead Pastor in 2009. He and his wife Amy have adult children and a son-in-law. Grant’s love of kayaking, fly fishing, and Alabama football (Roll Tide!) leaks into most of his messages. He has a passion for serving our city. You can catch up with Grant in one of these places:
Social Links:
Email: genglish@whillschurch.org
Discipleship Pastor
Suzanne Davidson
Suzanne moved to Topeka in the summer of 2020 from Parker, CO, where she served for 15 years in various staff positions, including Family Life Pastor, Connections Pastor, and Spiritual Formation Pastor at Pinecrest Community Church. She, her husband Danny, and their three kids, Evan, Sean, and Erin, are excited to be a part of what’s happening at Western Hills Church!
Social Links:
Email: sdavidson@whillschurch.org
Worship and Student Pastor
Cullen Swearingen
Cullen first came to WHC as an 11th grader in 2008. Since then, he’s married his high school sweetheart Jessa (also from WHC), graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University, and returned to us to be our Missions and Student Pastor after finishing seminary in 2019. He’s since made the transition to be our Worship Leader as he continues to serve as Student Pastor. He and Jessa have one son, Cohen, and another on the way.
Email: cswearingen@whillschurch.org
Kids Minister
Hannah Beemer
Hannah grew up in Nebraska and moved to Topeka in 2019 to attend Washburn University. During her time there, she met her husband, Creighton, through YoungLife. She spent several years serving as a WyldLife leader at Jardine Middle School. After graduating, Hannah taught high school English for two years in Silver Lake, Kansas, before stepping into her current role as Kid’s Minister. She’s excited to combine her passion for teaching and her love of Jesus to serve kids and families at Western Hills Church.
Email: hbeemer@whillschurch.org
Office Administration and Communications
Jenny Riggins
Jenny has a long background in church service, most recently as the Director of Topeka ShareFest for ten years. She graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University with a degree in Business Communications. She and her husband Larry began attending Western Hills in March 2016. They have three adult daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Social Links:
Email: jriggins@whillschurch.org
Our Model
It’s all about relationships.
God has created us with the capacity to have deep and meaningful relationships, but sin damages our ability to have them. So, we need salvation in Jesus to restore these broken relationships with God and others. We also need a transformational community to grow in these restored relationships with God and others. Our Connect Groups are places where a transformational community is developed.
Our Values
We want to make much of Jesus.
We think church is something we are, not somewhere we meet. We believe the church should be the most redemptive force in our culture. This is fleshed out by modeling forgiveness, grace, and generosity in our city, our schools, and our places of work. We do this by serving them in the name of Jesus. We focus on living out our faith. We think the real measure of our faith happens in grocery stores, schools, workplaces, and homes across our city. We think church (people) should focus on serving those who aren’t in the building. Ultimately, we want Jesus to have the last word in all of our decisions.
Call Us
Our office hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Thursday. You can reach us by phone at (785) 478-3083. Feel free to leave a message if you don’t get an answer right away, and we’ll get right back to you as soon as we can.