Church History

Hilltop Assembly of God History

Hilltop Assembly of God was established, in 1977, in the home of E.R. and Ruby Lewis in Paradise, Texas. The church's original name was Lighthouse Assembly of God of Paradise. The pastor was Mary Tyson. Associate pastor was E.R. Lewis. Sister Tyson served as pastor from 1977 to approximately 1981-82.

In 1979, Mr. & Mrs. Clyde Vaughn donated land to Hilltop Assembly of God. The same year a 45 x 45 building was constructed by R.E. Maxwell. Bro. Maxwell was elected as pastor in 1981-82, after Sister Tyson's resignation. Bro. Maxwell added an additional 45 ft. on to the building in 1983-84. The church was officially affiliated with the Assembly of God in September of 1988. Bro. Maxwell remained the pastor until he resigned in 1990.

In 1990, Bro. Rudy Alderete was elected as pastor and remained in leadership until 1998 when he resigned. During his tenure as pastor, the church made improvements to the sanctuary by purchasing new pews and replacing the carpet. The loan for those improvements was paid off in 1997. Since 1997, the church has had no sizable debt.

In August 31, 1998, Bro. Bill E. Fitch was elected as pastor.

Dedication of a New Building

On October 20, 2002, Hilltop Assembly of God dedicated a new 80 x 88 building which included offices, classrooms and a new sanctuary. Cost of the building was around $450,000. A loan was secured, for $350,000, from the District and the rest was paid in cash. The project manager was Jerry Tedder. Pastor Bill Fitch's vision for this building was to make room for new converts. The old building was kept in tact and used for classrooms, youth hall and fellowship hall.

The congregation moved into the new building on August 18th and saw an immediate increase in attendance. By October of 2002, attendance had increased by 29%.

Bro. Elbert Wilkerson was the guest speaker for the dedication with District Superintendent Derwood Dubose praying the Dedication prayer. There were over 200 people in attendance for the dedication.

Trustee and Board members at that time were:

E.R. and Ruby Lewis - founding members
Roger and Melinda Lewis
Mark and Rene McClung
Eddie and Cathy Meeves
Jack and Oleta Hail

Special guest were Rev. Rudy and Barbara Alderete, pastor in the 1990's, and Jim and Anita Maxwell, children of Bro. Maxwell, who built the original building and was a pastor in the 1980's. Many other guest ministers and district officials were also in attendance.