Hill Country Fellowship again gathers under tent — this time 2,000 strong and free of debt
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — When the Rev. Rodney McGee considers how Hill Country Fellowship went from 27 people about a decade ago to more than 2,000 currently and now is debt free despite a multimillion-dollar building campaign the past several years, he wasn’t shy about who accomplished it all.
“We are very thankful for what God has done here,” he said.
On May 19, the church, 200 Houston Clinton Drive, is holding a tent celebration to burn the note on the current building. Hill Country Fellowship purchased its current 30 acres several years ago. Church members gathered under a large tent on the property May 18, 2008, for the first service on the land. They prayed about what God wanted them to do with the property and the church.
In the end, McGee said it was a step of faith, but God provided. In November 2009, the congregation moved into a new facility on the 30 acres.
“The church started 10 years ago with 27 people the first meeting. In January 2005, I came on, and, at that time, we had 25 to 30 in the first (service) and 70 to 80 the second … . Now, we say we’re a church of 2,000,” McGee said. “And now, we have this facility that is appraised between $11 (million) and probably $12 million. On (May 18), we’ll burn the note and be debt-free. That’s a great thing in this economy.”
The church will again gather under a tent (a much larger one) at 10:30 a.m. for one service. After the service, McGee said there will be a lunch for everyone who attends followed by a baptism and the note-burning.
While the congregation is celebrating the facility and becoming debt-free, McGee said the church never has been about the buildings.
“We’ve always been an evangelistic church. We have people of all types come find the Lord here,” he said. “But we all realize facilities don’t change lives. It takes Jesus Christ to change lives.”
The service and celebration are open to the public. For more information on the church, go to www.hcfburnet.org.
daniel@thepicayune.com