The Zone Gathering

Ask Brian Hill what he wants on his gravestone, and he will tell you “Brian Hill- a discipler of men.” More than one NCC small group leader has told me that hearing Brian share that life goal inspired them to grow as disciples and begin discipling others.

Brian and Kim have been faithfully leading small groups at NCC for about 9 years now, and I think it’s safe to say they are our longest-running small group leaders. Anyone who has spent any time around the Hills can clearly see their passion for spiritual growth and for helping couples grow their marriages. They have been a tremendous blessing to the Body of Christ at NCC. And their kids are a lot of fun.

Today, we caught up with Brian to talk about life, ministry, and the perils of sledding in really cold weather.

How long have you attended NCC? What brought you to NCC?
My wife, Kim, and I first began attending NCC in 1997. We were attending Arlington Assembly of God in Arlington, VA at the time and working with Chi Alpha as tentmaker missionaries when we got to know Pastor Mark and Lora. (Lora played the keyboard for Chi Alpha each week). We had recently attended our first Family Life Weekend to Remember conference which had really impacted our marriage and felt God was calling us to disciple other young couples. Over a period of months we felt God direct us to come over to NCC and lead a small group for married couples. When we told our pastor at Arlington Assembly he told us he was sensing the same thing for us and that Arlington would stand behind us as our sending church while we were on “mission” to NCC. Coincidentally, NCC had purchased 205 F Street and was looking for someone to rent the upper apartment. We moved in in Fall 1997.

Tell us a little about the small groups that you lead and how that experience has impacted you.
Since the fall of 1997 we have lead a series of Married small groups, first at 205 F, then at our home at 506 Groff Court on Capitol Hill, and most recently at Brian and Carol Bussey’s home in Arlington. In the summer we will be leading a group that meets at Mike and Jenn Godzwa’s home near AU in Northwest. We have been blessed to know many couples in the church through these groups, many of which have now moved on. Leading groups has also challenged us to continue to work on our own marriage. We’ve discovered how important it is to prioritize our relationship, particularly with our busy schedules and our two wonderful children.

Where can you be found on Sunday mornings?
We’ve always attended the 9:30 at Union Station since there has been a 9:30 at Union Station.

When did you start following Christ and what have been some of the spiritual turning points in your life?
I grew up attending Redeemer Lutheran Church (an LCMS congregation for those of you who know something about Lutherans) in Springfield, Missouri. I was baptized as an infant and grew up believing that I was a Christian. When I was in the eighth grade I went through confirmation class and seriously considered whether to take my confirmation vows. I finally decided to follow Christ and took the vow that year. During high school I slipped away from the faith but kept attending church mostly to see my friends. My junior year I fell in love with Kim and began attending Central Assembly of God in Springfield with her. That was quite an experience for a liturgical boy like me! In college my roommate challenged me to begin attending Chi Alpha and I did. It was there that I learned what it really meant to be a disciple of Christ. Much of my growth took place in small groups. In November 1991 I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit which deepened my desire to follow after God. I have been following him in fits and spurts ever since.

Tell us a little about your background.
I was born in southwestern Michigan (Benton Harbor) in 1971, and my family moved to Springfield, Missouri when I was five. (My father always says we moved to escape the long, cold winters). I attended public school and met Kim in High School debate class my junior year. We became friends and started dating my senior year. I got a scholarship to Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State) in Springfield where I majored in Political Science and Economics. Kim attended Evangel College across town and we were married on December 19, 1992. We both applied to graduate schools and received offers (and scholarships) to attend Washington University in St. Louis. God had different plans, however. You see, Kim had attended the American Studies Program here in Washington in the Spring of 1992 and had worked at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and attended Arlington Assembly. Since my new bride wanted to attend SAIS, I applied to Georgetown University Law Center. Kim didn’t get her SAIS application in on time, but I got into Georgetown. After a lot of prayer, we sensed that God was directing us away from the money and family we had in St. Louis to the poverty and church here in Washington. We arrived in fall of 1993 for me to attend Georgetown. Kim put me through school and then got to attend SAIS. We now have two children, Christian who is 5 and Mackenzie who is 4. I’m a litigator and government contracts lawyer at Miller & Chevalier and Kim is currently working part time at Ebenezers and will be starting her PhD at Georgetown in the fall.

What is your favorite Scripture passage?
James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I like it not only because its a good verse for lawyers, but because its proven true in my life. It seems I’m always developing perseverance.

What are your favorite books?
The Christian books that have impacted my most are Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster and Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. In fiction, I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. I also love to read travel guides for places I hope to go. Right now I’m reading the Lonely Planet guide for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in preparation for the August missions trip.

What are your favorite movies?
I’m like romantic comedies and mysteries. Some favorites include Hitch, Sneakers, and When Harry Met Sally. I also really like the Spiderman movies. And though its not in any of these genres, I recommend that every Christian guy watch The Apostle with Robert Duvall. I love that film because it reminds me that God can and will use anyone, even me.

What is your favorite fast food?
I like Potbelly sandwiches (when I can get in the door) and half-smokes from a cart on the street corner.

What is something that most people at NCC would not know about you?
One winter in junior high I went sledding with some friends without any gloves. My hands got so cold that, after visiting the facilities, I could not return my fly to the upright and locked position. My junior high buddies were merciless, of course.

Tell us a little about your day job. What is your dream job?
I’m a lawyer. My dream job would be to do anything that allowed me to spend all my time with my wife and kids.

Who is your hero? (besides Jesus or any other member of the Trinity)
My college roommate is definitely on the list. He had the courage to tell me that, although I was going to church (actually two churches) I was not really a Christian and challenge me to find out what being a disciple was all about. I thought I would show him and started attending Chi Alpha as a result. Thanks Ken. If you hadn’t done that I might not be where I am today.

What do you do in your free time?
Hang out with my wife and kids and walk our underappreciated Basenji Jack.

In NCC:THE MOVIE who would play you? Who would play Pastor Mark?
I’m told James Spader from Boston Legal would be a good match for me, but Kim doesn’t like James Spader so how about Matt Damon. Kim should be played by Kiera Knightly (although I think Kim is prettier than Kiera). Christian and Mackenzie could only be played by themselves. I think Ben Affleck would make a decent Pastor Mark.

What is your favorite Pastor Markism?
Where to start? I think “anywho” is my current favorite. I have no idea why he says that.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 8:23 am and is filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.