Please meet our Pastor: Pastor Keya J. Hillman

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Rev. Keya J. Hillman was born in Philadelphia, PA and graduated from the Central High School of Philadelphia.  Pastor Keya, as she is affectionately called, obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.  She is a 2016 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Gammon Theological Seminary, a constituent member of the Interdenominational Theological Center, earning an M. Div. with a concentration in New Testament.

After a 10-year career in Biotechnology where she worked to find cures for hemophilia, cancer and HIV, Pastor Keya transitioned to work in ending homelessness in the non-profit and government sectors. Pastor Keya began her ministry journey as a Youth Minister where she served for 5 years and grew the ministry from 5 to over 50.  She then joined the St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, GA where she served as a Minister-in-Training (MIT), in the Children, Middle School and Youth (CMY) ministry, and in Christian Education departments for 5 years.  In June of 2018, after being commissioned as a Provisional Elder during the North Georgia Annual Conference, Pastor Keya was appointed as Pastor-in-charge of the Leland Qwest United Methodist Church in Mableton, GA.  At Leland Qwest led the congregation through their 2020 visioning renewing the congregation’s commitment to Word, Worship, and Witness.  Pastor Keya was appointed Pastor-in-charge of St. Paul UMC – Summit St. in August 2020.

Pastor Keya has a heart for local and foreign missions and has traveled on international mission trips to Haiti where she served with a team of eight missioners on a medical and educational mission and to Kenya on a visioning trip with Life for Children Ministries. She firmly believes in the church’s mission to “make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” and the church can actually transform our world when we demonstrate and share God’s love story for all creation we call the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Pastor Keya is the proud mother of Josh, 21, and Jessie, 16 and daughter of Elmon, 82. Her life Scripture is Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
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