Rev. Beth Hilkerbaumer

Pastor

Green Acres welcomes Rev. Beth, whose leadership began March 1, 2019.

Beth was born in Sac City, Iowa (northwest Iowa), to parents who are both Presbyterian pastors. The church next door was a second home to Beth and her older brother. When she was seven years old her family moved to Urbana, Ohio. Here her faith was shaped by the Wednesday night educational program, then called Logos (today it is called GenOn Ministries) with its strong emphasis on community, worship, Bible study, and service.

After graduating from Urbana High School, Beth attended college at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology and minoring in religion. She entered graduate school at Spalding University in Louisville, KY, and after one year she transferred to the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She graduated four years later with dual degrees, a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Masters of Divinity.

During those years she discovered her call to ministry in the church where she found her passion for sharing God’s love in worship and preaching, her commitment to helping children and youth to find their identity in the One who created us, and her dedication to making the world a better place through mission.

Mission has always been an important focus for Beth. She has participated in and planned many mission trips with adults and youth. She has also served on the boards for Marion Cares, an ecumenical mission program benefitting the underprivileged children, and FLY, a program to provide summer lunches to children in need.

After seminary Beth served as associate pastor at Community Presbyterian Church in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, and for the past eight years she has been associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Marion, Iowa.

Beth is an avid Ohio State football fan and enjoys reading, going to movies, and shopping at arts festivals.