Who We Are: Shepherd Leader Elder
Phil Broekhuizen
Where were you born? What was your childhood like?
I was born in Decatur, Michigan - which is about 30 minutes west of Kalamazoo. I grew up on a lake and loved to go swimming, fishing, and skiing. I attended Decatur Christian Reformed Church growing up and went to school at Kalamazoo Christian.
Where have you worked and where do you work now?
I attended Calvin College and my first job after college was at S. Abraham and Sons. Now I work for Rizzo Packaging in Plainwell.
How did you meet your significant other?
I met my wife, Stephanie, while working at S. Abraham and Sons. We now have 3 children: Cassidy, Connor, and Corey.
How did you come to faith in the Lord?
I did not have a one time event that brought me to my faith in God, rather a culmination of events took place that led me to profess my faith when I was a teen.
What were some experiences that have helped shape you?
When my wife and I announced our engagement at work, they informed us that spouses could not work at the same company. It was a new policy they were initiating. This was a very difficult time as we were trying to plan a wedding and one of us had to find a new job. We had to pray and ask God for help. God was faithful and we both found better jobs.
Another challenging time was when we were trying to get pregnant and could not. We had many doubts and couldn’t understand why God would not allow us to have children. Again, God was faithful and we were able to have three beautiful children.
What are your hobbies and passions?
My hobbies are camping, biking, swimming, working in the yard and gardening.
When/how/why did you come to Hillside?
We found Hillside when Stephanie and I were dating and we wanted to find a church that we could start our life with. A co-worker went to Hillside at the time and said that we should visit. We ended up visiting and really loved the warm atmosphere, the worship service, and the music.
What is a Shepherd Leader?
The Shepherd Leaders at Hillside Community Church are charged with ministering to the spiritual needs of the members of our congregation. But what actually does that mean? Why do we have Elders and Shepherd Leaders?
Many years back, Hillside decided to divide the traditional “Elder” role into two groups. Hillside Elders are charged with a more administrative/decision making role. The Shepherd Leaders are to be thought of more as visiting Elders. Everyone in this church has a Shepherd Leader and their role includes praying for you, getting to know you better, encouraging you, and connecting with you in times of need. They would love to visit with you over coffee, in the foyer after church, or at a group gathering.
When you get a call from a Shepherd Leader, it is not to bug you, try to make you feel guilty about your lack of a devotional life right now, or to convince you to volunteer at church! They really just want to get to know you and to see if there is any way they can assist/pray for you. They will be contacting you at different times but please always feel free to give them a call.
To find out who your Shepherd Leader is, please contact the church office.
***The above information was taken from the Hillside Community Church Handbook.