We believe we are to be PLANTED as a HUB for Gospel proclamation
to PLANT seeds of faith to the lost, to equip the saints
and to PLANT more joy-filled, biblically saturated, multi-generational communities of faithful disciples.
August 2026 Quarterly Update
God continues to faithfully lead us forward in our PLANTED journey! This August, we celebrate another major milestone as we prepare for our groundbreaking ceremony on September 6 for our new Kids Wing. MOVING DIRT mid to late September!
In this update, Sarah Wilson shares how we are thankful that the project remains on schedule and on budget as we take this next step toward creating a space where generations can encounter Jesus, grow in community, and be equipped to follow Him. Aaron shares a powerful story of how PLANTED is already making an impact, not just through future construction, but through his family's changed lives, deeper community, and a vision for generations to come. Ben Wanta also walks through the upcoming timeline and what we can expect as we move from planning into seeing this vision become reality.
Thank you for continuing to pray, give, serve, and step into this vision with us. We are excited to see what God will continue to do through Hillcrest as we seek to be planted as a hub for gospel proclamation.
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Sarah Wilson provided an update on the Planted Initiative this past Sunday! Over the past two months, significant progress has been made. Watch the video HERE!
Living Water (Annual Budget): the Initiative is ahead of schedule, with 11.32% of anticipated giving achieved against 10.97% (as of last week 7.20.25) of the timeline.
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We have seen the fruit of this budget going to work through all of our events we had this fall launch season. From Men’s Pickleball, and Women’s Ladles and Leaves, to our HSM, Family Nights, Triple Treat and so much more; we have seen our people continue to be people helping people find life with Jesus one life at a time. As of 10.19.25 we are 23.46% into the Planted Timeline. And we are at 19.06% of our anticipated/committed giving. Though this does show we are a bit behind, we have confidence based on historical record, that our end of year giving will push us not just back on track, but ahead of schedule.
Watch the Quarterly Update HERE!
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Living Water (Annual Budget): We put together a video to show the over all status of our planted initiative. Within the video you will find our reporting for where we stand financially. At the time of this recording we were seeing a gap between where our goal was financially, verses where we actually were reporting. Our elders after much prayer and deliberation, approached the congregations asking for them to pray and consider increasing their giving to help close the gap. We are pleased to now share (found in the Aug 26 quarterly update) our people responded to the call to help close the gap. Watch Sarah and Ben in the February update HERE.
Living Water
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Producing Fruit (Residency): Andrew Garcia and his family, including his wife, three children, and dog, will join Hillcrest next week as the first pastoral resident. He will work with the community for three years, learning and contributing to Hillcrest’s mission before being sent out. This aligns with the initiative’s goal of becoming a Healthy HUB for gospel proclamation.
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Producing Fruit (Residency): In all of this, we are thankful that the FIRST thing we are seeing in our PLANTED initiativeis a PERSON NOT A PARKING LOT! We are so thankful that the Residency is moving forward and the Garcias are getting increasingly established and getting rooted in our community.
Watch the Quarterly Update HERE!
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Producing Fruit (Residency): We put together a video to show the over all status of our planted initiative. In the video we share how Andrew Garcia has been an impactful presence, not simply here at Hillcrest, but also a faithful voice in a local church community in Madison. Watch Sarah and Ben in the February update HERE.
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Producing Fruit (Residency): We released a Tri-fold residency card expressing our heart to be a sending station for gospel proclamation. Inside you will find how this heart of ours has been expressed over the years. Click HERE to see the card!
Producing Fruit
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Scattering Seeds (Kids Wing): The campus team is working on blueprints for a kids’ wing, focusing on technology and safety. Ben Wanta is jumping on as an owner’s representative assisting with related documentation.
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Scattering Seeds (Kids Wing): God continues to move as we take the next faithful steps in our PLANTED journey! Last week, our campus team met with Building God’s Way and NCI Roberts for our pre-construction kickoff meeting—a major milestone toward seeing our future Kids Wing become reality. From that meeting, we now anticipate breaking ground in the spring of 2026!
Watch the Quarterly Update HERE!
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Scattering Seeds (Kids Wing): Every one of these steps plays a part in our mission of growing as people helping people find life with Jesus, one life at a time. The PLANTED initiative isn’t about bigger buildings; it’s about a bigger gospel impact in Dane County. More dedicated space for kids to learn and grow in Jesus. NOT JUST how many seeds are in an apple, but how many apples are in every SEED! More training capacity as a teaching hospital for future pastors. More clarity around our master campus plan and room for our church family to deepen in our joy in Jesus.
Read the full letter HERE!
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Scattering Seeds (Kids Wing): We sent out a prayer card for you and your family to pray for this Planted Initiative. Click HERE for the prayer card!
Scattering Seeds
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Multiplying Communities (Land): We continue to move forward on seeing the land purchase become FINAL! We are actively moving on paperwork to begin the next steps of acting on the accepted offer.
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Multiplying Communities (Land): We’re also meeting with the Village Planning Commission this week to continue moving the annexation process forward—another important step (STEP 4 of 10!) in preparing the land for what’s ahead. STEP 5 is scheduled for Nov 17, one of the subsequent steps doesn't apply to us, and STEP 10 is to celebrate! This too is set for Early Spring 2026!
Watch the Quarterly Update HERE!
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Multiplying Communities (Land): We put together a video to allow you to meet Ben Wanta, our owners rep for the kids wing project. He and Sarah Wilson share the progress being made as we move forward with all aspects of Planted. The kids wing is just one of our Planted projects that will help us become a sending station for gospel proclamation. Watch it HERE
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Multiplying Communities (Land): In May, we published a pamphlet that was tool to look back as we look forward on all the work the Lord has done through Hillcrest over the years. Click HERE to see pamphlet.
Multiplying Comunities
"As Jesus says in John 7, as rivers of living water flow from within us and more thirsty souls are satisfied in Jesus, we do not want to fill a reservoir, rather see these waters overflow and saturate neighborhoods and communities. Hillcrest has always been a SENDING STATION for Gospel proclamation. And we believe God is calling us now to continue being a SENDING STATION. He is calling us to reach the lost, equip the saints, and plant more joy-filled, biblically saturated, multi-generational communities of faithful disciples. " - David Bartosik
Want to see additional content? We collected all the resources presented at our Planted Initiative Events and posted them HERE
Our Primary Goal?
We long for 100% engagement from all who call Hillcrest home. We want to continue allocating our Time, Treasure and Talent to the mission and work of Jesus through Hillcrest.
Our Secondary Goal?
To raise 5 Million over the next two years, implementing this Planted Initiative. This would come from the overflow of two year budgeted expenses.
1. Living Water
$1.7M
Continue to fund all the things God is doing through Hillcrest with our normal operating budget
Our Secondary Goal
2. Scattering Seeds
$3.2M
Develop our location and provide a cohesive campus for our people, starting with expanding our parking lot and creating a KIDS wing.
4. Multiplying Communities
$0
We are buying land in order to become a heathy HUB with a cohesive campus so that some day in the future we can create a network of Gospel-centered, biblically saturated churches. This expense has already been budgeted.
3. Producing Fruit
$100k
Hire a pastoral resident to facilitate discipleship and equip the next generation of pastors.
Stories
We are collecting and telling stories of those who have been impacted by Hillcrest over the year. Come back regularly to hear more stories of God’s faithfulness.
So that we can have the greatest impact on the next generation’s pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries, coworkers, and neighbors. We desire to be planted here in Oregon, and we want to be a SENDING STATION for gospel proclamation
Proposed Campus Plan
Potential Future Campus Plan
So join us in prayer!
We long for 100% engagement from all those who call themselves Everyday Missionaries carrying the certainty of Christ. Help us pray with desperate dependence, joyfully stepping into whatever God has for us.
We are not unaware that it will take raised funds for whatever next step God is asking of us. We are convinced that this is a big endeavor that requires God’s continued story of grace be written at Hillcrest and we believe will profoundly impact us, as well as our kids, grandkids, community, region, and world. If the Lord is stirring in your heart to give above and beyond your normal generosity, we invite you to give to this mission and work that the Lord is doing here through Hillcrest.
Got a question?
We have been compiling a bunch of questions and answered them to the best of our ability at this time. If you do not see your question posted, feel free to email David our lead pastor HERE
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This is a complex process involving many moving parts and entities (township, village, county, etc.). Anything can happen. If we lose the land, it won’t change the goal or the vision but it may change the timeline or scope. We have thought through contingency plans to that end. We may need to delay. We may need to reconfigure. The vision remains the same.
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We are considering many possibilities. Our campus team has developed a cohesive master campus plan on our current campus that puts our primary ministry functions under one roof, including a future auditorium addition. We believe this is the most cost-effective plan that works best for our long-term vision to be a Sending Station. We will move forward at the appropriate time. We hold it open handed always and continue to build this vision into our budget as we Pray, Watch, & Step when and where the Lord leads.
At Hillcrest, we believe that the choice to give or invest in anything comes as a natural, joyous outpouring of what matters to us. Your investment not TO but THROUGH Hillcrest should be the same - a natural, joyous outpouring of celebrating what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives and a heart to join in the mission of people helping people find life with Jesus, one life at a time.
We are incredibly thankful for your investment through Hillcrest and the gospel and because of you, Hillcrest continues to impact lives within our church family, throughout our local and regional areas, and with our All Nations partners around the world.
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No. What you currently see is conceptual design (large spaces in the right places) which does include the longer-term parking needs. There is much more work to do before final design and construction documents will be completed. The Campus Team will engage the designers and contractors in a Value Engineering process to assure the church is getting the highest value possible. This could result in phasing additional portions of the project, such as developing only a portion of the parking area in Phase-1.
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We will continue to move toward the same vision of becoming a Sending Station but timing and scope may adjust.
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The congregation voted in 2021 to approve funds to purchase the adjacent land if it came available. Planted commitments will be made on April 6, Per Hillcrest constitution, there will be a congregational vote on May 4th at the annual meeting to spend the funds as designated to affirm plans to build. Commitments will start that same day, May 4th.
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Dirt could possibly move as soon as late spring for things like relocating the septic system, water retention, etc. However, the exact timing is uncertain as there are permissions and permits that will take time including working with the town of Dunn, village of Oregon, county, and state. We are poised to move forward as the logistical/legal barriers are removed.
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We have short-term solutions on the table for Sunday morning and other ministries that could be executed when the time comes. We will continue to evaluate in real-time what the best solutions will be.
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No, our master plan includes seating for 400 people. This is small enough to maintain a family church atmosphere, but large enough to send 50 or 100 people with a resident/pastor to plant another church in a neighboring community. We are a church committed to Gospel proclamation, reaching the lost, equipping the saints, and planting joy-filled, biblically saturated, multi-generational communities of faithful disciples. Simultaneously, WE are each being sent out as everyday missionaries in our homes, neighborhoods, and world to help others find life with Jesus.
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We have a team of elders, architects and engineers that are all a part of helping us design a building that aligns with our values.
•Dan Hale - elder candidate, architect
•Neil Gammon – elder, electrical engineer
•Dirk Karasek - civil engineer
•Jeff Reif - structural engineer. Hillcrest AC construction
•Paul Morrison – elder, finance team, farm background, engineer, institutional knowledge
•Renae Sherven – Director of Ops, institutional knowledge
•Nathan Hansen - critical power and cooling industry
•Matt Doyle – exterior and general construction
•David Bartosik – lead pastor, elder
•Larry Alm – elder
•Brian Stafeil – elder
•Jim Wille – elder candidate
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We do not get excited about giving to a building, or even a piece of land. We hope that what you have heard and seen in all our communications is that we desire for you to give to a vision. We are sold out for more lives that are eager to follow Jesus. With this in mind, we have made a Commitment Card available for you to use as a tool as you pray and consider giving.