Our Story

God first gave the vision for CHC in 1983 to Pastor Mark Bolender and several key pastors and lay people who had been working with our District Office in the area of Church Planting. Little did Mark suspect what God was about to do through the years! The Bolenders were initially teamed with two other families, and CHC just grew and grew and grew from there. Staff was added - secretaries, youth workers, associates. Together they were building a strong team, both professionals and lay-people, who would give of themselves to see lives touched with the gospel.

The first service was held on January 8, 1984 - in the library of Laurentian Senior Public School. Eventually the Lord opened up the way for land to be purchased. In 1989 their first building, our current location, was dedicated. It seemed huge - could they ever fill such a big auditorium? God has continued to do great things here since that time and continues to challenge and bless us. Currently we have begun the process of discovering, understanding, and implementing a new vision.

Country Hills Church (CHC) was led by Pastor Mark Bolender from our inception until he accepted a call to pastor in Alberta, 20 years later. During this time, CHC's vision was expressed as 4 pillars (Exalt, Encourage, Equip, and Evangelize). During the transitional period between lead pastors, the church was led by the staff and speaker Lowell Hunking. Steve Hahn became our second lead pastor, serving from 2005 to 2011. During this time, our vision was newly expressed in the words, "Breath, Love, Serve." Jeremy Shuart began serving as Associate Pastor in 2007 and then as Lead Pastor in October 2012, having grown up at CHC from 1984 - 1996. During this time we have expressed our vision in a new way - "People Helping People Follow Jesus."