Greetings in the name of our living Lord and Savior Jesus!
My name is Steve Hillmer. I was born and raised in Fond du Lac, WI – the youngest of 5 children. Our family attended Faith Lutheran Church and School. I graduated in 1994 from Winnebago Lutheran Academy. Already during this time, I was considering being a pastor, so I attended, first Northwestern College in Watertown, and then Martin Lutheran College in New Ulm, MN, graduating in 1998. From there my schooling continued at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI. After 2 years in the classroom, I was assigned to Messiah Lutheran Church in Nampa, ID for my vicar year. Upon graduating from the Seminary in 2002, I was assigned to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Marietta, GA. After 6 wonderful years of ministry there, I accepted a call to start a WELS Home Mission in Sparks, NV, serving the Lord and his people from 2008 until accepting the call here to St. Matthew’s in 2019.
I met my wife, Jennifer, while attending Martin Luther College. She is the oldest of 4 children, growing up in Jackson, WI where she attended David’s Star Lutheran Church and School, graduating from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in 1992. She also graduated from Martin Luther College and in 1997, was assigned as a Tutor at Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, MI where she served until 1999. In the fall of 1999, she taught and coached for one year at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee. Over the past years she has been a great stay-at-home mom to our 4 boys, assisted with ministry at church, and even took on a roll for 5 years as an Office Manager at Ziegler & Ames, a company that engraves cremation urns. Currently she is working at St. Matthew’s First Steps preschool!
A little bit about our boys: Ben is starting his first year at Martin Luther College in the Pastor track. Matthew (16) is a junior at Luther Prep. Silas is an 8thgrader and Jude (10) is a 5thgrader at St. Matthew’s.
Our family enjoys all kinds of sports… football, spikeball, basketball, track… We all play piano and various brass instruments: french horn, baritone, trombone, euphonium, tuba, trumpet… In the summers we enjoy spending time with our extended families at the cabins at the lake… fishing, tubing, water skiing, swimming… We’re big fans of all the Marvel and Star Wars movies; when there’s time, we enjoy watching NCIS, Battle Bots and curling.
In closing, allow me to share with you one of my favorite passages – a “go to passage” in a world of constant change, a world of frustrations, hurts, and sadness… Through the Prophet Isaiah we hear these clear and calming words, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10) I look forward to sharing God’s message of perfect peace and sure hope through Jesus Christ with you!
Pastor Steven Hillmer