VISION · PRAYER · DEVOTION

Rising Hills Church Celebrates Seven Years by Opening a New Worship Facility

By Jennifer Paire

While thousands of churches close their doors every year, Canton’s Rising Hills Church is thriving and preparing for the first service in its new building on Hickory Flat Highway.

“Right now, our goal is that our grand opening service will be October 22, 
2023, which is our seven year anniversary,” said Pastor George Anderson, a local church leader for 25 years. “It has been amazing — God has provided all we need. I can honestly say, we’ve not had one service in seven years that we’ve not had visitors come.”

As a Bible-centered church associated with Noonday Baptist Association, Rising Hills operates as a family with a heart for the gospel and the Hickory Flat community. The church has grown its congregation to 200 members while meeting at Indian Knoll Elementary School at 10:30am on Sundays.

“When you look at the tens of thousands of people moving into this area every year, it’s underserved for the gospel,” Pastor Anderson noted. “How many churches have added space, and how many have shut their doors? God chose this. It’s good to know God hasn’t given up on us.”

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Rising Hills Church will introduce the 8,000-square-foot facility to the community on its anniversary. The building includes space for worship, children, and bathrooms.

Starting From Scratch

Rising Hills Church was born of the vision and commitment of 23 local believers who loved Canton and wanted to create community and disciples among the growing population.

The group approached Pastor Anderson in 2016 at a time when he was considering leading a church in Florida — a move that was not giving him a sense of peace. He had never started a church, but he stepped out in faith, and “it was like I was standing out in the water, and waves of peace were just flowing over me,” he said.

“In two weeks, we had a place to meet, we had a person who offered to buy chairs, and another person offered to buy a sound system,” he said. “It was just incredible.”

As membership grew, Rising Hills’ family began to look for a permanent location in Hickory Flat with the odds stacked against them. A series of blessings helped the church secure a loan for its property in 2019, and the church has options on adjacent land for expansion, too.

“Everywhere we turn, it’s like we come to a spot where we hit a wall, and God just knocks the wall down in ways I just can’t imagine,” Pastor Anderson testified.

Tearing Down Walls

Examples of God’s faithfulness to Rising Hills are impossible to deny.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the church had just initiated a capital campaign to raise $250,000 over a two-year period. Like other churches, Rising Hills was forced to stop meeting but began streaming services and developed a national following online.

“We raised $330,000 in six months during COVID-19 when we couldn’t even meet,” Pastor Anderson said. “These people were not only giving to support our ministry, but they were also giving above and beyond to build this building.”

As the facility took shape this past summer, the congregation was faced with another challenge: there was no budget for furniture, fixtures, or equipment. A parishioner suggested creating an Amazon wish list.

“We made a list with everything right down to mops and trash cans. All but four things on the list were purchased in two days, and we have gift cards for those items. These people are phenomenal. They’ve bought into this beyond my wildest dreams,” Pastor Anderson said.

Creating Community

Today, Rising Hills Church continues to make its presence known — thanks to Community Connections Pastor Greg King. The church has partnerships with Holly Springs and Indian Knoll Elementary Schools. Pastor King and other congregants are connected to local chambers of commerce and fire departments, and they canvas new subdivisions with fliers and welcome gifts.

“When we started, I thought we were doing what God wanted us to do. But now, we can look back and see that God has proven that,” said King. “God has blessed our congregation.”

The church’s outreach program is matched by an expanding discipleship program.

“One of the core ministries is small groups, and we feel it is the backbone of any church,” said Jerry Candito, a Rising Hills member with experience building new churches and training others to build disciples for Christ. “We put such a high value on it. We realize we need to be very strategic in forming small groups because that is where people connect. People are starving for connection today.”

He has often said that true ministry takes place in smaller groups.

“When people start connecting in those small groups, they start trusting each other and developing relationships. And when people need ministering, they feel comfortable expressing what their needs are. Then, within that group, usually, those needs get met,” said Candito.

Rising Hills Church

Current location:
Indian Knoll ES
3635 Univeter Road
Canton, GA 30114

Permanent location beginning October 22, 2023 (barring unforeseen circumstances):
3693 Hickory Flat Highway
Canton, GA 30114

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GoRHC.org

Service Time: Sundays at 10:30am