Mankato Hilltop Podcast

Generosity begins with identity. Before God asks anything of us, God names us beloved. This four-week November series at Hilltop United Methodist Church explores what it looks like to live from that grace: to stay ready, to invest boldly rather than bury out of fear, and to offer our lives as an act of trust in the God who first trusted us. We are ready and entrusted to live the Kingdom right now.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and...

Today's scripture is from 1 John 3:1-6.  Generosity begins with identity. Before God asks anything of us, God names us beloved. This four-week November series at Hilltop United Methodist Church explores what it looks like to live from that grace: to stay ready, to invest boldly rather than bury out of fear, and to offer our lives as an act of trust in the God who first trusted us. We are ready and entrusted to live the Kingdom right now.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church i...

Dariia grew up in Lviv, Ukraine, where she became involved in the United Methodist student ministry known as Youth to Jesus. Today, she is an active lay leader in both that ministry and her local congregation, St. John's United Methodist Church.

This October, Dariia will travel to the United Methodist Council of Bishops' Leadership Gathering, where she will serve as the European young adult delegate. With Dariia traveling so close to the United States, In Mission Together Ukraine has arranged visits with several supporting congregations. These gatherings offer American United Methodists a special opportunity to hear firsthand...

This Sunday is Confirmation, a day of celebration for the whole community. Our confirmands stand to profess their faith in Jesus Christ and take their place as professing members of the church. We give thanks for their journey of learning, questioning, and growing, and for the families and teachers who walked alongside them.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and we pray that everyone would experience God's presence through this channel. We are happy to interact online or in-person. Please...

Listen to the road to Emmaus story from Luke 24:13-35 and hear testimonies about God's grace and the experiences of the Walk to Emmaus and other 3-day Christian weekends.  

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and we pray that everyone would experience God's presence through this channel. We are happy to interact online or in-person. Please subscribe to this channel and be sure to walk through the doors if you are in the area. Services are online and in-person on S...

Whose Image? From the very first page of Scripture, God declares something stunning: every human being is made in the image of God. But what does that actually mean and what does it require of us? Jesus once held up a coin and asked the crowd, Whose image is this? This fall, we're asking that same question about ourselves. "Whose Image?" is a five-week series exploring how that one foundational truth speaks to the most pressing questions of our time: the care of creation, the reality of poverty, the dignity of every person, and the call to justice. Bring...

Whose Image? From the very first page of Scripture, God declares something stunning: every human being is made in the image of God. But what does that actually mean and what does it require of us? Jesus once held up a coin and asked the crowd, Whose image is this? This fall, we're asking that same question about ourselves. "Whose Image?" is a five-week series exploring how that one foundational truth speaks to the most pressing questions of our time: the care of creation, the reality of poverty, the dignity of every person, and the call to justice. Bring...

Whose Image? From the very first page of Scripture, God declares something stunning: every human being is made in the image of God. But what does that actually mean and what does it require of us? Jesus once held up a coin and asked the crowd, Whose image is this? This fall, we're asking that same question about ourselves. "Whose Image?" is a five-week series exploring how that one foundational truth speaks to the most pressing questions of our time: the care of creation, the reality of poverty, the dignity of every person, and the call to justice. Bring...

Whose Image? From the very first page of Scripture, God declares something stunning: every human being is made in the image of God. But what does that actually mean and what does it require of us? Jesus once held up a coin and asked the crowd, Whose image is this? This fall, we're asking that same question about ourselves. "Whose Image?" is a five-week series exploring how that one foundational truth speaks to the most pressing questions of our time: the care of creation, the reality of poverty, the dignity of every person, and the call to justice. Bring...

Whose Image? From the very first page of Scripture, God declares something stunning: every human being is made in the image of God. But what does that actually mean and what does it require of us? Jesus once held up a coin and asked the crowd, Whose image is this? This fall, we're asking that same question about ourselves. "Whose Image?" is a five-week series exploring how that one foundational truth speaks to the most pressing questions of our time: the care of creation, the reality of poverty, the dignity of every person, and the call to justice. Bring...

Headphones on 🎧 City lights up 🌆 Hands raised 🙌

There's a sound out there that's been pointing to something bigger the whole time: underneath the noise, past the static, right where you least expect it. This series is about tracking it down. Three short weeks. A search for the beat behind all of life. This is Finding God in the Music 2026.    Today’s scripture is Romans 8:26-30.  Join us in person or online right here.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Man...

Headphones on 🎧 City lights up 🌆 Hands raised 🙌

There's a sound out there that's been pointing to something bigger the whole time: underneath the noise, past the static, right where you least expect it. This series is about tracking it down. Three short weeks. A search for the beat behind all of life. This is Finding God in the Music 2026.   Today’s scripture is Psalm 103.  Join us in person or online right here.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Mi...

Headphones on 🎧 City lights up 🌆 Hands raised 🙌
There's a sound out there that's been pointing to something bigger the whole time: underneath the noise, past the static, right where you least expect it. This series is about tracking it down. Three short weeks. Scripture today is from James 4:1-12.  A search for the beat behind all of life. This is Finding God in the Music 2026. Join us in person or online.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota...

Pastor Matt welcomes special guest Pastor Jean Carlos to Hilltop, who's sharing the exciting story of what God is doing through campus ministry across Minnesota, including the launch of a brand-new campus ministry at Minnesota State University called neon. 

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and we pray that everyone would experience God's presence through this channel. We are happy to interact online or in-person. Please subscribe to this channel and be sure to walk through the doors if you a...

In a world reshaped by isolation, digital distraction, and division, how do we "do" community well? Join us this Sunday as Pastor Fred Vanderwerf continues his four-part series, "Living Into Community." Drawing from the work of Christine Pohl and the Methodist tradition, Fred explores how community serves as a vital "means of grace" that transforms us. Having already explored gratitude and promise-keeping, this week’s message, "Living Truthfully," dives into the power of integrity and the hidden costs of duplicity. Come flex your community muscles and discover how Christ works through us when we choose to live authentically together. 

The sermons of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, have been preserved for centuries. Wesley preached thousands of sermons to coal miners and common people all across the British countryside, driven by a strong conviction that God's grace is available to everyone, that genuine spiritual transformation is possible in this life, and that authentic faith must show up in how you actually live. This summer, Pastor Matt will preach five sermons drawn directly from Wesley's own writings, updated in language, but carrying the same fire and message as the originals from the 18th century. We'll wrestle with...

The sermons of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, have been preserved for centuries. Wesley preached thousands of sermons to coal miners and common people all across the British countryside, driven by a strong conviction that God's grace is available to everyone, that genuine spiritual transformation is possible in this life, and that authentic faith must show up in how you actually live. This summer, Pastor Matt will preach five sermons drawn directly from Wesley's own writings, updated in language, but carrying the same fire and message as the originals from the 18th century. We'll wrestle with...

The sermons of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, have been preserved for centuries. Wesley preached thousands of sermons to coal miners and common people all across the British countryside, driven by a strong conviction that God's grace is available to everyone, that genuine spiritual transformation is possible in this life, and that authentic faith must show up in how you actually live. This summer, Pastor Matt will preach five sermons drawn directly from Wesley's own writings, updated in language, but carrying the same fire and message as the originals from the 18th century. We'll wrestle with...

The sermons of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, have been preserved for centuries. Wesley preached thousands of sermons to coal miners and common people all across the British countryside, driven by a strong conviction that God's grace is available to everyone, that genuine spiritual transformation is possible in this life, and that authentic faith must show up in how you actually live. This summer, Pastor Matt will preach five sermons drawn directly from Wesley's own writings, updated in language, but carrying the same fire and message as the originals from the 18th century. We'll wrestle with...

Guest Preacher Timothy Jaycox reflects on Matthew 18:1-5, and humbling ourselves like children.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and we pray that everyone would experience God's presence through this channel. We are happy to interact online or in-person. Please subscribe to this channel and be sure to walk through the doors if you are in the area. Services are online and in-person on Sundays at 10:00 am. Visit https://www.mankatohilltop.org to learn more.

Best of all...

As we begin summer, it may be time for many of us to “touch grass” again. This Gen Z phrase usually means stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with reality. Together we will explore the five emotions often connected to grief: anger, denial, acceptance, bargaining, and sadness to consider how God meets us in those feelings. Consider this a spiritual invitation to step out of the doom-scrolling and return to what is real and life-giving: to God’s presence, to honest emotion, to meaningful relationships, and to the beauty of creation in summertime. Week by week, we will discov...

As we begin summer, it may be time for many of us to “touch grass” again. This Gen Z phrase usually means stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with reality. Together we will explore the five emotions often connected to grief: anger, denial, acceptance, bargaining, and sadness to consider how God meets us in those feelings. Consider this a spiritual invitation to step out of the doom-scrolling and return to what is real and life-giving: to God’s presence, to honest emotion, to meaningful relationships, and to the beauty of creation in summertime. Week by week, we will discov...

As we begin summer, it may be time for many of us to “touch grass” again. This Gen Z phrase usually means stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with reality. Together we will explore the five emotions often connected to grief: anger, denial, acceptance, bargaining, and sadness to consider how God meets us in those feelings. Consider this a spiritual invitation to step out of the doom-scrolling and return to what is real and life-giving: to God’s presence, to honest emotion, to meaningful relationships, and to the beauty of creation in summertime. Week by week, we will discov...

As we begin summer, it may be time for many of us to “touch grass” again. This Gen Z phrase usually means stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with reality. Together we will explore the five emotions often connected to grief: anger, denial, acceptance, bargaining, and sadness to consider how God meets us in those feelings. Consider this a spiritual invitation to step out of the doom-scrolling and return to what is real and life-giving: to God’s presence, to honest emotion, to meaningful relationships, and to the beauty of creation in summertime. Week by week, we will discov...

As we begin summer, it may be time for many of us to “touch grass” again. This Gen Z phrase usually means stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with reality. Together we will explore the five emotions often connected to grief: anger, denial, acceptance, bargaining, and sadness to consider how God meets us in those feelings. Consider this a spiritual invitation to step out of the doom-scrolling and return to what is real and life-giving: to God’s presence, to honest emotion, to meaningful relationships, and to the beauty of creation in summertime. Week by week, we will discov...

In a world reshaped by isolation, digital distraction, and division, how do we "do" community well? Join us this Sunday as Pastor Fred Vanderwerf continues his four-part series, "Living Into Community." Drawing from the work of Christine Pohl and the Methodist tradition, Fred explores how community serves as a vital "means of grace" that transforms us. Having already explored gratitude and promise-keeping, this week’s message, "Living Truthfully," dives into the power of integrity and the hidden costs of duplicity. Come flex your community muscles and discover how Christ works through us when we choose to live authentically together. 

Relief is a sermon series for a worn-out world. This series explores the good news that God’s grace meets us right where we live: in our guilt, our striving, our status anxiety, our need to control, and our deep exhaustion. Week by week, we will hear how the gospel brings real relief through forgiveness, atonement, favor, surrender, rest, rescue, and even joy. In a world full of pressure, this series invites us to receive again the freeing grace of Jesus Christ.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop Un...

Relief is a sermon series for a worn-out world. This series explores the good news that God’s grace meets us right where we live: in our guilt, our striving, our status anxiety, our need to control, and our deep exhaustion. Week by week, we will hear how the gospel brings real relief through forgiveness, atonement, favor, surrender, rest, rescue, and even joy. In a world full of pressure, this series invites us to receive again the freeing grace of Jesus Christ.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Relief is a sermon series for a worn-out world. This series explores the good news that God’s grace meets us right where we live: in our guilt, our striving, our status anxiety, our need to control, and our deep exhaustion. Week by week, we will hear how the gospel brings real relief through forgiveness, atonement, favor, surrender, rest, rescue, and even joy. In a world full of pressure, this series invites us to receive again the freeing grace of Jesus Christ.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Relief is a sermon series for a worn-out world. This series explores the good news that God’s grace meets us right where we live: in our guilt, our striving, our status anxiety, our need to control, and our deep exhaustion. Week by week, we will hear how the gospel brings real relief through forgiveness, atonement, favor, surrender, rest, rescue, and even joy. In a world full of pressure, this series invites us to receive again the freeing grace of Jesus Christ.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop Un...

Relief is a sermon series for a worn-out world. This series explores the good news that God’s grace meets us right where we live: in our guilt, our striving, our status anxiety, our need to control, and our deep exhaustion. Week by week, we will hear how the gospel brings real relief through forgiveness, atonement, favor, surrender, rest, rescue, and even joy. In a world full of pressure, this series invites us to receive again the freeing grace of Jesus Christ.

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Pastor Matt Sipe sits down with Paster Fred Vanderwerf and Paster Austin Walker to talk about a recent trip to Ukraine and how God is at work there. 

Text NEW to 507-575-4222 to connect with Hilltop United Methodist Church.

Hilltop United Methodist Church is located in Mankato Minnesota and we pray that everyone would experience God's presence through this channel. We are happy to interact online or in-person. Please subscribe to this channel and be sure to walk through the doors if you are in the area. Services are online and in-person on Sundays a...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...

Life has a way of wearing us down. Faith can feel fragile. Hope can feel stretched thin. The book of Hebrews was written for moments like these: to believers who were tired, discouraged, and tempted to give up. In this preaching series, Anchored, we will walk through the book of Hebrews sequentially, listening for its steady, pastoral call: hold fast. Hebrews points us again and again to Jesus Christ: the one who speaks God’s final word, shares our weakness, intercedes for us, and secures a hope that does not drift or break. Across these next several weeks leading to...