Members will vote to elect Elders and Deacons
at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7pm
"If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task." - 1 Tim. 3:1
Leadership in the church is tasked with the care and safeguarding of the flock of God, via spiritual oversight and guidance as well as meeting physical needs. Elders serve the former and delegate the latter to deacons. This is appropriately described by Paul (and the Holy Spirit) as a noble task. As such, the selection of leadership is crucial to the proper functioning of the body. Below are the individuals who were identified by the nominating committee, as prescribed in our constitution, and who agreed to serve in their respective capacities.
Elder Nominee: Jeff Drake
I was born and brought up in Newburgh, New York' My family were members of a Baptist church. I accepted christ as my savior as child through the ministry of the Church and various family members. I graduated from Gordon College in Wenham, MA and Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. I also attended Dallas Theological Seminary's extension program. I met Melanie while at Gordon College.
We will be married for 48 years later this year. We have four children and 6 grandchildren. Two of our children are teachers at Plumstead Christian School. One is a youth pastor at a Calvary chapel. And one is a salesman. I am currently "Of Counsel" (which means I am basically retired) for the law firm Drake, Hileman & Davis, a firm which I co-founded in 1985. Melanie was a teacher at Plumstead Christian School and is now retired.
Melanie and I have been attending Hilltown Baptist Church 46 years. Over the course of time that I have attended HBC I have served in various capacities, some of which are as follows: Trustee, Deacon, Elder, Sunday School teacher (high school students and adults), Pastoral Search committee, and Missionary Committee. Outside of HBC I have served on the Boards of Plumstead Christian School and the Christian Counseling Center of Bucks County. I have also served on the President's Advisory Council for Excellence at Biblical Theological Seminary and I was an Adjunct Professor at Philadelphia Biblical University. (Now Cairn University) Currently, I lead a small group that has been meeting for the last 28 +/- years. I am also co-leading the men's Wednesday evening Bible study.
HBC is a very special place. It has been our church home for most of our adult lives. All of our children were dedicated and baptized at HBC. It is a church that has faithfully preached the Gospel over its 289 year history. And, it presently has a vital ministry both locally and around the world. It is a privilege to serve the Lord through the ministry of HBC.
Elder Nominee: Dan Landt
I was born and raised in Chalfont, Pa. I was the youngest of 4 children. We did not attend church, but we were taught an awareness of the existence of God and a reverence for the things of God. Throughout my childhood, my theological training came mostly from Cecil B. DeMille. Movies like The 10 Commandments and The Robe and other epic “biblical” films shaped my concept of spiritual things. After high school, I was invited by my sister to attend Chelten Baptist Church in Dresher. I was welcomed into the college and career group there. I had a hunger to learn about spiritual things and quickly found myself serving on the steering committee and leading Bible studies. I was definitely not qualified for either one, but God used it to move me along on my journey.
Bonnie and I met at a multi-church movie night. We were married in August 1980. We became members at Faith Community Church, where Bonnie’s father was the pastor. He had a passion for the gospel, and he preached it clearly in almost every sermon. It was during a sermon series in Romans that I finally understood that my only hope for the forgiveness of my sin and the assurance of eternal life was through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God demonstrated His love for me in this: while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. We both grew in our faith and knowledge by attending and eventually leading several discipleship classes. In 2000, we moved back to Chalfont. That year, we became members here at Hilltown. We have found lifelong friendships through our small group. It has been my privilege to serve as a Deacon and an Elder and Sunday school teacher here. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in whatever capacity that God has for me.
Deacon Nominee: Evan Bunce
I was raised in Bucks County and went through the Central Bucks School District. My family attended First Baptist Church in Doylestown. While I loved going to church, I struggled to believe that God was actually real. Also, parts of the gospel and Jesus’s life just seemed so far-fetched to me. I never took faith very seriously until I got to high school and a close friend of mine started professing faith in Christ. There was a clear change in his life, and I noticed. I realized that he had what I was wanting and seeking. Seeing this friend starting to take his faith more seriously encouraged me to do the same, and I was 17 when I chose to accept Jesus as my personal savior. After graduating from CB West, I went to West Chester University where I received a bachelor’s degree in PreK-4 elementary education.
As I grew up, serving was a part of my life. In middle school and high school, I found great joy serving at various children’s summer camps. I also began serving at church on the sound/presentation team and worship team. As I prepared to leave for West Chester, I knew that I wanted to get involved with a church right away. I ended up landing at Providence Church where I continued to serve on the worship team. I also got involved with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) and served in a variety of ways.
After graduating from college, I took a job as a kindergarten teacher at Plumstead Christian School. I met my wife, Anna, through teaching at Plumstead. While we were dating, I began attending Hilltown. Right away I felt connected and comfortable with other members of the church. Over the past few years I have enjoyed attending classes, serving with the kids’ ministry and on worship team, and building relationships with others in the church. Hilltown has been a blessing to Anna and me as we’ve grown in our faith.
Today I am teaching second grade at Plumstead. It is wonderful to teach in a setting with other like-minded Christians and share Jesus with the children that I teach. God has blessed Anna and me with our son, Luke. It has been a joy to watch him grow over the past year. I am humbled and excited at the possibility of serving Hilltown as a deacon, and I am looking forward to whatever God has planned next!
Deacon Nominee: Steve Roberts
Steve owns and operates his Landscaping business of 40+ years with his brother Scott. Steve was born and raised at Hilltown. He just celebrated his 63rd birthday on April 3rd. He is married to Cynthia, his wife of 35 years (whom he met at HBC). He has two daughters Kayla and Tori also raised at HBC. Steve lives in Chalfont in Cynthia's home as a child, which dates back to 1728, which they bought in 1993 to help Cynthia's with her ailing father. Steve has served as a deacon at HBC many times equaling over 25 years of service. He has been chair of the audio sound team for over 20 years and has been running sound at HBC since he was 12 years old.
Deacon Nominee: Jim Walter
I was raised in a large family, being the fourth of eight children. My grandmother started taking us to Bethany Bible Fellowship when I was very young. We ended up attending Hilltown Baptist Church after my father started going back to church when I was six years old, and I have been attending Hilltown ever since. Some of my best memories growing up here have been with my time spent in the Christian Service Brigade program. Many godly men led me along the way, including Captain Bill Rush. I was truly blessed by the leaders who came alongside me and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord when it was difficult being raised in a large family. I realized my need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and went forward at a young age at one of George Sweeting's evangelistic services. I was baptized a year later. Susan and I met when we were in youth group after she started attending HBC in 1973. We were married by Pastor Lynch in 1978. We currently reside outside of East Greenville and have been blessed with four children and eight grandchildren.
During our time here, we have helped with the children's programs, membership & family (helping in the kitchen with various dinner events), men's ministry (helping with the monthly dinners and dad/child events). I currently help with summer maintenance at the lower cemetery, and have previously served as a deacon. Susan serves as the bookkeeper.
In April 2025 I retired from full-time employment in the collision repair industry, and am currently working part-time as a collision estimator.
It has been a blessing to attend HBC for 60+ years and still find the leadership faithful in preaching the Word. I look forward to the opportunity of serving the Lord and the congregation at HBC in the role of deacon once again.