Pastor John Evarts started Hilltop Fellowship Church in 2013. He and his wife, Donna, are native, life-time residents of Naples. They both attended Naples Central Schools, fell in love as high school sweethearts and recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. John says, “it has always been an honor to carry the moniker of Donna’s husband. She is the blessing of God in my life.” The Evarts raised their two daughters on Donna’s family homestead in Naples.

Pastor John is a 1972 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Technology

John’s working career consisted of 22 years with Eastman Kodak Company and 10 years with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Research and Development Facility in which he held several supervisory positions, along with the responsibility for international projects.

In his 40+ years of ministry Pastor John has served in almost every church position of leadership: Trustee, Deacon, Sunday School Superintendant and pulpit supply across three mainline dominations and two independent churches. Pastor John also spent three years as a volunteer chaplain at F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua NY. , providing weekly visitations and Sunday morning worship services.

He has been in a continuous education effort to help him with better application and presentation of the Bible, including two years at Elim Bible College in Lima, NY, completing their certificate program in Bible Studies and Church Leadership in 2005. He completed several courses from Anderson Theological Seminary in 2002, and most recently a course from Hillsdale College.

Some of John’s best remembered courses were the ones he attended at Ingleside Bible Institute in 1985, just before the closed. One of his favorite training programs took place in Colorado Springs, CO. A week long, very intense preaching course was,”if you can’t say it in 5 minutes than you can’t say it in one hour.” Trying to reduce a 45 minute message into 5 minutes with the same results was very challenging!