Rev. Drew Hill Publishes Dramatic Account of Grandfather’s Fight Against Bigotry

Head pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in McLean, VA  and Leland adjunct professor Rev. Drew Hill has recently released a new book entitled Crossing the Tracks. Set in the railroad yards and union halls of Kansas City during the Civil Rights Movement, it's the uplifting story of Hill’s grandfather, the patriarch of a white, working-class family, who confronts racism and bigotry on the railroad, in the neighborhood, and in his church.

The book, which has garnered enthusiastic reviews from numerous literary sources, details the story of one man's, and by extension his entire family's, attempt to do the right thing in the face of overwhelming opposition.

At Leland, where Rev. Hill serves on the Advisory Group of the Institute for Justice Formation, he lectures on topics such as “The Story of Israel: What God Says About Justice and Race in the Torah.” Memorial Baptist Church, where Hill is Head Pastor, hosted the 2023 IJF Conference on “Connecting Biblical Justice, Human Rights and Civil Rights.”

Rev. Hill holds a Doctor of Ministry and a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and also studied Old Testament archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Drew has taught at two Baptist seminaries in Ukraine and has been involved in mission work in Canada, South Africa, Belarus, and India. Additionally, he has led various Bible study field trips to Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. Before coming to Memorial, Drew served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Sedalia, Missouri for fourteen years.