History

Since our founding, Westover Hills has beens served by six installed (permanent) pastors and numerous interim (temporary) pastors.

Rev. Richard B. Hardie, affectionately known as “Preacher Dick” was the pastor of WHPC from its founding until his retirement in 1985. Under Rev. Hardie’s leadership, the congregation continued to grow and thrive. The current sanctuary building was completed in 1967. The original church building continued to serve the preschool and was converted into offices for staff.

Following Rev. Hardie’s retirement, the congregation called the Rev. Dr. David Dyer. Dyer, a part-time professor at Philander Smith College, an HBCU in Little Rock, served from 1988-1993. During his tenure, Little Rock continued its rapid expansion west. The neighborhood surrounding Westover Hills, the western edge of the city in the 1940’s, was firmly in the center of the city. Dyer was deeply valued for his humor and intellect.

In 1995, the congregation called its first clergy couple to serve as the co-pastors of Westover Hills. Revs. Jim and Debbie Carl Freeman served Westover during a season of substantial change in the city of Little Rock and the wider world. The Freemans led the congregation through a process of visioning that resulted in the construction of a new education building to serve both the preschool and the needs of the congregation. The building includes more than a dozen classrooms, a full commercial kitchen, a regulation basketball court (which doubles as a fellowship hall), and an open gathering area on the lower level. The building continues to be a valued asset of the congregation and is used for both church and community events.

Following the Freeman’s departure, the congregation went through a lengthy transition season. Changes in the broader church world and the challenges of an ageing congregation left the membership uncertain about the future. Under the able leadership of Rev. Michael Kuner, the church emerged from this season of transition ready for a new chapter.

Rev. Frank LeBlanc was called to serve as the fifth installed pastor of Westover Hills in 2013. As pastor of First Presbyterian in the nearby community of Morrilton, Rev. LeBlanc was well-known by the congregation. He took the reigns of WHPC at a time when membership in mainline churches was rapidly declining and ageing. Westover Hills was no exception. Despite the challenges facing the congregation, the members of Westover Hills continued to forge ahead and build on the strength of the past.

When Rev. LeBlanc left in 2019, the congregation prepared for another season of transition and the calling of a new pastor. Then in early 2020, the world came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly this tight-knit community was huddled at home and not gathering in person for worship, fellowship, or service. For a congregation built on relationships, the isolation of the pandemic was a difficult season. When the danger of the pandemic finally lifted and life began to return to normal, it was those very relationships that allowed Westover Hills to get back to the work of being an active community of faith.

In the fall of 2021, the congregation voted to call the Rev. Dr. Robert Wm Lowry. A native of Little Rock, Rev. Lowry had served several churches in the presbytery of Arkansas as a transitional pastor before accepting a call to Fondren Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS in 2017. He and his husband, Brian, arrived in Little Rock in January 2022 when he began his service as the sixth pastor of Westover Hills Presbyterian Church.