Pastor Paul and Ruth Carlson came to Hillside in August of 1985. Paul graduated from North Central Bible College, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979. They were married in 1981 and served three churches before coming to Gillett: Haxtun, Colorado; Worland, Wyoming; and Pound, Wisconsin. Both grew up in Minnesota and Paul was ordained in 1984 in Wyoming. Their children are Jonathan, David, Holly and Amber, and their grandchildren are Violet, Jace, and Adriana.
Pastor Paul served as Lead Pastor of Hillside for almost 36 years before retiring in May 2021. He is currently serving in a part-time role as Pastor Emeritus to assist the church in whatever way is needed.