A Welcome Home on Terry Road
At 5950 Terry Road in Byram, Mississippi, Hillcrest Baptist Church greets every newcomer with two simple words that have become its signature: "Welcome Home." Hillcrest describes itself as "a place where lives are changed, hope is restored, and relationships are built," inviting neighbors to encounter the love of Jesus, grow in faith, and join a community that feels like family. From the moment someone walks in, a welcome team stands ready to direct them to the worship center or the kids' area, hand over a cup of coffee and a donut, and walk them through the building so a first morning feels easy from the start.
Sundays at Hillcrest
The Sunday rhythm at Hillcrest moves from smaller community into the larger gathered worship service. Small groups meet on campus at 9:00 am for the church's version of Sunday school. At 10:30 am the main worship service begins, led by the Minister of Worship, and is broadcast on Facebook for those who prefer to join from home. On selected Sunday evenings at 5:00 pm through the year, small groups come back together for supper and conversation in a more casual setting.
A typical Sunday service at Hillcrest includes congregational singing, prayer, and Bible-centered preaching that the church calls clear, practical, and centered on Christ. The atmosphere is intentionally approachable: visitors are encouraged to come as they are, whether that means casual jeans or dressed-up Sunday best. Guests are never put on the spot to give. Offering boxes sit near the welcome center and throughout the building for members and regular attenders who wish to participate.
Wednesday Nights Around the Bible
The middle of the week at Hillcrest gathers around the Bible. An adult Bible study meets on campus at 6:00 pm and is followed by three parallel tracks for the rest of the evening. Students head to a Youth Service, children go to Children in Action, and the Adult Choir rehearses under the leadership of Sharon Dorman, the church's Choir and Creative Arts Director. The choir ministry is treated as a natural extension of the Wednesday rhythm rather than a separate night of the week, with preaching, prayer, and praise shaping the same gathering.
Kids and Students
Hillcrest identifies itself as a church of Family-Builders, explaining that "in a world that often minimizes their value, we invest in children and students through Christ-centered programs, as well as offering practical resources to strengthen marriages and support parents." Children are cared for through two distinct settings: a professionally staffed nursery for kids under 4, and a Children's Church for children through third grade that Melanie Fuller, the Minister of Children, calls fun, clear, and age-appropriate. Both environments are led by caring volunteers and intentionally built to feel safe.
Student ministry is led by John Clarke Altman, who combines that role with his responsibilities as Minister of Outreach and Events. The students' ministry partners with parents to help young people pursue Christ boldly, live out His truth, and form relationships that last beyond high school. Bible studies and small-group gatherings form the core of the students' week, with the church praying that a generation of students would lead the way as the church takes the gospel into the world.
Women, Men, College and Career, and the Senior Joy Group
Adults at Hillcrest find community through several purpose-built ministries. The women's ministry creates spaces for women in every stage of life to build authentic relationships and grow in faith together. The men's ministry centers on community around God's Word and Christlike leadership at home, at work, and beyond. A College and Career ministry serves young adults stepping out of school into the wider world. And the Senior Joy Group gathers the church's "more seasoned saints" for fellowship and encouragement, with the conviction that following Jesus matters at every season of life. Each ministry connects through simple online forms and through the church office.
What Hillcrest Believes
Hillcrest subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the confession of faith used by Southern Baptist churches, and spells out its convictions in more detail in its own statement of faith. The church teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully God and fully man, whose sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection defeated sin and death. He now reigns at the Father's right hand and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and establish His eternal kingdom.
The Bible, Hillcrest teaches, is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, "the supreme authority in all matters of faith and life, perfect and sufficient for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness." Humanity was created in God's image as male and female; marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, rooted in the Lord's design. Through Adam, sin entered the world and corrupted every aspect of human life; through Christ, sinners can be redeemed, restored, and adopted into God's family.
Salvation is a work of God's sovereign grace received through faith in Christ alone, by which believers are justified, adopted, and made new creations. The church practices two ordinances that Christ established for His people: baptism as a public testimony of saving faith and union with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection, and the Lord's Supper as a sacred remembrance of His sacrifice and a hopeful anticipation of His return.
Hillcrest is also plain about what it does not practice. While it affirms the active work of the Holy Spirit today, "we do not practice speaking in tongues or other charismatic gifts, holding instead to the sufficiency of Scripture and the Spirit's empowerment for godly living and biblical ministry."
Dynamic Preaching, Devoted Worship, Diligent Prayer, Daring Witness
The church's mission is to "use our God-given gifts to glorify God, magnify Christ, and unify the body through reaching, teaching, and ministering to all people." Its vision statement is short and arresting: "All of Christ for all of life." Four commitments anchor the work of the church. Dynamic Preaching means faithfully declaring God's Word with passion and boldness. Devoted Worship means fervently exalting the name of Jesus in spirit and in truth. Diligent Prayer means firmly believing in the power of persistent prayer. Daring Witness means fearlessly sharing the good news of Jesus wherever people will listen.
Six values shape the culture that supports those commitments. Hillcrest is Gospel-Centered, building everything on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; Bible-Grounded, with every message rooted in Scripture; Relationship-Focused, growing through authentic community; Mission-Minded, giving time, talent, and resources to both local outreach and global missions; Spirit-Led, while declining charismatic practices in favor of the Spirit's work through Scripture; and Family-Builders, investing in children, students, marriages, and parents in a culture that often minimizes their value.
Pastors, Ministers, and Elders
T. C. Kinney serves as Lead Pastor. He and his wife Mary Hannah have three children, and he describes himself as a follower of Jesus who loves asking deep questions, the outdoors, writing, fitness, and pour-over coffee. His preaching carries the main Sunday-morning pulpit ministry at Hillcrest.
John Clarke Altman serves as Minister of Outreach, Events, and Youth. He is married to Alli, and they have a daughter, Mary Alice. Altman also preaches on Sundays and has carried series through Mark, Ruth, and Hebrews. Melanie Fuller leads the children's ministry. She is married to Michael, with whom she raised a blended family of five children, and she draws on more than two decades of experience as a public school teacher in shaping Children's Church and nursery care.
Jami Wallace leads congregational singing as Minister of Worship, and Sharon Dorman directs the Adult Choir and the broader creative arts program as Choir and Creative Arts Director. The music ministry blends vocal ensembles and creative elements under the same Wednesday-night roof as the Bible study.
Six elders share in the spiritual oversight of the congregation: Doug Christman, Gary Holden, Bill Kron, Monroe Price, Donald Sills, and Randy Thomason. Phyllis Williams serves as office secretary, and Angel Wall as church administrator, anchoring the day-to-day operations of the church office.
Plan a Visit, Join a Ministry, and Give
Hillcrest's Plan Your Visit form lets first-time guests share a little about themselves ahead of Sunday morning. When they arrive, the welcome team meets them at the welcome center, helps them check their children into the kids' programs, hands over coffee, and walks them through the building so they can find their way around before the service begins.
The sermon archive reaches back across years of preaching, covering whole books of the Bible, character studies, and topical series on the Christian life. Visitors can sample recent messages in person or online. Connection to any of Hillcrest's ministries runs through simple online forms, and ministry leaders welcome direct emails from anyone who wants to learn more or get involved.
Giving is described at Hillcrest as "an act of worship and obedience, flowing from a heart surrendered to Christ." Support can be given online through the church's giving platform, placed in one of the offering boxes by the welcome center, or mailed to the church at 5950 Terry Road, Byram, Mississippi 39272. Guests are never expected to contribute on a first visit.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 4:30 pm and can be reached by phone at (601) 372-0132 for practical questions about programming, facilities, or pastoral care. Hillcrest Baptist Church is a congregation that takes seriously its dual calling to welcome strangers at the door and to send its members out into the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.