Hillcrest Baptist Church sits at 4710 Hercules Ave. in northeast El Paso, a Baptist fellowship begun in 1956 and known for clear biblical preaching, reverent yet lively worship, and steady attention to discipleship from childhood through old age. Its three-part rhythm - Connect, Grow, Serve - gives the church a distinctive shape: connection belongs to Christ and His people, growth is rooted in Scripture, and service reaches from El Paso to missionaries and church partners around the world. Sunday worship is held at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 6:00 p.m., with a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday gathering.
From a Living Room to Hercules Avenue
Hillcrest traces its story to Bob Stewart, who was called into ministry in 1950. He enrolled at Baptist Bible Seminary in January 1951 and, after graduating, served at Hamlet Baptist Church in Amarillo. During a two-day scouting trip to El Paso in January 1956, Stewart came to believe God was calling him to begin a church there. He and his wife moved to El Paso on February 1, and on February 12, 14 people attended the first service in their small living room.
Services continued there through August. Stewart went door to door to tell anyone who would listen about God and the new church. Two people were saved on the night the congregation was organized, and the church began to grow. It took seven months to obtain a loan from Chavez County Savings and Loan, with help from Roswell businessman Lee Green.
With the assistance of 16 charter members, the new church acquired an acre of land in northeast El Paso and built a 30-by-60-foot building. That modest structure became the beginning of what is now Hillcrest Baptist Church. Founding Pastor Bob Stewart died on February 12, 2017, the anniversary of its first service.
The early years also set a pattern that remains visible in Hillcrest's present life. A home became an organized church, a small building became a permanent campus, and personal evangelism became part of a wider mission that still reaches El Paso and the world. The Connect, Grow, Serve pattern gives that continuing mission a practical shape: fellowship around Christ, formation in Scripture, and service in the name of Christ.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Hillcrest's services focus on Christ and God's Word. Each gathering begins on time with singing and prayer, continues with clear biblical preaching, and ends with reflection and prayer. The response time is deliberately open and pressure-free, giving visitors room to respond to God in their own way.
- When to come: Sunday worship is at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.; the Wednesday gathering is at 6:30 p.m.
- Arrival: Greeters welcome guests at the doors and in the main lobby. A guest card allows first-time visitors to share basic information for a personal thank-you and follow-up.
- Service style: The emphasis is biblical preaching, heartfelt singing, and prayer rather than trends or traditions.
- What to wear: There is no dress code. Jeans and a suit are equally welcome because the church wants people to be comfortable and focused on worship.
- Children: Childcare for ages 0-5 is available during services, with workers who are carefully selected and background-checked.
- Giving: Guests are under no obligation to give. Giving can be placed in the offering, or it can be made through secure online giving.
The Hillcrest YouTube livestream makes Sunday worship and the Wednesday gathering available to remote viewers without a login. The player also provides a place to write notes that are saved automatically on the viewer's own device. Hillcrest provides a visit planner where a guest can identify a preferred service time and ask questions.
Sunday School for Every Season of Life
Hillcrest describes adulthood as a season for continued growth and service, not an endpoint. Its small group Sunday School is structured around stages of life so singles, couples, parents, and senior adults can study Scripture, build relationships, receive encouragement, and serve together. These weekly classes are a central expression of the church's Connect and Grow mission.
These classes carry more than a lecture. Hillcrest grounds adult discipleship in the responsibility of New Testament churches to make disciples and train them. Fellowship, engaging class time, and caring mentorship are intended to move people from hearing the Word toward living and serving it.
9:00 a.m. classes
- Kingdom Seekers: Singles, Dining Hall, Gabriel Garza.
- Homebuilders: Married couples in their 30s and 40s, Room 202, Aaron King.
- Ambassadors: Seniors, Chapel, Phil Spencer.
- Passionate for Christ: Ladies, Room 201, Sally Lewis.
- Men for the Master: Men, Room 208, Ed Taylor Sr.
10:30 a.m. classes
- Family Foundations: Married couples in their 20s and 30s, Room 203, Sean Gillespie.
- Cornerstone: Married couples in their 40s and 50s, Room 209, Erwin Mitchell.
- Berean Bible Study: Adults, Room 202, Tim Roberts.
- Hearts for God: Ladies, Room 207, Sheri Mitchell.
- Watchmen in Warfare: Men, Room 208, Rudy DeSoto.
Beyond the class hour, Hillcrest points adults toward caring mentorship and opportunities to use their gifts in teaching, hospitality, music, missions, and outreach. The church wants these groups not only to increase knowledge, but to form people through truth and grace.
Safe Care and Bible Lessons for Children
Children's ministry is designed to make faith concrete, practical, joyful, and memorable. Hillcrest sees childhood as an important time to plant seeds of faith, with every lesson pointing to Jesus and every gathering designed to help young hearts grow.
- Sunday morning: Childcare for ages 0-5 and Sunday School for grades 1-6 at 9:00 a.m.
- Sunday at 10:30 a.m.: Childcare for ages 0-5 and Junior Church for grades 1-6.
- Patch the Pirate: A Wednesday program for grades 1-6 during the school year, using songs, lessons, and adventures.
- Vacation Bible School: A summer gathering with games, crafts, music, and Bible lessons that reinforce God's truth and love.
Hillcrest's childcare areas are regularly cleaned and sanitized. Workers are selected with care, required to pass a background check, trained in the children's areas, and supported by sign-in procedures, trained staff, and security guards. For children riding with Hillcrest, a bus rider's permission slip collects the information and permission required for the ride.
Teen Church, Friendships, and Mentorship
The youth ministry treats teenagers as an essential part of the church now, not simply the church of the future. Hillcrest wants students to know Christ personally, understand biblical truth, and live with purpose in their homes, schools, and communities.
- Sunday School and Teen Church provide regular teaching and fellowship.
- Youth rallies, Tracts 'n Snacks, and summer camp create additional opportunities to encounter Scripture and build strong friendships.
- One-on-one mentorship gives teens room to be known and challenged in their faith.
The ministry also seeks to walk alongside families, helping teenagers remain rooted in Jesus and develop a faith that lasts. Each gathering is designed to challenge teens to live with purpose, conviction, and joy, while the stated aim is for every young person to feel valued, loved, and called by God to make a difference.
Music That Prepares Hearts for the Word
Hillcrest's music ministry is grounded in Psalm 40:3 and treats music as worship, not merely sound or entertainment. The aim is to lift high the name of Jesus, encourage believers, point the lost to Christ, and prepare hearts to receive preaching. Music is to flow from gratitude and devotion rather than trends.
The ministry includes choirs, special music, congregational singing, and seasonal programs. Hillcrest describes its worship as reverent, joyful, and full of life, with every song, message, and prayer centered on Jesus. From the youngest child to the oldest adult, the church desires every voice lifted in praise as an offering that glorifies God.
Aaron King serves as associate pastor and music director. Some of the church's music is also available for purchase so congregants can continue listening and being encouraged by Christ-honoring music during the week.
From El Paso to the Ends of the Earth
Missions is described as the heart of Hillcrest's calling. The church believes it has a God-given responsibility to start and support churches locally and abroad, grounded in Jesus' command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Its goal is changed lives, planted churches, and the light of Christ in every part of the earth.
Missionaries sent from Hillcrest have served in Germany, Zambia, Argentina, Lebanon, South Korea, and military ministry in Germany. Ed and Nicole Taylor, Martin and Jennifer Chilando, Greg and Carla Barnes, Abdou and Siham Issa, Fernando and Amy Padilla, Seth Richards, and Bill and Brenda Richards are among those connected with that sending ministry.
Hillcrest also supports dozens of missionaries and church-planting efforts across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands, Europe, North America, and South America. Local support includes churches such as Iglesia Bautista Nuevo Horizonte in Horizon City and Sun City Baptist Church in El Paso. Among North American partners are ministries serving Navajo communities, Bible translation and printing, work in Mexico, and Apache Creek Deaf and Youth Ranch. This wide network reflects a conviction that missionaries should be strengthened through prayer, encouragement, giving, and partnership.
Church planting is represented on the staff by Sean Gillespie, who serves as church-planting intern. Austin Bigler, who serves as a missions intern, and Melissa Bigler have articulated a call to Brazil centered on Portuguese fluency, relationships with Brazilian pastors and missionaries, and planting churches that proclaim the gospel. The recurring theme through these ministries is participation: the congregation shares the mission through prayer, financial partnership, encouragement, and going.
A Gospel Centered in Scripture
Hillcrest holds the Bible to be verbally and plenary inspired, inerrant and infallible, and the final authority for faith and life. It interprets Scripture according to its normal grammatical and historical meaning, uses the King James Version as its official and only translation, and reads it within divinely ordered dispensations. Those dispensations are understood as divinely ordered stewardships, not separate ways of salvation. Creation is affirmed as six literal 24-hour periods, while evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and theistic evolution are rejected.
The church affirms one triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. It teaches that Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice, was physically resurrected, and now serves as High Priest. Salvation is God's gift, received through personal faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, indwells, teaches, and seals believers; sign gifts such as speaking in tongues and healing are understood as temporary. Once saved, believers are kept by God's power and have assurance of salvation.
Hillcrest recognizes water baptism and the Lord's Supper as scriptural ordinances of obedience and holds to the autonomy of the local church. It also teaches separation from religious apostasy and sinful practices, a personal and imminent return of Christ with a rapture before the seven-year tribulation, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and everlasting conscious punishment for the unsaved. Home, church, and state are presented as three authorities under God, each with its own biblically assigned responsibilities.
Connect, Grow, Serve Under Pastor Joe Dickinson
The church's mission is summarized with Psalm 1:3: to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Connection means belonging to Christ and His church through relationships and weekly small groups. Growth comes through personal Bible study, preaching, teaching, and the transforming work of truth and grace. Service takes the form of prayer, giving, praise, hospitality, teaching, music, missions, and outreach to the community and beyond.
Pastor Joe Dickinson has preached at Hillcrest since being called as senior pastor in 2009. Before that, he joined the staff as youth pastor and later served as associate pastor and music director. His preparation includes a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies from Heartland Baptist Bible College, a Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty University in 2011, and a Master of Divinity from Liberty in 2024. The ministry team includes Aaron King as associate pastor and music director, Micah Taylor as youth pastor, Phil Spencer as assistant pastor, Erwin Mitchell as missions director, Greg Barnes as Spanish pastor, Austin Bigler as missions intern, and Sean Gillespie as church-planting intern.
The main worship room is an auditorium, while adult classes use named rooms throughout the campus and the dining hall and chapel. The children's building sits south of the main building. A church app, a livestream, and secure online giving extend some of those ministries beyond the building. Hillcrest's story, from 14 people in a living room to a multigenerational fellowship with classes for every age and mission partners around the world, remains centered on its stated purpose: connect to Christ and His church, grow in the Word, and serve through love of God and others.