Welcoming Abilene as the church grows in Jesus
On the east side of Abilene, off East Ambler Avenue near the Hillcrest addition that gave the church its name, Hillcrest Church of Christ has met since 1959. The congregation describes its work with a single phrase: "Welcoming Abilene as we grow in relationship with Jesus." Three weekly Sunday services, Bible classes for every age, a deep children's wing, a packed youth calendar, mission work on multiple continents, and partnerships with more than forty Abilene-area ministries are all part of that calling.
The doors open on East Ambler on Sunday mornings for a 9 a.m. worship service that is also livestreamed on YouTube, and again at 6 p.m. for a quieter chapel service. Bible classes for all ages fill the hour between them at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays bring another round of Bible classes at 7 p.m., preceded by youth and young adult gatherings. Visitors are greeted by name at the door, and longtime members say it is the kind of place where everyone gets to know you within a few weeks.
Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and the rhythm of the week
The Sunday schedule is built around two anchors: the worship gathering and a wide network of Bible classes.
At 9 a.m. the auditorium fills for the main worship service, which can be joined in person or watched online on the Hillcrest YouTube channel. At 10:30 a.m. the classrooms across the building open for Bible classes, with separate classes for nursery, preschool, K-5, middle school, high school, college, young adults, and a variety of adult classes. The Seekers Class, designed for those exploring faith, meets in that same hour. The evening chapel service begins at 6 p.m., a smaller gathering that includes a sermon and songs.
On Sunday evenings, Life Groups meet in homes around the city for deeper study and fellowship. Middle school and high school Huddles meet in sponsors' homes at the same hour, giving students their own small-group community. Tuesdays bring the ladies' Bible class and the men's Bible class during the fall and spring semesters. Wednesdays round out the week with Bible classes for every age at 7 p.m., preceded by HYG MidWeek for students in the gym at 6:30 p.m. and a shared meal and Bible study for the college and young adult ministry at 6:30 p.m.
Shaped by Scripture: what Hillcrest believes
The church's stated identity is simple: "Our hope is to simply be Christians in Christ's church… shaped by Scripture." The Core Beliefs page lays out eight doctrines, each anchored in scripture references.
Members affirm one eternal God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and a Jesus who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, was buried, and rose again before ascending into heaven. The Holy Spirit is sent to dwell in those who are forgiven, transforming them after baptism into the likeness of Christ and serving as their source of assurance, wisdom, and gifting for the church.
Salvation is described as a free gift of God, received through faith in Christ and expressed in confession, repentance, and baptism. The church teaches that believers are added by God to His church, a faith community that gathers regularly for worship and to share the Lord's Supper. The Bible is held as the inspired Word of God and the final authority for Christian belief and living. Heaven, in Hillcrest's teaching, is the promise that those redeemed by Christ will be with Him for eternity when He returns.
A church born on the Hillcrest, 1957 to 1959
The Hillcrest congregation began as an outreach of the Graham Street Church of Christ in mid-century Abilene. On May 29, 1957, members of Graham Street met and appointed a committee to plan a new congregation. The trustees tasked with the legal work were R. S. Powell, Forbes McInroe, Harold Lobley, Bill Hilton, and Ray McGlothlin.
They raised $154,000 through bond sales to construct a building on property in the Hillcrest addition of Abilene. Forbes McInroe, an elder at Graham Street, served as the contractor. On March 15, 1959, those who had indicated a desire to worship with the new congregation met for the first time. Overton Faubus and R. S. Powell were selected as elders; Carl Spain and Overton Faubus were selected as ministers; Bill Hilton was named director of the Bible school; and Ray McGlothlin became song director.
The Hillcrest building opened its doors for the first time on April 12, 1959, with 258 people attending Bible classes that morning. The Graham Street building that birthed the work is now the home of the Iglesia de Cristo. Sixty-plus years later, the same East Ambler property is still the center of Hillcrest's ministry to Abilene, though it is now undergoing a major renovation campaign.
Hillcrest Kids: from nursery through fifth grade
Children's ministry at Hillcrest is structured by age and meets on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Parents can bring infants to the nursery ten minutes before any service; volunteers care for them using the Bible Time curriculum written by Karyn Henley, teaching about God's creation and love through songs and activities.
Toddlers ages 2 and 3 use Journey Land, a hands-on curriculum that walks them through Old Testament stories about God's love for his people. Preschoolers (ages 3 and 4) follow the same curriculum, expanding into Old and New Testament stories. On Sunday mornings, K-5 students rotate through workshops - storytelling, games, music, geography, drama, and art - each designed to reinforce a single biblical principle in a different learning style. Wednesday nights use the Hyfi curriculum, which teaches twelve biblical truths aimed at helping children understand their identity in Christ and feel part of a community of friends.
The children's wing is staffed by volunteers, and the ministry is always looking for more teachers and greeters. Vacation Bible School is part of the summer rhythm. The current capital campaign includes a children's wing renovation, larger classrooms, and a playground to make the space work for twenty-first-century learning.
Youth, college, and young adults
Middle school and high school students have their own Sunday Bible classes at 10:30 a.m., with combined classes several times a year. Sunday evenings they gather in Huddles - small groups hosted in sponsors' homes around the city. Wednesdays are for HYG MidWeek in the gym at Hillcrest, a time of community-building followed by spiritual encouragement for all sixth through twelfth graders and their friends.
The youth calendar includes a Fall Retreat, a Spring Retreat, and summer camp at Bandina Youth Camp near Bandera, Texas. The youth minister, Lance Parrish, oversees the retreats and camp and stays in close contact with families through text alerts and an event registration form.
The college ministry serves students and young professionals with a different rhythm. Sunday morning Bible class follows the 9 a.m. worship service; life groups meet Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. Mondays at 6:30 p.m. bring a men's and women's Bible study. Wednesdays include a meal at 6:30 p.m. and a Bible study at 7 p.m. Thursday Night Worship gathers at 8 p.m. in the Hillcrest chapel for about an hour of singing and study. The young adult ministry runs the same Sunday and Wednesday pattern, focused on adults in that season of life.
Walking alongside families and the community
The Family and Community Ministry is the umbrella for the church's pastoral work beyond Sunday morning. Its mission is "walking alongside families and providing a safe path pointing to Christ," with the conviction that the whole family receives ministry, from infancy to adulthood.
Programs include benevolence, counseling, crisis and disaster response, divorce care classes, classes on marriage, parenting, and budgeting, family and community services, prison ministry, Hillcrest Helps, Faith at Home, men's ministry, and women's ministry. The men's ministry meets in two regular groups: Mighty Men of God on Wednesdays at noon at Potters Pizza on Buffalo Gap Road, and Big Country Men (Men of Nehemiah) on Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. at Grace Fellowship on Cypress Street. A men's retreat is held each spring.
The women's ministry is organized around "Sitting at the Feet of Jesus" small groups, with a mentoring journey that walks through trust, forgiveness, faith, humility, calling, prayer, love, grace, wonderment, and refresh. The ministry supports women to grow in the Lord, mentor one another, connect through genuine friendships, and reach their community.
Local outreach across Abilene
The Local Evangelism Ministry extends Hillcrest's reach into Abilene through refugee outreach, prison ministry, jail ministry, and international student ministry. Sunday mornings a Seekers Class meets after worship for those exploring faith, and Wednesday evenings a Jesus Journey Class walks newcomers through the basics of following Jesus.
Hillcrest also partners with more than forty local ministries and nonprofits. Among them: AISD Homeless Student Ministry, the Alliance for Women and Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Central Texas, Big Country CASA, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Country, Cancer Services Network, Christian Homes and Family Services, the Christian Service Center, Communities in Schools, FaithWorks, the Food Bank of West Central Texas, Global Samaritan Resources, Hendrick Hospice and Auxiliary, the Highland Food Pantry, Hope Haven, Houses for Healing, the International Rescue Mission, Love and Care Ministries, Meals on Wheels, the Men of Nehemiah, the Methodist Children's Home, New Beginnings, the Noah Project, Pregnancy Resources, the Presbyterian Medical Care Mission, the Regional Victims Crisis Center, the Salvation Army of Abilene, United Way of Abilene, and West Texas RSVP. Members are encouraged to give, volunteer, and serve alongside these partners, and the church's own Hillcrest Helps team provides meals, support, and encouragement to host families.
Hillcrest also makes available, at no charge to its members, RightNow Media - a library of more than 20,000 Biblically-based videos for Bible study and devotion.
Long reach: from Vienna to Mumena
Foreign missions have been part of Hillcrest's life since the early 1960s. Today the church supports work in Vienna, Austria; Cebu City, Philippines; Mumena in northwest Zambia; Mutare, Zimbabwe; and through World Bible School.
In 2016 Hillcrest began partnering with the long-running refugee work in Vienna, supporting Reggy Hiller and Gerhard Krassnig in their house church ministry among refugees from the Middle East and Africa. A 2015 special collection at Hillcrest raised $25,000 to print 4,500 Bibles in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu for distribution by churches of Christ in Germany, Greece, and other parts of Europe.
The Callari family has been in Cebu City since 2018, with a threefold focus: preaching the Gospel, making disciples who make disciples, and developing local church leaders. The team visits the Cebu City jail, partners with local churches for church planting campaigns, and preaches monthly in a low-income area of the city.
The Mumena work began in 2005 when Brian and Sondra Davis moved from Cape Town at the invitation of the Mumena Chief to plant churches among the Kaonde tribe. Sixteen churches have been planted since then, and the local churches now run their own indigenous Bible school, the Servants of Jesus Bible College. Each year Hillcrest sends a campaign group for medical, dental, optical, agricultural, and evangelistic work. Rick and Karen Love and Sam and Ellie Rodriguez are the current full-time missionaries on site; Hillcrest is also supporting Caleb Callari in a two-year apprenticeship under Rick Love.
Hillcrest has supported the Mutare School of Preaching in Zimbabwe since 1963. The school trains preachers in the Bible's teaching and interpretation, with broader training for preachers' wives and lectureships for elders and deacons across the region. World Bible School has been one of the brotherhood's most widespread evangelism efforts for forty years; Brian Davis serves as Hillcrest's missionary to WBS and as the organization's Executive Vice President.
Each April the church takes a Send the Light offering for short-term missions. The collection has funded campaigns to the Philippines, Costa Rica, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in recent years.
Building to the future: the capital campaign
After sixty-plus years, the original Hillcrest building needs significant work. The current Building to the Future capital campaign is raising money for a list of twelve projects with a projected cost of about $2,000,000, advised by Parkhill Architects. A new southwest foyer entrance will create a visible main entrance and expanded fellowship space; a new baptistry will replace the original, which sat on deteriorating 55-gallon drums. Lighting in the auditorium will be modernized, the children's wing will be renovated for security and 21st-century learning, and a playground and covered patio will create family-friendly outdoor space. A more functional youth area, HVAC replacement in the student classrooms, updated security at every entrance, a covered area for church vehicles, a four-bathroom renovation in the education wing, and replacement of an inherited sewer line round out the list. The previous capital campaign, in 2008, raised $1,200,000 for the auditorium and kitchen.
Getting connected at Hillcrest
Visitors who want to learn more can fill out an interest form, request prayer, sign up for the church newsletter, or come by the building during the week. The office is at 650 East Ambler Avenue in Abilene, and the phone number is 325-691-4200. Sunday services can be watched live at 9 a.m. on the Hillcrest YouTube channel; past sermons are also posted there for anyone who missed a Sunday. Giving is available online through Pushpay, and the church posts regular newsletters for members to download. Those who want to join a Life Group, volunteer with children's ministry, mentor in the women's ministry, or sign up for an upcoming retreat are invited to fill out one of the many connection forms online.