Who We Are
Hillside Baptist Church is not a building made of bricks, mortar, and metal, but is a people made up of believers in Jesus Christ who meet to worship and serve God, as well as to fellowship with and edify one another. It is also our desire to reach out to the surrounding communities with the love of Christ.
What is now Hillside Baptist Church began in 1875 as a Sunday School outreach of the First Baptist Church of Hornell. Continued growth led to the establishment of an independent church in 1893 known as South Side Baptist. Outgrowing its original facilities on Canisteo Street in Hornell, a new building on County Route 66 was completed in 1973, and the church was renamed Hillside Baptist Church.
The foundation of this ministry has always been and continues to be the living Word Who is Jesus Christ and the written Word which is the Bible. It is our belief that God’s strategy for a growing and vibrant church is the passionate expository preaching of the Word of God, the heartfelt worship of God, and the fervent prayers of God’s people.
What We Believe
The Bible is the Word of God
We believe the Bible to be God’s Holy Word; it is the only book God ever gave. What is written in those 39 Old Testament books, and 27 New Testament books is divinely inspired (2Timothy 3:16-17). God directed the human authors so that what they wrote is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. Because the Bible is God’s word it is the only authoritative standard for what we believe and how we live.
God
We believe in one God eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe Who is all knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. He rules over all creation, and in His providence brings all things to pass in accordance with His sovereign will.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus is God incarnate Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He became a human without ceasing to be God, and later gave His life on the cross for our sins that we might be forgiven. He was raised bodily from the tomb on the third day, and is presently interceding for us in heaven. We believe Jesus Christ will one day return to judge the world and to establish the kingdom of God on earth.
Salvation and Eternal Life
We believe that all people have sinned and must be forgiven in order to spend the next life eternally with God. We believe that in order to be forgiven one must repent and believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who died for his sins and rose again (Romans 10:9). Eternal life is a gift that must simply be received, and therefore, is not deserved or earned by good works (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-10). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.