It’s been said that “vision is a clear mental portrait of the future”. Well, Hillside is a church inspired by a positive vision to be a leading Acts 2 kind of church in Atlantic Canada. Our dream is to be a place (like the early church in Acts) where the unchurched are drawn to a safe place to figure out who Jesus really is; and where believers are built up through God-exalting worship, transformational teaching and small group experiences that will encourage them as they experience the incredible joy of serving others. This is Hillside’s vision! On Vision Night 2003, Pastor Jerry captured this grand vision in the Vision Statement that is presented below. (This night also marked the surprise celebration of the Reddys 10th year anniversary at Hillside).


VISION STATEMENT


There are over 100,000 people in the greater Moncton area who matter deeply to God and for whom Jesus died. It is our mission to be a regional church who will partner with God in making an eternal difference in their lives. We will be a contagious church where every member takes seriously the responsibility of building bridges of genuine love and understanding with their unchurched friends, neighbors, and relatives. We believe that together, by God’s grace, we will see people by the hundreds both begin and continue a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

We see Sunday services which will compel us to invite others to share our joy. These services will be so alive, culturally relevant and spiritually authentic that all our members will eagerly invite friends who do not know Jesus to come and experience what God is doing. We will use the arts, technology, faith stories and life-related teaching of the Bible to communicate God’s truth in dynamic, fun and creative ways so that people, whether believers or seekers, will experience God’s presence through transcendent moments. Those gathered will not only listen to the truth, power and wisdom of the Word, but will apply it to their lives that very day. We will be surrounded by evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work among us as lives are changed, relationships healed, marriages strengthened, priorities redirected, friendships forged, hope renewed and loneliness dissipated. Through our prayerfulness and dedication to excellence, God’s name will be honoured as people come to know Christ, profess their faith through believer’s baptism and are enfolded into His family.

We see a church that loves people and is committed to building a strong sense of community through caring, authentic relationships and a collective spirit of teamwork, servanthood and prayer. We believe that small groups are essential for the spiritual growth and care of our members. As we grow larger through celebration (Sunday services), we will also grow smaller through cell (care groups). These groups will be a place where we get relationally connected with others and where we share our struggles and successes, hopes and fears, pain and joy. We will also foster community through initiating age-related, targeted ministries for children, youth, young adults, singles, married couples and seniors. These ministries will reflect our church’s mission of drawing growing numbers of people from the outside toward the inner circle of faith and an active life of discipleship and service. We endeavor in all our ministries to be a place where a stagnant relationship with God is the unacceptable exception, and spiritual growth is the exciting norm. We will be a church that intentionally helps people, especially in our consumer culture, move from being a spectator to an active participant. Our leadership will help people identify and use their spiritual gifts 

and thus experience the wonderful joy of serving others. We will also value the strategic calling of leadership within our church and within the larger Christian community. We will be proactive in developing a growing core of godly, effective servant leaders in our midst through the use of cutting-edge conferences, seminars and mentoring opportunities. 

Finally, we see God using us to change the spiritual climate of Atlantic Canada and to impact the world as a model church in our region willing to humbly serve others in the 21st century. We will be a generous church unselfishly sharing our resources, time and facilities to encourage and assist other churches in our region who, like us, take the Great Commission seriously. We will also be a light to the nations by forging strategic and meaningful partnerships with other believers in spreading the gospel in Canada and around the world. This is our dream: to be the kind of loving, serving, contagious church Christ envisioned – a light on a hill (Mtt. 5:14-16), not hidden, but brilliantly aglow with a radiant light that welcomes others into the adventure of becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. This goal, the making of more disciples for Jesus Christ, is our passion and purpose!


CORE VALUES                                                                                                       

Our Core Values – Core values are the priorities and practice that are shaped by the beliefs that govern the way an organization functions. The values below (”Hillside’s Top Ten”) represent the “core” of who we are and how we seek to operate as a Christ-centered community of faith.

Value #1 - WE VALUE PEOPLE
We believe every person is valuable to God and that all believers have been given the privilege and responsibility of reaching out to others with the message of salvation. Our desire is to provide a safe place so that people, wherever they are on their spiritual journey, will be encouraged to take steps towards becoming fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. (Mtt. 9:35-36; Lk. 15:10; Lk. 19:10; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Pet. 3:15)

Value #2 - WE VALUE CULTURAL RELEVANCE
We believe that the church should be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally true to Scripture. We strive to sensitively relate to our culture through our facilities, printed materials, teaching, technology and use of the arts. (Jn. 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; 1 Cor. 14:23)

Value #3 - WE VALUE TRANSFORMATIONAL TEACHING
We believe that life-related, biblical preaching is an important and vital tool used by God to bring about life change. God’s Word is practical and He intends that we apply His truth to every area of our personal lives. (Josh. 1:8; 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; Js. 1:22-25)

Value #4 - WE VALUE EXCELLENCE
We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people. We endeavor to consistently maintain a testimony of excellence that pleases God and shows seekers that we take great joy in serving the Lord to the very best of our ability. (Ps. 8:1; Mal. 1:6-11; Col. 3:17)

Value #5 - WE VALUE COMMUNITY
We believe that the biblical portrait of the church emphasizes life in community where love, acceptance and friendship building is cultivated. We also believe that life change happens best in the context of small groups.
(Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:24-25; Gal. 6:1-2)

Value #6 - WE VALUE AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
We believe Christ followers should foster authentic relationships which are characterized by integrity, honesty, wholeness and forgiveness. (Jn. 13:34-35; Eph. 4:2-3; Col. 3:12-14)

Value #7 - WE VALUE GIFT-BASED MINISTRY
We believe that every believer has been given special abilities (spiritual gifts) and that we experience great joy and fruitfulness when we serve others in the area of our personal giftedness. (1 Cor. 12:14-20; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet. 4:10-11)

Value #8 - WE VALUE GODLY LEADERSHIP
We believe that there is a crisis in the church in general because of the neglect of the leadership gift and that the church should be led by gifted servant leaders who strive to empower, equip and think strategically.
(Acts 6:3-4; Rom. 12:8; Tit. 1:5-9; Heb. 13:17)

Value #9 - WE VALUE MISSION
We believe that the church has been blessed to be a blessing and that it is our responsibility to generously steward our resources in fulfilling the Great Commission. We also believe in the strategic value of networking with other like-minded evangelical churches in order to reach our world for Christ in this generation.
(Mtt. 16:18; Mtt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Col. 1:3-6)


Value #10 - WE VALUE PLEASING GOD
We believe that ultimately true success in life is measured not by how much we please others, but how much we please God. The use of our time, talents and treasures should be motivated by a genuine desire to bring honour and praise to His name. There is no greatest goal in life than pleasing Him! (Prov. 1:7; Mtt. 25:14-30; 2 Cor. 5:9-12)

HILLSIDE'S STRATEGY

Every team needs a clear strategy to best achieve it’s vision and objectives. Hillside is no different! Our approach to ministry is outlined below in our eight step strategy.

Having a clear purpose

1 Cor. 1:10, "Let there be real harmony...'Be of one mind" united in thought and purpose". (TLB)

Inspirational worship

Ps. 100:2, "Worship the Lord with gladness come before him with joyful songs", (NIV)

Life-related preaching

2 Tim. 3:16, "Everything in the Scriptures is (God's Word'. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live". (CEV)

Life development process

2 Cor. 13:9, "Our greatest wish and prayer is that you will become mature Christians" (TLB)

Seeker sensitive services

Col. 4:5,"Be tactful with those who are not Christians and be sure you make the best use of your time with them". (JB)

Innovative programs

Prov. 18:15, "The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them". (TLB)

Deepening relationships through small groups

Acts 2:46, "They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God". (CEV)

Every member a minister

1 Pet. 4:10, "God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other..."(TLB)