Missions

Hillside Community Church's mission activities provide many opportunities to serve.  Some of the activities include Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes, G.A.P. Ministry support, Used Eye Glasses to Haiti, etc.  There are so many things in our world today for teenagers and adults to choose to do with their free time.

At Hillside, some are choosing a short-term mission experience.  It can have a positive and sometimes life-changing impact.

Africa Team

Hillside Community Church members travel to Africa to work with Empowering Lives, Int., to support its orphanages in Ilula and Kipkaren (Kenya). 

The 2006 December Africa Team members were: 

Vicki Lind, Sandra Roundtree, Ashley Bonner-Lyon, Doug and Mary Hanks, Norma Edge Shures and Kristina Marshall.

The 2006 October Africa Team members were:

Linda Brownell, Dave and Donna Burns, Tom and Carolyn Hamic, Jim and Sue Korfanta, Ken Robertson and Lesley Walpus.

Projects completed in past mission trips:

Construction of greenhouses, construction of dormitory buildings, a water project to pump water from a river to the training site in Ilula, assembling 120 school desks for the Phillip Biwott Primary School in Laboret, electrical wiring, dental training, vocational training, constructing a playground at the children’s home in Kipkaren, Sunday School Teacher Training Seminars, set up a music program for the two schools, and children's evangelistic outreach events.  We have helped build two churches; two children's homes; Brook of Faith Academy (school for preschool through 8th grade); Samro School classrooms.  We have held public school outreach events and showed the Jesus for Children film in public school assemblies.

Missions Adventures – Mexican Style

Hillside's Mexico adventures can be a wonderful spiritual growth additive. Students and adults have seen God at work and see that their efforts can make a difference. These experiences then carry them home to work on the adventure of life they live in the U.S.

This real life story hopefully will cause you to wonder how our Living God could use your life in ways similar to the one shared below. Journey with us as we go on a Missions Adventure!!

Erika is one of the girls that students look forward to seeing when we visit Tierra Santa. Erika has the brightest smile and seems to "invite" herself onto each team that comes to visit. She sits in on our team meetings, and is usually the first person to get to our children's Bible story hour.

She lives only minutes from the church in Tierra Santa and Alejandro says she is sure to be at every service on Sunday or Wednesday evening. Erika has grown up looking forward to the times our groups come to Baja during the last several years Hillside has been coming to her town. One mission participant stated, "I often feel the blessing of the Lord as I reflected on how Americans are like friends to this young girl."

God has used the ministry of Hillside to this community in Tierra Santa to reach out to Erika and her family. The results are a girl that is interested in being with "gringos" and letting them know about her relationship with the God she has come to love. We are amazed at how a little puppet show, a simple craft, and a short message can help these children see God and want to invite others to see these things when our groups go to Tierra Santa in Baja, Mexico.

Join a Mexican adventure by coming to Tierra Santa with us during this year!

Rainbow Acres

Something more valuable than gold lies at the end of this Rainbow. The averted gaze. The hesitant step. Words that want to flow but cannot. These are the adult mentally handicapped. 

Many are too slow to respond and too trusting to survive alone. Theirs are the faces the world has chosen not to see. But they are seen and loved by a special group of people from Hillside Community Church.

These caring people travel to Camp Verde, Arizona, a couple of times each year.  They serve the ranchers at Rainbow Acres, a unique Christian community dedicated to mentally handicapped adults. About 75 ranchers from 19 states now live at Rainbow Acres.  For more than eight years teams from Hillside have been wielding paintbrushes, hammers, saws, shovels - and loving hearts - to help refresh and improve the facilities at Rainbow Acres and the lives of the people who live there.

Three Ways You Can Participate:

• Join the team yourself

• Pray for the team

• Provide scholarships to help others participate

Contact the church office to learn how you can join Hillside's next team of volunteers for Rainbow Acres.  Next trip is April 24-27, 2008.

Other ways to support Rainbow Acres:

Rainbow Acres Jeans Drive

Several of the ranchers help to support him/herself by creating useful items out of used jeans.  There is a large collection box in the foyer of the church.  Simply drop off your used jeans, all sizes, shapes and conditions are appreciated.

Old Cell Phones

You can drop off old phones in the same drop off box as the jeans.  These are also donated to Rainbow Acres for their use.

Phone Points for Rainbow Acres

If you are a residential user of AT&T service, call them at 1-800-901-4343 to sign up for supporting Rainbow Acres School, #02004207. Each time you use AT&T, points will be earned for Rainbow Acres which can be redeemed for classroom hardware and software. It’s free to you, invaluable for the ranchers.

Sprint offers the same program if you are using their service at home. Call 1-800-288-9849 to sign up. The Rainbow Acres school is #85322040 for Sprint.

Target

Do you have a Target Guest Card? Target will donate 1% of your credit purchase to Rainbow Adult School. To designate Rainbow as your choice recipient, call 1-800-316-6142.