HISTORY

STATEMENT OF FAITH

OUR CALLING

DENOMINATION

MEET OUR TEAM

History

The Story of Hillcrest

The beginning days . . . of the Hillcrest Evangelical Missionary Church congregation have a very close relationship to the Hillcrest Bible Institute, which located to Medicine Hat from Regina in the Fall of 1947, under the leadership of Pres. Floyd S. Magsig. At first, Sunday School and Sunday Services were conducted in the chapel of the Bible College, situated at 20 Third Street S.E., primarily for the students of the school. Soon, however, a number of people who were not students began attending these services.

In 1949, the congregation of the Hillcrest Evangelical United Brethren Church was officially organized, with twenty-one charter members. Rev. Henry W. Riegel served in a dual relationship as pastor of the congregation and instructor in the Bible Institute. Of those charter members, six continue to worship with us today.

In the summer of 1952 lots were purchased on the corner of 3rd Ave. and 9th Street with the intent of building a church. In May of 1955 the new Church was dedicated. On June 7, 1970we officially became Hillcrest Evangelical Church. As a conference, we were in the process of moving away from our affiliation with the United Methodist Church to become a denomination in Canada.

In the fall of 1982 a parcel of land was bought at 3785-13 Ave SE. For some time we had been experiencing "growing pains" and often our sanctuary was full to over-flowing even though dual services had been in effect for several years. On Sunday, November 29, 1987, we had our first service in our new Church. 760 people were in attendance for this time of praise and celebration. 

In 1992 Hillcrest College merged with Mountainview Bible College and moved from its location in Medicine Hat to Calgary becoming Rocky Mountain College.

At a historical service held in Calgary, Alberta, a new Canadian Denomination was formed when the Missionary Church of Canada merged with the Evangelical Church of Canada. On August 6, 1993 Our new official church name became Hillcrest Evangelical Missionary Church.

After a request for expanded facilities from Student Ministries, we have begun a building campaign to expand our facilities to better serve our ministries. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Christian Education addition was on September 17, 2000.

Hillcrest Church provides an exciting environment for spiritual nurture and growth. God's presence is very evident in our celebration services as we enjoy worshipping Him together. Numerous small groups provide many opportunities for instruction and interaction on a very personal level. A broad variety of programs, from children's ministries to music ministries to athletics, provide many opportunities for involvement in ministry. Its exciting to be at Hillcrest! God has blessed Hillcrest Church in its fifty plus years of ministry, and we anticipate God's continued blessing! It is our desire to continue to minister God's love to a hurting world.