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"and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8b
Reaching Out
Hillside reaches out to the community in many ways.
In the Psalms, King David proclaimed the worthiness of praising God in music and song. To reach people with the gospel message, Hillside promotes music concerts during the year. The following music groups have appeared in concert at Hillside.
Alan Frink Ministry
Alan Frink has been singing inspirational music all of his life. Alan's baritone voice brings forward an inspiring program of gospel, inspirational, and patriotic songs that will bring you renewed confidence of spirit.
In 2019, Alan teamed up with Barry and Debra Shirk of "A New Beginning" also of New Hampshire. They recently appeared for a concert on Oct. 27 in Woolrich, Maine. Their next venue is on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. in Tilton, NH.
Flyer
For more information, go to the Alan Frink and a New Beginning web site.
Scott Alan Brunt
The Brunt Family Singers of New Hampshire has retired as a group but Scott Brunt is continuing a solo ministry. His latest album, I Get To, is a great collection of gospel favorites and other songs such as "The Long Arm of Love" and his signature clo number, "Long Black Train."that exemplifies Scott's deep bass voice. Scott was also host of the popular Saturday Night Gospel Hour broadcast weekly at 6 p.m. on WVNH 91.1 FM in Concord for over 10 years. This show is now hosted by Dave Priebe. For more information, go to the Scott Alan Brunt web site.
The Campbells Southern Gospel Group
Known as New England's First Family of Gospel Music, The Campbells boast a history of more than thirty years of Gospel music. They have recorded numerous albums and also travel extensively throughout the United States and Canada year round. They have also appeared on both local and national television.
For more information, see The Campbells web site.
Christian Radio
Hillside is thankful for local Christian radio. WVNH radio broadcasts at 91.1 FM and 104.3 FM from Concord, NH, and provides central New Hampshire with Christian music and Bible teaching from the syndicated Moody Broadcasting Network of Chicago. A popular music program is the Saturday Night Gospel Hour at 6 p.m. with host Scott Brunt.
Old Home Day
Old Home Day 2010
On August 28, Hillside was at Old Home Day, giving away free bottles of cold water and Bible tracts to thirsty visitors. Everyone else was selling refreshments.
All who participated felt blessed as it gave us the opportunity to speak about our faith to many who stopped for a cold drink.
Old Home Day 2009
On August 22, residents of and visitors to Pembroke and Allenstown celebrated their towns at Memorial Field in Pembroke. Hillside Baptist Church participated by setting up a booth in the vendors' area on the Little League field. Everyone else was selling crafts, foods, books, jewelry, and services, but Hillside was giving away bottles of cold water and Bible tracts.
The day started out rainy with an 8:00 a.m. trip to LaValley Farms in Hooksett for water and ice, then several members met at Memorial Field to set up our booth while the rain tapered off. The booth was staffed during the day by Michael Frascinella, Dale and Shannon Greenly, Warren Hastings, Bud and Janet Jenkins, Bob and Terry LaValley, and Pastor Jim Robertson and family.
Crowds from the Old Home Day Parade started arriving around 10:30 a.m. and pretty soon we were handing out a few bottles per minute. With the sunshine, it became hot and people continued streaming past our booth grateful to receive the cold water. Some people stopped to talk, and many were members of other churches and wished blessings on us for our efforts.
By 3:30 p.m. the rain moved in again and all the vendors packed up for the day. We had run out of witnessing literature by 1:30 p.m. (having started with about 100) and by the end of the day had given away 10 1/2 cases of water. We had a good time of fellowship with each other and with all our visitors.
It was indeed a blessing to serve and spread the gospel in this simple way. And we were blessed by the generosity of Chris and Danielle LaValley from the LaValley Farm Stand in Hooksett. They donated all the bottled water and ice for this event. Be sure to visit them at their farm stand on Route 3 in Hooksett.
Old Home Day 2006
Every year at the end of August, Pembroke and Allenstown, NH host a parade and an outdoor fair at Pembroke's Memorial Field with craft and food vendors and local musicians. For 2006, the theme was "Hollywood--let's go to the movies." The Hillside Float featured a scene from The Ten Commandments complete with a director and cameraman.
On August 26, we set up a booth in the vendor area and handed out free cold water and Bible tracts to anyone who stopped by. Jack Ward and Michael Frascinella took turns in the afternoon serenading passers-by with hymns and spiritual songs played on the trumpet and guitar.
Old Home Day 2005
For 2005, the theme was Country or Americana (we're not sure since it seemed to change a few times). Hillside built a float and staffed a booth at the fair.
Halloween Outreach 2010
Inspired by a Sept. 2009 article in Baptist Press, Hillside conducted its second outreach which you could call "Trick or Tract" or Tract 'n' Treat at a highly popular neighborhood in Pembroke. Several members purchased candy and plastic bags and the church supplied the Bible Tracts.
A few hundred Trick or Tract bags were assembled and handed out to neighborhood children.
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
This week long, midsummer event is our major outreach to the children of our community. Planning for each year starts early in the year, and as we get closer to the due date, more members volunteer to join in the planning and execution of the program.
VBS 2006
This year's theme was an adventure to the Arctic Edge. During this adventure we trekked north to the Arctic wilderness, where daily excursions from Big Bear Lodge taught us the courage we need for life's everyday challenges. This year's event ran from Aug. 6-11 with a closing rally and parent's night on the 11th.
VBS 2005
The theme for 2005 was the All-American Ramblin' Road Trip. This cross-country adventure started August 1st on the east coast in Washington, DC and ends up in California on August 5th. The guiding principle this year was that the choices you make every day will affect your journey.
VBS 2004
The 2004 theme, Far-out Far East Rickshaw Rally – Racing to the Son™, incorporated a Japanese theme and took place August 2nd-6th in the evening. It was a race that had kids imagining themselves dashing through the streets of Tokyo, climbing Mt. Fuji, and diving for pearls.
VBS 2003
The theme for 2003 was The Great Kingdom Caper - Cracking the Character Code, a fun a detective adventure set in London and the Jolly Olde England. Hillside held this adventure on June 23-27 in the evening.
For more information on Vacation Bible School concepts, themes, and resources, see LifeWay Church Resources.
Hopkinton Fair
This was our first evangelistic outreach at a large state fair. For several days preceding the fair, several Hillsiders worked hard assembling about 900 Salvation Story Beads (SSBs) and fastening them to the same number of walking sticks.
At the fair, we assisted the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International from Friday Aug. 31 to Monday Sept. 4. During that time, we invited people to listen to a short talk and then handed out Bible tracts and walking sticks with SSBs. Along with the walking sticks, we passed out other items such as yard sticks, and gave small items to little kids as well.
By the end of the fair, we had handed out about 2000 walking sticks and recorded 347 professions of faith. In fact, we ran out of walking sticks on Saturday! Praise God for the harvest!
Mission Trips
Mission Trip to Mississippi – March-April 2006
A two-week mission trip to Ocean Springs, Mississippi from March 25 to April 8 was successfully concluded with the safe return of the whole team. After listening to their stories, it became obvious that the need to restore homes and businesses all along the Gulf coast was still monumental.
More information and photos will be forthcoming.
Mission Trip to Prince Edward Island – August 2004
From Aug. 13-21, 2004, several Hillsiders journeyed by car to Prince Edward Island for the first international missions trip. Under the leadership of Pastor Al Page, these members engaged in construction projects; they also did cleaning, visiting, and encouraging the local missionaries.
Resources
For more information on Outreach and Missions work, see the following links:
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