The Story of Hillcrest
The Hillcrest story began in 1884 with 13 Swedish immigrants meeting for prayer and fellowship at the home of Carl Hammerstrom at 200 Baker St. They formed the First Swedish Baptist Church on July 20, 1884. The following year they constructed a building on Institute St. on land donated by the English-speaking First Baptist Church where the immigrants had been attending services.
The congregation quickly grew to 96 members and in 1892 they purchased a building on Chandler St. from the Swedish Methodist Church which had moved to a new location. That building, being in poor condition, was torn down and the new Chandler St. Baptist Church was constructed in 1906-07.
The church continued to grow at the new location and in the 1940s made the transition to English-speaking services and Sunday School. In 1965 the congregation made plans to purchase land on Hallock St. with construction underway in 1970 for a new building to accommodate the growing membership.
With the move the church’s name changed to Hillcrest Baptist Church. Our property expanded in 1988 with the purchase of the present Family Center, formerly the Church of the Nazarene. In the 1990s Hillcrest began contemporary worship services.
Today, while our worship, programs and building reflect the changing times, our commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible shared with our founders continues.
