What We DO

Sunday Mornings At Hillside

If you would like to join us on a Sunday morning, our service starts at 10.30am. There will be someone to greet you at the door, and show you to a seat.

The programme begins with some praise – a mix of traditional hymns and modern pieces, led from the front by a chairman and a group of musicians and singers, which varies from week to week.

The Chairman may give a short Bible focus or theme. This section of the service lasts about 20 minutes. We have a short open time for believers to contribute to the service by sharing a reading, prayer, thought or a song request.

We then move on to the remembering of the sacrifice of Jesus through sharing communion together. If you are a Christian, feel free to participate. If you are not a Christian, simply wave on the bread and grape juice trays as they are brought to you.

The final element of our Sunday morning services is around 30 minutes of Bible teaching. This can be from one of our members or from a visiting speaker, and it is often part of a longer series of talks. Through it, we seek to explore how a relationship with God shapes our everyday lives. You can see our teaching topics under that ‘What’s Happening at Hillside this month?’ section.

We are  happy for children to be a part of the whole service,  so please don’t worry about them being a distraction. However, you are also free to pop into our creche room at any point, where the service can be relayed onto a screen if desired. During the teaching part of the service,  children in pre-school upwards are welcome to attend Bibletime in the basement hall.  Ask to speak to Philip for more information.

We normally finish around  12pm and, afterwards, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, some biscuits and a chat together in the minor hall and foyer area. There is never any pressure to rush away – stay and get to know us!

Children in secondary school may also attend the Bible class in the main hall at this time. See Sharon, Louiseor Crawford for more information.

Sunday Evenings at Hillside

We have recently re-commenced our 6.30pm Sunday evening services on a monthly basis. We hope to use them an opportunity for members to find out more about the missionaries and local Christian ministries we support as a church.

The programme will vary but may consist of a  presentation or talk from a missionary or representative from a Christian organisation, with opportunities to ask questions or have a prayer timeafterwards

Keep checking the ‘What’s On at Hillside this Month’section of the site to find out what we have planned in future.

Home Groups

At Hillside, we encourage our members to read and study the Bible for themselves, outside of organised church services led from the front.

Although it is important that Christians take time, ideally each day, to talk to God and explore his word as an individual, there is also great value in doing so in small groups. By sharing each others’ ideas and experiences, in relation to a passage of scripture or aspect of the Christian life, we can grow closer to God and to each other.

We are currently operating four home groups –  two on Wednesday evening in the Galgorm end of Ballymena and in Broughshane and two on Thursday evening in the Kells area and the North end of Ballymena. 

At the moment, all groups are working through discussion questions based on our Sunday morning teaching topics. Each group’s dynamic will be slightly different, but the aim is for the study itself to take around an hour. We then follow this with some time praying for each other, for the church, and for wider issues in our world, before enjoying some supper together.

New members are always welcome; you won’t be asked to read aloud or share any thoughts if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. You don’t even need to be a Christian to join in. Simply come and listen, and get to know us over a cuppa afterwards.

If you would be interested in coming to a home group, please get in touch to find out more.

Neighbourhood Chaplains

Neighbourhood Chaplains is a UK wide scheme which aims to equip and encourage a church team to reach out to people in their local communities.

Church teams are given training and support to enable them to make contact with new people in their community, deepen community links opening opportunities for the Gospel and to offer practical help and support.

Our Neighbourhood Chaplains team in Hillside has recently been established and is focused on serving the local community in practical ways with the goal of deepening community links and bringing theGood News of Jesus to those who need to hear it.

We have a number of ways in which we serve the local community. Through monthly visits to isolated people, attending a monthly Bible study in the local fold, volunteering at the community youth club and hosting a monthly community lunch.

If you would like to find out more about Neighbourhood Chaplains please contact either Lyndsey or Emma on 07414 239626

Organisations & Outreach

As well as our regular services we also run and are involved in the following.

  • The Basement - Monthly Youth Club for our Hillside young people and their friends.

  • Neighbourhood Chaplins - Outreach and practical support to our local area.

  • Knitting Club - Which supplies organisations with knitted garments for donations.

  • Bible Time - For Primary age children run during the message time of our main Sunday service

  • Bible Class - Bible study and teaching for secondary school age teens.