34 Main Street
Newport News, VA 23601
757.595.1313
office@hiltonpres.org
Office Hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, M-F
Our Ministries
We are called to be the heart, hands, and feet of Christ in our village and in the world, sharing the love of God in our daily lives. We believe in Christ's command to be there for the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the lonely, the sick, the aimless and the marginalized, so we live out our vision through many programs and so minister with all our sisters and brothers in the Kingdom of God. We proclaim the salvation of God in Jesus Christ for all people. We welcome everyone. And we nurture our life in the Spirit through worship, service, prayer, music, education, mission, outreach, and pastoral care.
Worship
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In worship, we gather around God's Word.
The church is called to worship and we sing hymns of praise. We pray for God to be with us and we open our hearts to God's love. Together we confess our sins and pray for God's forgiveness. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. We give praise for God's love in Christ that never lets us go.
In worship, we hear God's Word.
The kids come forward for children's time. We have stories, lessons, and fun just for them. We've songs of praise from Junior Jam, Youth Jam, Hilton Ringers, the Ensemble and the Adult Choir. Each week we read Scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. We pray for the illumination that comes only from God and the minister preaches the sermon. (Recent worship services are available here.)
In worship, we respond to God's Word.
With thanksgiving, we bring our offerings and gifts to God. We offer together our prayers of the people. You can share your prayers aloud or by giving prayer cards to the minister. Once a month we celebrate the Lord's Supper. We baptize in water all God's children young and old in Jesus' name. We dedicate our lives to Christ in particular ministries of service and resolve to be faithful disciples.
In worship, we are sent into the world.
We leave the church building transformed by God's grace. We now go into the world to share the good news that Christ is risen! We seek to faithfully live out our calling as followers of Christ. By the grace of God, we are the Body of Christ in the world today.
Laity Assistance Schedule
We as a church are made up of many wonderful people who give their time and talents generously. Click on the link below to access upcoming church duties (choirs, greeters/ushers, counters, nursery, children's time, lay readers, multimedia, sound, and Elders of the Week). The schedule is updated about twice a year. If you have questions about it, please contact the Church Office.
Laity Assistance Schedule
(Check back often for updates/changes)
Music Ministries
Lois Reese, Music Director
(757) 595-1313
music@hiltonpres.org
Choirs for all ages!
Our musical groups meet on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, offering variety for musicians of all ages, with singing, ringing, drumming and strumming. Worship is essential and central to the Christian community. Through our choirs, we strive to teach our children and youth how to be good stewards of their time and talents and how to be active participants in worship.
There is no audition necessary to be a member of any of our groups. If you have a talent to share, please come join us!
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Junior Jam: Grades K-5
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Rehearsal: Sundays during Sunday Groups (September - May)
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Location: Music Room 207
Teamwork is what it is all about here. Singing, drumming, chimes, orff instruments, studying hymns old and new; you name it, we'll try it. We'll be exploring the many ways there are to lead worship.
Adult Choir:
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Rehearsal: Wednesdays 6:30 - 7:30 pm (September - May)
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Location: Choir Room or Sanctuary
The Adult Choir is responsible for leading our congregation in song as well as singing responses and anthems. We sing everything from Bach to Bernstein and Mendelssohn to Ray. We do two major musical works a year, at Christmas and in the spring.
Ensemble: High School and Adults
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Rehearsal: Alternating Wednesdays 7:30-8:30 pm (September - May)
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Location: Sanctuary
These are the leaders of our contemporary music. We have 4-5 singers and a group of instrumentalists including congas, guitars, and bass.
Hilton Ringers: Grade 6 through Adults
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Rehearsal: Tuesdays 6:00-7:00 pm (September - May)
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Location: Sanctuary
This in an intergenerational handbell choir for youth and adults. A basic knowledge of reading music notation is helpful to join this group. This choir adds to the worship experience through playing anthems, accompanying other choirs and hymns, and doing processionals.
High Notes Music: founded in the fall of 2018 by HPC music director, Lois Reese, offers classes for people of all ages. MusikGarten classes for PreK children, Drumming Up the Fun for K-2, a world percussion ensemble for middle school through adult and private lessons by appointment. Check out the website for complete information on classes.
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Mission & Outreach
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To the Ends of the Earth
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We all witness, in many different ways, through our missions programs. Volunteers in mission are active here in the community, our youth and adults plan mission trips, and our congregation supports a missionary family in Mexico with prayer and financial backing. We also have a special relationship with our sister church, Brikin Presbyterian in Kinshasa, DRC.
Community Missions
Our local area offers several opportunities for mission service. Our Mission ministry coordinates our participation with these and other charitable organizations:
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Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center: We are a partner church. Parishioners can visit the website to make an appointment.
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank/THRIVE: We collect non-perishable items year-round and give them to one of these local emergency food sources. -
PORT Homeless Shelter: Volunteers contribute in many ways, including donations of time and clothing for all seasons.
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Serve the City: "Serve the City undertakes a wide variety of projects based on the unique location. Projects range from feeding the homeless and caring for the elderly and people with disabilities, to painting and repair jobs." (from their website)​
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Other ways we witness:
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Participating in Christopher Newport University's United Campus Ministries
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Volunteering at St. Vincent's Soup Kitchen
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Supporting LINK of Hampton Roads
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Reading with SPARK in Newport News Public Schools and at our in-house preschool
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Collecting coins for Nickel-a-Meal, which supports local food ministries
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Giving to the Special Offerings of the PCUSA
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Host and support local blood drives through the American Red Cross (Sponsor Code: HiltonAC)
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For more information about serving in these capacities, please contact the Church Office via email or phone (757-595-1313).
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Our Missionary Family
Tom & Nancy Rach
Chiapas, Mexico
The Rachs have been serving in Chiapas, Mexico since 1996 with Equip International (Marion, NC). Their ministry has always been based upon building relationships, horizontally and vertically, although their evangelism methods have changed over the years. Originally, they did community development projects such as water storage tanks, latrines, and stoves. Through these projects, the Rachs were able to build relationships with the homeowners and their families and have the opportunity to share Jesus with them. In the last few years, they have done less development and more counseling work. They are doing Open Hearts workshops, where people begin to recognize, and deal with emotional wounds from childhood abuse and neglect (emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual) and the patterns they have brought with them into their adult lives. This year they are beginning the foundation work to start marriage counseling using Shepherd´s Heart´s Loving Well program. Its sessions are designed to improve marriage, as presented in the Bible, by identifying wounded attachments (survival styles) learned as children; and by learning to communicate better with spouses (active listening). The sessions also help identify “dirty fighting” techniques that participants have learned as ways to control our spouses.
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Click on the image below to read "Chiapas Chatter" - our news from the Rachs!
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Christian Education​
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Children's Ministries
At Hilton Presbyterian, ministering to children and families is a top priority. We seek to help children discover God’s love for them and learn to share that love with their families, friends, and the world around them. We have many opportunities for education and growth for our children, including Sunday School -- September through May and Time with the Children during worship.
Sunday School, 11:00 am (September - May)​
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Grades K-5
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Youth Ministries
The goal of our youth programs is that all members know the love of God in their lives, and explore what it means to be a Christian. We try to answer the questions of youth primarily through the friendships that we build with each other, and through opportunities to serve and share in our community.
Sunday School, 11:00 am (September - May)
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Grades 6-12
Adult Ministries
HPC offers a wide range of adult programs. God is at work here, doing what only God can do; transforming lives by bringing people together. We rightly encourage the spiritual formation of our congregation through the sharing of our gifts in study, service, and prayer.
Dig a Little Deeper - This group digs into the morning worship scriptures for deeper discussion, but also makes time to share joys and concerns, offer pastoral care, and pray for one another each week.
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Sundays at 11 am
Bible Study - Offered once in the fall and once in the spring, these are 6-8 week offerings that focus on a particular topic or book of the Bible. Fall 2024 - Women in the Bible. Spring 2025 - TBD.
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Sundays at 11 am
Solomon's Porch Book Study
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Sundays, 6:00-7:00 pm via Zoom (September - May)
Other Opportunities
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​Presbyterian Women
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Meets the 3rd Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
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Keenagers -- 55 and Up
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The Keenagers meet on the first Thursday of each month. The group also schedules outings and trips during the year. Call Barbara Savage or contact the office to add your name to the mailing list.
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More classes/activities are added throughout the year. In addition to those listed, you can contact the Church Office for more information.
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Useful Links
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Finding Support/Congregational Care
The ministry of care and promoting the fellowship of the church members is the responsibility of everyone. Our Congregational Care and Fellowship Committee coordinates this effort through our Congregational Care chart: each committee member is assigned a church member identified as having a need, such as recovering from an illness or being unable to attend church on a regular basis, with the goal of contacting the church member on a monthly (or more frequently, if needed) basis.
We also recognize the importance of prayer for those in need both collectively and as individual members of the committee. Meals, transportation, and visitation are provided when appropriate. The committee also coordinates memorial or funeral receptions for members as requested by their families. Lemonade socials after church are frequently provided and the committee coordinates the Maundy Thursday Supper, the Celebration Sunday picnic, a Christmas Dinner and various other opportunities for fellowship such as ice cream socials, lunch after church or even going together to see a local baseball team. Maintaining the kitchen supplies with the help of our office manager as well as providing our Sunday morning coffee are additional responsibilities of our committee. Every few years the committee organizes the Pictorial Directory and the updating of the church rolls as needed.
Prayer Requests
We verbally share our prayer requests each Sunday in worship, and there are prayer cards in the pew to share with the minister if you'd prefer. You can call the Church Office (757-595-1313) to add a friend or family member to our prayer list that appears in the Sunday bulletin and newsletters.