Hillside The Vision….Hillside The Reality
Hillside Chapel and Truth Center, Inc. actually began in the heart of the Rev. Dr. Barbara King at the age of thirteen. In September of 1971, Dr. Barbara’s childhood dream became a reality in Atlanta, Georgia. She called twelve of her prayer partners together and held weekly prayer meetings in her home. Eventually the group moved to the old Gordon Mansion on Venetian Drive.
As word of the meetings spread and the numbers began increasing, Dr. Barbara and her group members knew that it was time to look for a larger meeting place. One block from their location, the Cascade Presbyterian Church complex became available.
In 1974, Dr. Barbara and her faith-filled members drew from their personal investments, took out loans, and sold bonds to raise the down payment to purchase the complex. The complex, located on the four acre wooded hill, included a two story Sanctuary, a two story classroom building, offices, and a fellowship hall.
Dr. Barbara’s faithful members brought friends and relatives to hear her teach and preach was she called, “A Practical Christianity”. Dr. Barbara’s message continued to be “Man is what he conceives himself to be. In order to live a fuller, more satisfying life, man must recognize himself as the Child of God that he is”.
From the beginning, Dr. Barbara always closed each service with each member joining hands and forming a “Circle of Love”. Each time the circle grew in diameter, Dr. Barbara thanked God for the growth. One Sunday in 1975, Dr. Barbara looked at the circle and shouted, “Praise God!”. The “Circle of Love” had encircled the entire 250-seat sanctuary. Dr. Barbara teaches that love is an attractor and a multiplier of good.
As the congregation grew, a Wednesday evening service was added, along with classes in meditation, prosperity, and bible study. In 1977 The Barbara King School of Ministry was founded. Further growth necessitated the opening of a metaphysical bookstore and a dial-a-prayer ministry. Shortly, thereafter, a choir was organized and special interest groups (singles, youth, and others) were developed. Also, the television ministry, A New Thought, A New Life with Dr. Barbara, was taking the Jesus Christ principles to a wider range of people.
The congregation continued to grow. A full-time office staff was retained, associate ministers were hired, and a second Sunday service was added to accommodate the standing room only crowds.
When the congregation grew too large for the two Sunday Services and the overflow Chapel, a third service was added and Dr. Barbara knew that it was time to build…
As Hillside celebrated its twentieth anniversary, the complex expanded to twelve acres. Dr. Barbara’s vision of a Church-in-the-Round to symbolize a permanent “Circle of Love” is now a reality. A building fund project called “The Hillside Master Builders” help finance the new structure. As a Master Builder, each member commits to build his own life and then joins the entire congregation in building the Church-in-the-Round by tithing time, talent, and money.