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 illsdale Baptist Church stands today because of the goodness of God and the faithfulness of His servants over the years -- to God be the glory!
Spread out through the pages of our web site you can see a small sample of the historical record of those who have set their hearts and souls in the past to build a mighty testimony to Jesus Christ in Tampa! Their service to the Lord and Hillsdale will not be forgotten, for without the heritage of their faithfulness, we could not enjoy the rich fruits of God's goodness we share today. In 1962 Hillsdale was planted out of the former Buffalo Avenue Baptist Church, one of the great churches of Tampa in those years. The church had to undergo the same arduous process we are undergoing today: the search for suitable property, and the rigors of building. Their pastor, Rev. Harold Bowe, retired within a few years. After a brief term by Rev. Robert Smith, the church called Alan Bradshaw and his wife, LuAnn, from a small church in Georgia to serve as their Pastor in 1965.
 od used Pastor Bradshaw and those early members to raise up Hillsdale as a Gospel lighthouse in Tampa. Beginning with a small congregation in the backyard of a chicken farm, hundreds were won to Christ, baptized and discipled to the point of using their talents for the Lord's work. Their vision and tireless effort resulted in the need for a number of building projects on the corner of Henry and Church Avenues spanning the 60's to the 80's and producing nearly 60,000 square feet of space for the work of the ministry. The excitement of those days was incredible as we watched the ministry expand right along with the buildings. New staff was hired to lead and energize new ministries, from the youth to music, and from visitation to children.
od brought a pastoral staff to help them reach out to the community through visitation and bus ministry, and so Hillsdale touched countless children and adults with the Gospel. He brought others to meet the needs of the children, youth, and college-aged young people, and today many of those same young people are serving the Lord as pastors, missionaries, Christian School teachers, and godly laymen. The first of these staff was J. Richard Nichols, who came to serve the youth and led the music ministry. Under Dr. Nichols' 33-year ministry, the music of Hillsdale became a nationally known standard of godly excellence. In addition, God led the church forward to have a significant part in world missions, supporting scores of missionaries around the globe. All of these great achievements were made possible by the quiet faithfulness of the growing congregation under Pastor Bradshaw's leadership. God's people were doing God's work and watching God do the impossible.
 n June of 1995, God chose to end an era. While driving with two interns to perform a funeral, Pastor Bradshaw suddenly succumbed to a heart attack and was ushered into eternity. Hillsdale was overwhelmed with grief and fear at the loss of its shepherd, but God was still in control. In October of 1995, Hillsdale voted to call Rev. Travis D. Smith, our youth pastor of 10 years, to become the Senior Pastor. With the death of Pastor Bradshaw, Hillsdale closed a foundational chapter in its history; but under the leadership of Pastor Smith, God has opened a new and exciting chapter for His people to once again set their hearts and souls to build a mighty testimony for Him in Tampa.
 he story of the last five years in the life of Hillsdale is a joyous one. We are witnessing a revival among our congregation in its love for the Lord and His Word. Each week, hundreds of us give our time and talents to encourage and edify one another through our music, Sunday School, adult Bible studies, children's ministries, teen ministries, Prime Timers ministry, personal discipling, mentoring, and a host of other ministries. The pulse of the ministry beats stronger than ever as we have taken on the Biblical challenge of "equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
(Ephesians 4:12)
oday, individual believers within the body of Hillsdale know the joy of discipling others who in turn grow to be like Christ. No longer are we dependent on our pastoral staff alone to provide encouragement and Bible training -- the people of God are doing the work of God! We have broadened our training ministries to produce a body of believers that is grounded in the faith and able "to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2)
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