Hilton Village Life (A brief history)
Village Life by Fred Anderson
From the Religious Herald September 2, 2004
People who live in a village need to be good neighbors. Unlike city dwellers, they rub elbows with the same neighbors at the market, at the bank, at the schoolhouse and at church. The people who attend Hilton Baptist Church, located in a pocket of busy Newport News that is known as Hilton Village, practice the community of village life.
The church has a rich heritage that predates its founding in 1919. An early history explains: “About 1902 the Inter-denominational Sunday School Association of Newport News, composed of Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists, in looking for an opportunity for mission work, started an afternoon Sunday school at North Newport News."
Another history related the situation: “The inter-denominational Sunday school originally met in a former saloon.“ The noble project was intended to bring a religious influence into an area where, “drinking, an occasional murder and other lawlessness held sway. [The area was so bad} that it was not felt safe to bring from town a pump organ that had been donated.”
Again, quoting the church’s history: “After some years as a union project, when it was found that the community was very largely of Baptist sympathies, the work was turned over to the First Baptist Church [of Newport News] to operate. The mission was maintained through the period of the First World War.”
Efforts were made to operate the mission and it’s Sunday school. “Many of the teachers were from Newport News. This was in the day before good roads so dust and mud were everywhere. Two faithful women, Mae Maney and Anna Wiseman, would walk if no other means were available. W.M. Parker usually rode his bicycle, but at times a horse and delivery wagon was pressed into service. Perhaps the most novel way of getting to the school was that employed by members of the Men’s League when they used and old-fashioned railway handcar.”
During the First World War, a government housing project was developed called Hilton Village. A sense of community would develop. When the mission was turned over to the Baptists, Charles M. Hilker, a German Baptist, became superintendent of the Sunday school. After he died, it was named Hilker Memorial Mission.
In 1918 H.A. Powell, a minister and member of First Church, Newport News, moved into the new village and began leading the Hilker Memorial Mission on North Avenue. Under the leadership of Powell and the encouragement of Preston Blake, pastor of First Church, a new Baptist church was constituted in the spring 1919 with 19 charter members.
The new church met in the mission building until a community center was built over the stores in the Village. Along the way Virginia Baptists through the BGVA, Peninsula Baptists and Southern Baptists through the Home Mission Board supplied financial aid. In 1921 the church began occupying its own facilities. In the boom years following the World War II, membership passed the 800 mark. Bricks piled upon bricks produced various building to house the growing congregation. From 1950-75 the church housed a kindergarten. Across the years the church conducted numerous missions projects. In the opening years of the 21st century, the church served as a meeting place for a new African-American congregation which since has become established in its own facilities.
Jay Lawson, pastor from 1992-2000, once wrote a tribute to the church’s place within the Village’s life. He referred to two old trees that had to be removed and observed: “If they could talk, what do you imagine they would say? Do you think they were seedlings when the new housing experiment, Hilton Village, was under construction? I bet they heard the voices of the village, as they went about the business of being community. The Village soon had the character of family and it was a nice place to raise a family.
“Would they tell of the booming sermons of Dr. [Loyal] Prior, or the winsome way of Rev. [David] White? Would they tell of the times Police Chief Woody stood in the street directing traffic so people could cross the road? Would they speak of weddings? Do you think they would tell of funerals?
“I imagine kids climbed and hid and dodged around those trees. Those trees could tell of Sunday schools and Vacation Bible Schools. Snows and spring flowers, sultry summer day and cool, colorful autumn afternoons, all have been a part of the ebb and flow and life in the Village. And through it all, Hilton Baptist Church has been on this corner, a witness to the love of Jesus Christ. May, what those trees could tell!”
Today, Lynwood Wells, who “grew up in the Church,” is pastor. The Village itself has been revitalized with trendy shops. In 2004 the church celebrates 85 years as part of Village life.
And from the 75 Anniversary Celebration....
Hilton Baptist Church
In Historic Hilton Village
J.A. Lawson, Jr. Pastor
1919-1974
When the Sunday School Association of Newport News was organized and began looking for a field of labor about the year 1902, they chose North Newport News. Notwithstanding the difficultities involved, with no public conveyance of any kind, and interdenominational Sunday School was begun on the corner of South Avenue and the "Concret Road," using a room that was a saloon. A year later, the group moved to an old eight by ten foot reality office building on the corner of North Avenue. Neither of these was secure enough to house the organ which had been donated, nor suitable for leaving books and papers from Sunday to Sunday.
Late in 1904 a modest building was erected. Several years later the work was turned over to the First Baptist Church and Mr. Charles M. Hilker, a German who had been baptisted at Newport News Baptist Church (now FBC NN) was elected Superintendent. He continued in this capacity until an accident at the shipyard in which he broke his back, May 1911, he passed away in September. His co-laborers changed the name of the North Newport News Mission to the Hilker Memorial Mission in recognition of his devoted service.
At 3 pm, on Sunday, May 4, 1919, after due publicity through newspaper notices and posters around the Village (the first families had moved into their new homes the previous September), a meeting was called "to organize a Baptist Church for Hilton Village." The Hilton Baptist Church was constituted in the Hilker Mission builder with nineteen members. Eleven were from Newport News Baptist Church. At this meeting the Rev. H. A. Powell was called as the first Pastor. (note not part of orginal article: some mission members refused to join the Hilton Baptist Church as charter members, feeling that the Hilker Mission should continue, but later the building was sold by Newport News Baptist for $750 and the money given to Hilton Baptist.)
For a brief period the place of meeting was moved to an upstairs location in Hilton Village, over Seward's Grocery Store. In late 1919, the church received the deed to the lot on the northeast corner of what is now, Main Street and Warwick Boulevard, for which the treasurer was authorized to pay one dollar.
On January 28, 1920, a committee was appointed to draw tentative plans for a church building. Ground was broken August 16; and the cornerstone was laid September 22, 1920. On January 9, 1921, the first services were held to dediacated the new building.
In Septiember 1939 the church voted to construct an educational building adjoining the sancturary, at a cost of $26, 901.00 A missionary effort was made in October 1941, of running a bus to Morrison and Ferguson Park to bring in local residents for services. In 1944, a $3,500 scholarship was established at the University of Richmond. In 1945, the church voted to publish a church bulletin, which was named The Forcast . It continues to be published and is mailed each week to all resident and nonresident members.
Hilton Baptist sponsored a mission near Riverside Elementary School, which began services November 2, 1952. On January 4, 1953 this group was organized into the North Riverside Baptist Church.
Ground was broken on April 3, 1955 for present sancutuary, and this building was dedicated June 10, 1956.
In 1959, the curch voted to sponsor a mission a Stoneybrook Farms. This work was later organized into what is now the Warwick Baptist Church.
On Sunday, May 1, 1966, our new educational building, which occupies the site of the original sancturay, was didicated.
On May 1, 1994, Hilton Baptist celebrated its sevent-fifth anniversary with the theme-"A Heritage of Faith-A Future of Hope". It is the prayer of this congregation that, with the blessings of our Great God and Savior, together with others in Faith, in this community of Hilton Village, we may shed more and more Light, in the hope that many will come to know Him and to serve Him. [end]
And to update further:
Rev. Jack (Jay) Lawason, Jr. was pastor from 1992 to 2001. The older education building was remodeled and relaimed for new ministry purposes in 1996, giving us-Hodge Chapel, the small gym, and the Youth Area. The church became part of the PORT ministry, which opens the doors of the church a week at a time, to house and feed the homeless during winter months. We Helped the Agape Church for three years allowing them to share our buildings and Sunday while they established their church, which now meets in the Sherwood Shopping Center in Denbigh. The New Celebration Service was established and developed. The rental house on Hammond was sold and the church expanded its parking lot in 2002.
Rev. Lynwood Wells (2001 to present) returned to Hilton the chruch he grew up in as a child and teenager to become intrim pastor then Senior Pastor. Debts have been paid off and the church is presently debt free. There has been an increase is creative arts in worship and seasonal programs. A renewed emphasis on doing missions. and a return to one blended service.
Hilton celebrated her 90th anniversary May 3, 2009.
