About Us

Hillside Baptist Church
Rev. & Sis. David Crump (Judy)

2017 South Center Street
Hickory, NC  28602
​828-294-4494

About Our Pastor

The Ministry of Rev. David W. Crump

At a very young age, about three or four, my Dad would sit me on his lap and read stories to me.  Men would come to the house, and I would go with them to the woods, where they had a place, which they called "The Battleground".  A place where they prayed.  When they would get close to this parcel of ground, Dad said he could hear as if were a swarm of bees.  He gave reference to this as being the Spirit of God. A place being consecrated, set aside.  A place represented as Holy Ground.  This is the place where they taught me of prayer and of laying on of hands.  I was actually saved in the basement of the church, of Bramon and Eula Martin. It was there in which the church took the form of what you see today.  I heard people say if you don't know where you first got saved, then you're not saved.  I asked the Lord once, where was it when you first came into my heart.  For it seemed that I got saved every time an altar call was given, as my heart was so tender.  At work one day, I asked the Lord for confirmation of the place where he saved me, and he showed me as if it was being played by a video before me.  It showed me kneeling in the basement of Brother and Sister Martin and my Mom kneeling beside me, in prayer, to be saved.  I took that vision as an answer from the Lord, which satisfied my soul.  I would play preacher either under the house or in the basement.  I had a little lectern that my brother Max built for me.  I would stand in the yard, outside near the smokehouse, and attempt to preach.  Sometimes, in the house, I would mimic Oscar Walker (who was our Pastor) "If you don't get right with God, you're gonna split Hell wide open". 

I always tried to honor my earthly Father and my Mother.  I never called them old man or old lady.  They raised us kids to do right and live for the Lord. I was never out of church from my youth up.  I didn't always do what was right, but God held a tight reign on me and gave me a heart to love Him. 

At age 22, God called me to preach, as I was working as a doffer at Ivey Weaver Cotton Mill.  I found myself, preaching in my heart, as I was working.  For fifteen minutes, I was caught up in preaching to myself.  You've heard the song, whistle while you work?  Well, I was preaching while I worked.  That was in 1967, and since then, God has been with me all these years.  I had sought Him through prayer and much fasting, studying and reading the Word of God.  For the most part, I have Pastored. I've also Evangelized, preaching revivals in NC such as Cherryville, Lincolnton, Lowell, Stanley, Lenoir, Ferguson, Triplett, North Wilkesboro, Sparta and Canton.  As well as parts of Virginia and Tennesee, West Virginia and South Carolina. The Lord really did bless these meetings with His favor being upon them.  We had those to receive their hearing who were deaf.  A couple of people received their sight, who were blind.  Others were saved, healed and blessed of the Lord.  To God be the Glory!  My heart's desire has always been to know the Lord in a great way.  I didn't seek wealth or the things of this life, but I sought to know Jesus Christ.  He was, is and always will be my everything!  I sought the Lord in preaching, lifting Him up, so that I could make Him real to the people. I sought the Lord, diligently, to have something to give to the people out of the Word of God. 

I learned a lot from Sister Mavin Rogers, whom I considered my Mother in the Lord. Sister Mavin would quote scriptures in her teaching or testimony that would stick in my heart, such as, "To know Him, the Bible says, is life eternal" or "He's the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, His name is Holy, the Knowledge of Holy is understanding.  I spent so much time in Sister Mavin's home, she fed into me the Words of Truth and Life.  She helped me so much more that I could ever express, as I grew in my walk with God.  Another verse comes to mind, in which she quoted a lot, He said, "Seek Me and ye shall find me.  Search for me with all of your heart".  She also quoted, "I am God, and besides me, there is no one else.  There is no God besides Me."  These words were indeed both Spirit and Life to me.  The love in my heart grew because I sat at her feet and heard the Words of the Lord, just as Mary in the Bible sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His Words. 

I have pastored many years, as I write this today, November 05, 2017, I celebrate 50 years of Ministry, "Holding Forth the Word of Life."  God richly blessed and anointed me to preach. At times, I felt as I was in Solomon's Temple, when the glory came and the priest could not stand to minister.  Once in 1974, before going to one of Brother H. Richard Hall's meetings, I was walking across the yard praying for a greater anointing and I saw in a vision, Brother Hall pouring oil, out of a horn upon me.  Well, while in the meeting that night, as I was testifying, God was blessing. And, it happened, Brother Hall took a bottle of Olive Oil and began to pour it upon my head.  Needless to say, that is what I had seen and my strength went out of me, my knees buckled to the floor.  That's how it was, when I would preach and sing, at times.  I would have to stop singing or preaching for a moment to be able to continue, because of the anointing and the Glory of God.  Oh, how I love Him.  But, there were times when it would seem so hard, yet I knew the Word of God would not return void, but it would accomplish the thing where unto He sent it. 

Through all the years, I feel like I have accomplished very little, as far as numbers go. But, I do believe it was ordained of God for me to occupy the place of Hillside Baptist Church.  Once I felt in 1977 to leave Hillside, then, a few years later while working at Joan Fabrics, God showed me the church and spoke to me and said, "I'm going to turn it back into your hands". I don't mean for any of this to reflect on me, only to give Glory and Honor to God.  Trusting that the revelation of the Lord, His Holiness will be revealed to some heart that they will seek to know the Lord Jesus in a very intimate way.  For He alone is God and besides Him, there is no other.  He blessed me with a wife who believes in me, she had faith when I didn't seem to. She believed when I couldn't.  She encouraged me to go on when it seemed that I couldn't.  She prayed for our children with tears and strong crying's.  She prayed that God would bless and move in their situations and circumstances.  Brother Coy Spencer told me that the Lord told him that God had given me a jewel in Judy.  This is so very true, Judy is indeed strength to me; strength that I never had.  She is the glue that holds things together in our family and church life.  The children are special to me, they all  serve in the church.  Angela, leading the singing and doing so many things to help the ministry. Jeff leads the services, as you know and just as you would want them. Jonathan plays the organ and keyboard just as King David would have played the harp.  They are all special to me.  My grandchildren and Great Grandson are all serving the Lord; they make me proud of the lives they are living. And, while they all make me proud, Jesus outshines them all. 

​I feel Him in a way that I cannot express.  I feel at times, One with Him, In Spirit!  I feel enveloped in prayer with his Love, Holiness and all that He is.  He reveals Himself to me in such measure.  Yet when I try to express Him to others, it seems as though He places His hand over my mouth, as though, I'm not to speak it.  It's as if He's giving me hidden manna, something for me to be blessed and strengthened by and to Glorify Him.  Oh, how I love Him.