CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
We believe in being the hands and feet of Jesus in people’s most challenging times and being a part of His provision for our city and neighborhoods.
Civic Equipping & Engaging Ministries
Engage in Local, State, and Federal Government
Hill Country has a non-partisan ministry encouraging the body of Christ to get involved in the civic arena with the compassion and wisdom of Christ and to pray for our leaders with understanding.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Newsletter development, media team, website development, civic equipping trainers, research, prayer warriors, and social media development. Please contact us for more information!
engage! is an extension of the HCBC ministry. This ministry that was launched at Hill Country is now in Texas and Virginia.
Elections
November 5, 2024 - General Election
Texas Voting Information
The state of Texas has an on-line portal, VoteTexas, to perform several functions for voter registration and sample ballot information. A citizen can:
- Verify if your registration is active
- Submit a new registration
- Make changes to your registration
- See what's on the Ballot
- Find your polling location
- See ID requirements
- See a sample ballot
- ...and more
Note: Registrations must be submitted 30 days prior to an election to be able to vote.
Texas Voter Guides
There is no voter guide that is completely non biased. However, we believe that the ivoter guide is an objective and comprehensive tool. Multiple voter guides are available by searching online and they are produced by every political perspective. While evaluating candidates and issues, always seek and vote through a biblical worldview. The following section below will assist you as filter through the biblical worldview.
Voter Guide for the November 5th Election will be updated by October 11, 2024.
Think Biblically About Culture & Politics
Essential Reading to Navigate Culture and Politics Through a Biblical Worldview
In a world obsessed with being red or blue, or how red and blue you are, we need to be reminded that we are Kingdom citizens first and last. Instead of getting caught in allegiance to a party platform or individual candidate, we should always raise our eyes to the creator of government and his desire to bring good and punish evil through that government. We need to evaluate our necessary participation in the political process through a biblical world view. Here are two recommended books to walk with you through this process.
Before You Vote: 7 Questions Every Christian Should Ask | David Platt
In Before You Vote, David Platt urges every Christian to ask seven critical questions before casting a ballot. These questions are based on biblical truths, not political talking points. As a pastor of a church in our nation’s capital, Platt’s message is non-partisan, practically helpful, and biblically-saturated. Exercise your vote with humble conviction in a way that magnifies Christ, maintains unity in the church, and aims for the good of all people.
Christians in the Age of Outrage | Ed Stetzer
How to bring our best when the world is at its worst
Today there are too many examples of those claiming to follow Christ being caustic, divisive, and irrational, contributing to dismissals of the Christian faith as hypocritical, self-interested, and politically co-opted. What has happened in our society? This book brings Ed’s insightful analysis of our chaotic age, his commonsensical understanding of the cultural currents, and his compelling challenge to Christians to live in a refreshingly different way.
Faith, Freedom, & Public Schools
GATEWAYS TO BETTER EDUCATION
This is a tool to encourage and equip students, parents and educators in how to live their faith in the public school system in a Christ-like manner.
Community Partnerships
Chamber of Commerce
CEDAR PARK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce exists to strenghten and improve the business community in and around Cedar Park. There are many opportunities to impact your community with the Chamber.
- Chamber Ambassador (serve as a goodwill representative)
- Leadership Cedar Park
- Become a member with your business (network with others)
First Responders
We partner with the city of Austin, Cedar Park, and Leander local Police and Fire Departments. There are many serving opportunities such as being a victim services advocate or joining the citizens police academy.
Citizens Police Academy
Victim Services Advocate
Apartment Life
We are the LIFE of the party!
We believe every individual is created for community and that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our goal is to live this out while providing strong business value to apartment owners.
Each Apartment Life Team (a married couple, family, or two single adults of the same gender) moves into an apartment community and partners with the management team. Through the program, the team can build community and serve residents by engaging in activities – welcoming new neighbors, planning social functions, building relationships, and caring in times of need.
You can get involved by serving as an Apartment Life Team member or volunteering to support these teams and help at special events.
To learn more or to find out how you can get involved, contact Hill Country Bible Church ministry leader Keith Burris
Follow Apartment Life:
YMCA
Make the most of your YMCA membership by intentionally living your faith as a youth coach, bible study facilitator, or through your normal daily activities.
Contact Greg Davis
Prison Ministries
God of Hope
Take the life-changing reality of Jesus to inmates
Through the ministry of God of Hope, men and women are coming out of prison with a new hope and a newfound relationship with God that guides them to a healthier lifestyle and less likelihood of returning to prison. 94% of the graduates of our program go on to never commit offenses again. Our teaching and discipleship take place in our faith-based dorms and are located at the Lockhart Female Unit, the Travis Male Unit as well as the Gatesville Male Unit. Inmates who have shown an interest in and been accepted into the God of Hope program live in the ministry’s faith-based dorms for 24 hours a day until completion of the 6 month curriculum. Inside the dorms, volunteers teach and disciple inmates through classes that teach them the Bible, spiritual habits and life skills. Through pen-pal volunteers, the inmates receive encouragement and support during their 6 month program.
The ministry offers the following opportunities to serve:
Dorm Teacher: Weekly teach inmates the study of selected materials which meet the guidelines of TDCJ and are endorsed by The God of Hope Ministries program leaders.
- Discipleship Group Leader: meet weekly in group setting to foster accountability, tolerance, confidentiality, listening, sharing, and acceptance.
- Life-coach: meet weekly to walk through life with an offender discliping them in the Bible and praying for the offender’s concerns as well as helping the offender prepare for their release.
- Pen-pal: Volunteers are assigned an inmate and write letters weekly that serve to be a source of hope and encouragement during the duration of the 6 month program.
- Apprentices or substitutes assist a regular volunteer, learning from the more experienced volunteer until they’re ready to move into a regular volunteer position themselves. This is a good starting point for people making their initial venture into prison ministry or for those who cannot make a long-term weekly commitment.
- Ministry Support: office assistant, volunteer recruiting, graphic design, newsletter writing, special event planning and fundraising.
If you’d like to visit the prison a few times to see if you feel prison ministry is a fit for you, please call our office at (512) 891-1649 or email us at [email protected].
Contact for men: Myke Scavone
Contact for women: Annie Mendrala
Here you can also find testimonies of inmates and volunteers as well as statistics and our curriculum.
Polunsky Prison Team
AIM Polunsky: Advancing Inmate Ministries
Our MISSION
To reach 3000 men imprisoned in the Allan B. Polunsky Unit of TDCJ with the transforming power of our Living God.
Our GOALS
To build a community of believers from the churches around the Southeast Texas region that will love, support, and encourage the community of believers living inside the walls of the Polunsky Unit
To help further the ministry of the church within the walls of Polunsky Unit by providing opportunities for Church leadership to gain Biblical knowledge and ministry training.
Have you ever been to church in prison?
You are invited to join our ministry as we serve and encourage those living inside the walls of the Polunsky Unit, located in Livingston, Texas. Just a one day commitment – we travel to the prison in the morning, meet and pray with inmates, worship with them during the service and return home the same day. Men and women are welcome to participate. We attend on average three services per month.
For more information or to volunteer, contact HCBC Ministry Leader Brian Dorsey.
Kairos
Minister to Prisoners & Their Families
Changing Hearts; Transforming Lives; Impacting the World
Kairos Inside & Kairos Outside
The mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.
Kairos Inside is composed of trained volunteers who present a weekend program designed to minister to a select group of inmates. Through talks, conversations, chapel visits, music, prayer and more, often a Christian community begins to form. After the weekend, weekly accountability groups and monthly reunions are held.
Kairos Outside is a weekend retreat designed to support the female loved ones of those who are or have been incarcerated. The goal of Kairos Outside is to help them find strength for their life journey and give them a chance to find and build relationships that may last a lifetime.
Both types of weekends are offered twice a year per unit, with five team-building meetings scheduled prior to each event.
Needs and commitments vary and may include becoming a team member, prayer partner, or outside support such as letter writing or providing children’s artwork.
For information about serving contact Hill Country Bible Church ministry leaders Ed or Bettye Keefer
Learn More
Bringing Hope into Crisis
For more information on a current local disaster, please go to the Disaster Relief page here!
Hill Country Bible Church Disaster Response Team
Helping our Neighbors in time of Disaster
We are called to post a watchman on the wall and not to give rest until God’s Kingdom is the praise of the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7), to be ready in season and out of season to provide an account for the joy within us (1Peter 3:15) and to realize that what Satan desires for evil, God can use for good (Gen 50:20).
HCBC Disaster Response Team will develop and maintain a rapid core response team to evaluate, recommend responses and mobilize HCBC to implement that response to crisis and disaster events by demonstrating the love and provision of Jesus to the community. Here are some of the ways you can get involved:
- Join the Response Leadership Team in a Coordinator Role
- Resources Coordinator
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Shepherd Coordinator
- Saftety/Medical Coordinator
- Take some training offered by ADRN
- Sign Up to lend a hand in the time of disaster to serve your neighbor in need.
For more information on how you can join the team or lend a helping hand, contact Paul Phillips.
Austin Disaster Relief Network
RESPOND QUICKLY IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER, LARGE OR SMALL
Hill Country Bible Church partners with Austin Disaster Relief Network, a non-profit organization that exists to bring hope into crisis. Austin Disaster Relief Network unites a network of Christ-centered churches from across Greater Austin with members who are trained and ready to respond when disasters occur.
Volunteers are needed for clean-up, recovery, emergency response, administrative support and to shepherd families from crisis into recovery and connect them to a local church community. To find ways to get involved and prepared before disaster strikes, go to their website to get registered and search for trainings near you.
VISIT WEBSITE
Follow ADRN:
FACEBOOK TWITTER
Not sure where to serve?
If you want some help determining your next step in serving, we would love to meet with you. Email us at [email protected].
Sign up for our monthly newsletter for upcoming service and next step opportunites.
