January 14, 2025
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Hillcrest Ministry Resource Center is an integral part of the Columbus Baptist Association and exemplifies knowing how to put faith into action. God wants us to be lifelong learners, but once we learn a new truth, we also become responsible for what we have learned. We must not only be hearers but doers of the Word.
HMRC has a food bank and a clothing closet that is available to those who are in need, and they work hard to supply the necessities of life to those who are disadvantaged and beleaguered by this world of privation.
The mission of the Hillcrest Ministry Resource Center is based on Psalm 82:3-5: “Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless: uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and needy.”
The ministry website states, “It is our desire to help people who are hurting and going through difficult times in finding assistance. We offer food and clothing, and some limited assistance for rent, lodging, and utilities.”
David Lix has served as HMRC missionary since September 2014. Born in Colorado but raised in Missouri, Lix has been in ministry since 1986. He has served 16 years as a student minister and 17 years as a pastor. He serves as pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Columbus, but in May of 2023 he became the full-time Ministry Resource Director with the Columbus Baptist Association.
Jimmy Blanton, the retiring missionary for the Columbus Baptist Association has expressed his appreciation for the exceptional work Lix is doing, stating, “David is doing a great job, and God is honoring his ministry with many souls coming to know Christ.”
To have an ample supply of goods for those in need in the Columbus area the association is dependent upon the churches to supply enough food and clothing to meet every need.
The ministry also requires many volunteer workers and long hours to receive the food and clothing that comes in from the 47 Baptist churches in the association. The volunteers must take stock of everything that is received, sort all the food and clothing clearly and logically, and present what is given in an attractive manner.
The most noteworthy aspect of HMRC is that they use their service to others as a pathway to share the wonderful gospel of Christ. It is a good and noble thing to serve the poor and oppressed, but that goodness is enhanced immeasurably when presenting the good news of Christ’s redeeming grace is the ultimate objective.
This year, the Hillcrest Ministry Resource Center has seen and served thousands of people in need, but all who come to be recipients of the food and clothing provided also have the opportunity to hear the story of God’s love as demonstrated in the sacrificial death of His only begotten Son. In addition to the 273 individuals who responded in faith to the gospel story at the HMRC, an additional 73 have responded in repentance and faith and have become a part of God’s forever family through Lix’s mobile ministry as he moves into needy areas to serve the oppressed and share the gospel.
Last year, the HMRC provided Christmas gifts to hundreds of children, and 44 adults and children were saved during that December emphasis. Lix believes the ministry can reach many more this year and prays that by year’s end there will be at least 400 new converts though this Columbus Baptist Association ministry.
Lix added, “We realize that new believers need to get into a church where they can be nurtured and supported by other Christians. Therefore, we regularly contact the pastors and churches in our association and urge them to reach out to those who have made a profession of faith and get them connected to a local church where they can grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.”
