United Methodist Beliefs and Church Membership

We believe that each of us has fallen short of what God expects of us:   we are sinners.  We are reconciled to God and made new by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own good works. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is personal, yet we are called into community in the body of Christ.  Scripture is authoritative and central to our understanding of faith.  OUr understanding of Scripture is based on reason, tradition, and personal experience. Within these boundaries, plurality of thought is both tolerated and encouraged.  As we grow in our spiritual journey, our own understanding and expression of faith grows and changes.  We benefit from the ideas of others and contribute to their spiritual growth when we share our faith.  For more about United Methodist beliefs please visit www.umc.org. For information on current new member orientations, see the article under "News" on the Home page.

Church History

Hilltop began in 1901 when Rev. Thomas Johns organized a church in Bingham Junction, which later became Midvale.  The Bingham Junction Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated in 1907 and a new building was completed in 1924.  The congregation outgrew this building by 1978 and decided to find a new facility further south.           For four years, the church met at Deseret Mortuary and then at a storefront in Union Square.  The current Fellowship Hall served as the new sanctuary from March of 1983 until the existing sanctuary was completed in June of 1990.       We expanded our premises in 1994 by purchasing a house and land adjacent to the church on the northwest corner of the property.  In 1997, we added a second story above the fellowship Hall.  In 2003-2004 we added 4 large rooms above the narthex to accomodate expanding music programs and provide adult education space.  In 2007 we enlarged and combined classrooms above Fellowship Hall to provide rooms which would accomodate larger gatherings.  In September 2008 we acquired the property to our southwest (between the church and the ward) to allow for future expansion.  For a brief video history of Hilltop, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Vi9cu6Psk.