About

God’s mission for Hope is to:

Worship God together, grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus, and live sent by God to be and tell the good news of Jesus.

At Hope, we want to be a church that does not settle for mere “religious experiences” once a week. We want to grow deep in our relationship with Jesus and practice living out Jesus’ teachings in everyday life.

Our Vision is to:

Love Big

We all know what small love is – it is when someone loves us expecting something in return, or loves us because we love them too. Big love goes the extra mile, loves the unlovable, expects nothing in return, and even loves our enemies.

Grow Deep

God doesn’t merely want us to know about Him. He wants us to grow deep in his love and in relationship with each other. God’s Spirit invites us into the deep as we live out his Word in daily life.

Live Sent

“The mission is God’s. The marvel is that God invites us to join in.” – Christopher Wright. We don’t want to sit on the sidelines waiting for heaven. We want to live into God call to join Him in bringing heaven to earth right now.

Our Core Values

Living in Jesus’ Way of Peace and Nonviolence

Jesus refused to use violence, oppression or weapons to establish the new Kingdom of God on earth. He willingly walked to the cross and suffered and died. He commanded us to pick up our cross and follow him, even if it meant that we would also suffer for Christ. In a world where violence is power, many see Jesus as weak. However Jesus has revealed that the way of peace is the only power to defeat evil and restore the world to God. We try to live out the peace of Jesus in our families, neighborhoods, workplaces and nation.

Pursuing Intimacy with God

Developing a vibrant intimate relationship with God is our goal – learning to know His love and hear His voice by encouraging time with God and His people.

Authentic Worship

In our times together we encounter God, through singing and reflection, teaching Scripture, sharing our life experiences, praying for one another and using our spiritual gifts to encourage, build up, and comfort one another. Authentic worship is expressed most fully through a life totally yielded to God.

Community

Loving relationships are essential in building God’s kingdom and should permeate every aspect of life. Growth is encouraged by sharing truth with mutual authenticity and transparency while extending grace and forgiveness.

Life Change

Becoming Christ-like is our goal for each individual. We experience healing, wholeness and growth through a surrendered life and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Life-change happens best in community as we study God’s Word and encourage one another to apply its principles in our daily walk.

Every Member Is a Minister

Everyone is shaped by God to make meaningful contribution in the Kingdom of God. Therefore mentoring, equipping and gift activation are essential. Opportunities for ministry are abundant and every believer is expected to serve God and the local church in some way.

Being Christ in Our Local Community

We are the hands, feet and mouth of Christ demonstrated through service and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. We expect our church and its members to reflect Jesus Christ in our local communities and beyond.

Statement of Faith

God

We believe that God exists and is pleased with all who draw near by faith. We worship the one holy and loving God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit eternally. God has created all things visible and invisible, has brought salvation and new life to humanity through Jesus Christ, and continues to sustain the church and all things until the end of the age. There is only one True God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (The Trinity).

Jesus

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Word of God become flesh. He is the Savior of the world, who has delivered us from the dominion of sin and reconciled us to God by his death on a cross. He was declared to be Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. He is the head of the church, the exalted Lord, the Lamb who was slain, coming again to reign with God in glory. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself by dying on a cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people.

Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God, who dwelled in Jesus Christ, who empowers the church, who is the source of our life in Christ, and who is poured out on those who believe as the guarantee of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, Counselor and Helper who convicts of sin, reveals God’s truth and indwells believers empowering them for godly life and service. The Spirit uniquely endows each believer with spiritual gifts for the common good of the church.

Bible

We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit for instruction in salvation and training in righteousness. We accept the Scriptures as the Word of God and as the fully reliable and trustworthy standard for Christian faith and life. Led by the Holy Spirit in the church, we interpret Scripture in harmony with Jesus Christ.

Salvation

We believe that, through Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and a new way of life. We receive God’s salvation when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In Christ, we are reconciled with God and brought into the reconciling community. We place our faith in God that, by the same power that raised Christ from the dead, we may be saved from sin to follow Christ and to know the fullness of salvation.

Baptism

We believe that the baptism of believers with water is a sign of their cleansing from sin. Baptism is also a pledge before the church of their covenant with God to walk in the way of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers are baptized into Christ and his body by the Spirit, water, and blood.

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe that God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life. Christian marriage is a mutual relationship in Christ, a covenant made in the context of the church. According to Scripture, right sexual union takes place only within the marriage relationship.
The Bible teaches us to treat all people with compassion, while teaching and calling all to obey Christ with our minds and bodies. We believe that God created humankind in his image, intentionally male and female (Genesis 1:27). We honor God by living distinctly according to our biological sex. Sexuality is a wonderful gift from God to be expressed only in marriage, (Heb. 13:4) or in celibacy in devotion to God (I Cor. 7:35). As a result of sin and separation from God, all people have lived experiences and desires which do not align with God’s created intent for humanity. Through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, God offers us redemption and gives us the power to live as new creations in faithfulness to God in all experiences.

Kingdom of God and Politics

We believe there is a distinction between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God. We believe the global Church alone serves as witnesses to God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven. The Church is made up of all who have made Jesus the Lord of their life. In a world of polarities and political division, we believe the Church is called to give its first and highest allegiance to Jesus, resisting the temptation to confuse allegiances to God with our nation. While we bless our nation and call it to do what is right and just regardless of political party, we will not compromise the way of Jesus or confuse it with political allegiances or identity.