In order to discover the DNA of Hope, we did two things.
First, we took a look at ourselves: who we are, how God has wired us, and how He has gifted us.
Second, we took a look at the needs of our community and the people around us using community surveys and conversation.
The DNA of Hope is an intersection of who the people are that make up Hope Community Fellowship, and the needs of the community around us.
The DNA of Hope is what we're all about. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Without the Gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, this world would have absolutely no hope whatsoever. That's why the Bible is so important to us. The Bible is God's primary communication about Himself to all peoples. So if we want to know God better, we've got to study God's Word.
We believe the Bible is ultimate truth, which is why, whether you're in our worship service, our youth group, children's church, or any ministry held at Hope, any teaching you hear will come from Scripture and strive to communicate the message of Scripture plainly, clearly, and accurately.
It's not enough to know about God, to know about Jesus, to know about the Bible. We want to know each of them intimately so that our lives may be changed. That's why we want to not just know the Bible, but also accept the Bible and live out what it says.
Once a person has heard about and believed the good news of Jesus, they typically pray, confessing their sin and confessing their belief that Jesus died on the cross for them. This prayer brings hope into the life of the new believer.
At Hope, this is not where prayer ends. We believe our God is living, active, and interested in His people. Through prayer, we praise God, confess our shortcomings, thank Him for His blessings, and also seek his favor and intervention.
We pray together, for each other, for our church, for our community, and for the Kingdom of God.
In Deuteronomy 6, God tells the Israelites to pass down his commandments to their children and their children's children. God makes it clear that hope is to be passed down from generation to generation.
At Hope, we care about people in all stages of life. We also recognize the importance God placed upon making sure our children are raised up in the knowledge and love of Him. That's why, if you're a parent, we don't just teach your children, but we want to equip you to have positive spiritual interactions with your family.
All generations are welcome at Hope because we all have things to learn from each other. We need the wisdom of our older generations. And we need the child-like faith of our younger generations.
Finally, we desire for our ministry to be multi-generational as well - that 100 years from now, lives will still be changing because of work and discipleship that happened today. We accomplish this by striving to make disciples (Matthew 28:19)...who make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples...
Remember a time when you felt trapped with no way out. A time when you had no hope. A time when you felt stuck. What happened when hope was introduced into that situation?
For most people, hope is moving. Hope moves us emotionally, and it moves us physically, moves us to take action because we have hope that our actions will actually make a difference.
We are not content to stand still. That's why Hope is a moving church. We will not just study the Bible and pray, content to sit in a service once a week and...well, that's it. God has called his people to be doers of the Word, not just hearers (James 1:22). That's why we strive to cultivate real relationship with a living and active God (James 4:7-8). That's why we strive to cultivate deep relationship with fellow believers (Hebrews 10:23-25). And that's why we strive to be a part of our community, rather than shielding ourselves within the walls of a building (John 17:15-18).
At Hope, we are committed to moving closer to God, to each other, and our community, in the name of Jesus.