As we close out 2017, we are filled with gratitude for the many ways that God has blessed us at Hope and for the exciting work that He is doing in and through our lives as we seek to follow Him in all areas.
This newsletter is a celebration of Our King’s faithfulness, love, and mercy. The praises are organized by each of the Five Steps we’ve embarked upon this year, followed by a summary of the improvements made to the Hope campus, which serve to support all areas of ministry.
Kids Ministry
- From the end of ’16 through ’17, a record number of babies were born at Hope!
- We now have a safe and secure check-in system for everyone who participates in Kids Ministry on Sunday mornings.
- The kids have done an amazing job memorizing Scripture! Even the younger preschoolers and all ages up are storing God’s Word in their hearts.
- Many new volunteers have joined the Kids Ministry team, which is now almost fully staffed.
- The Elementary age kids have grown in prayer over the last year. They share prayer requests and praises with each other every Sunday and they have memorized the Lord’s Prayer.
- Eagle Lake Camp at Hope was a huge success! So many kids and so wonderful to see neighborhood churches working together.
Youth Ministry
- Attendance to Ignition has been strong and continues to grow.
- Several steady volunteers have allowed for more one-on-one discipleship and deeper relationships with the youth.
- One young lady put her trust in Jesus for the first time!
- Two young men have decided to be baptized.
Adult Ministry
- Several Discipleship Groups have formed and began meeting this past fall.
- Future leaders are apprenticing in the Discipleship Groups so that as they increase in size, new groups can form.
- Affinity Groups continue to meet and provide welcome space for those of a particular age group or interest to pursue relationships and growth in Christ together.
- We have been able to continue supporting 11 missionary families and ministries in our city and around the world.
Prayer
- We now have a curriculum and system in place to train new leaders in freedom prayer, thanks to Dana’s hard work and experience.
- The Monday night prayer group continues to meet and has expanded to include a day of prayer on the first Monday of each month along with prayer training on the preceding Sunday morning.
- We’ve seen many answers to prayer for health and safety for men, women and children in our community.
Worship
- New faces on the worship team and a few on deck being coached by Seth Slay, our new worship leader.
- United with Bloom to host two services on Christmas eve.
We’ve also seen a lot of great improvements to the Hope campus. The work that is put into the facility and the management of finances contributes to every one of the ministry areas mentioned above. These are some of the things we are celebrating:
- The newly renovated West Wing is providing office and meeting space for other churches and non-profits, as well as generating revenue for Hope.
- A significant amount of planning has been done with Legacy Design for future renovations.
- Our building is being used to a greater extent than ever before, with four different church services held here weekly as well as several smaller groups and events through the week.
- Several improvements have been made to the Cottage, which provides a wonderful home for renters and also generates revenue for Hope.
- Hope Park continues to shine as a bright green patch in the city where neighbors can play with their dogs and chat with one another, and where Hope can hold occasional BBQs and other events.
There are countless other ways we could celebrate everything the Lord has done for us! Thank you for your engagement, your willingness to give of your time, talents, and resources, and your faithfulness this past year.
We look forward to another year of worship, growth, and praise as we follow Jesus together!