Today, New Hope is a vibrant congregation of more than 200 Christians, young and old. Our mission is making disciples who make disciples. We believe in preaching the full council of God’s Word and don’t shy away from the difficult things, because we also see God and learn more about Him in those parts of scripture as well. Our worship is primarily contemporary, but we like to mix a hymn in here and there because they have some great things to teach us as well.
Now, a bit about where we came from: New Hope was launched in a household basement in September of 2006 by a group of families who felt God calling them to form a church. We are affiliated with the Church of God based in Anderson, IN. The Church of God has two core values that distinguish us from other churches.
- Unity: We don’t have church membership because we believe that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and that your desire is to serve Him, then you are by definition a part of “The Church,” not just our church.
- Holiness: We believe that God saved us from sin, not so that we would continue to walk in it, but to be free from bondage to it. God calls us to pursue holiness. “Be holy as I am holy says the Lord”
What is our Purpose?
We exist to help people do 5 things:
- Surrender to our Creator
- Strengthen one another
- Stand for truth
- Spread the Gospel
- Serve people
In some ways it seems simple, but these can be difficult things for anyone to do in the world in which we live. It sure helps to be a part of a community that is striving for the same goals to come along side you.
What is a Christian?
At New Hope we believe a Christian is someone who has realized that they have broken God’s laws (the 10 Commandments). The consequence of that is that they are a sinner doomed for eternity. As a result of this understanding they have put their faith not in themselves to be good, but in Christ to pay for their sin through His own death on the cross. It’s called grace and no one deserves it, but God gives it anyway (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace like this makes them want to know and serve the one who has set them free from sin and allowed them experience God’s riches at Christ’s expense.