We are glad you found us! We encourage you to spend some time looking and reading through the website, but we know that can be a daunting and time-consuming task so here are some answers to the questions you might have right away:
What denomination is Living Hope Community Church?
Living Hope is a non-denominational church, which basically means that we are not a member-church of any denominational organization, yet we consider ourselves to be part of the Church with a capital “C” and we rely on the Bible to teach us how to do church. Our congregation is made up of folks from a variety of denominations, who respect each other’s pasts, and share in each other’s futures.
What do you really want me to know right away about Living Hope?
We teach the Bible – in it’s entirety – and believe it is the inspired Word of God. We believe church isn’t about the building, but about the assembly of believers wherever they meet. We believe in cross-generational fellowship: we think that every generation has something unique and special to offer, so it’s important to us that we worship together, hear God’s Word from the pastor together, pray together, serve together, fellowship together, eat together, and engage in the study of the Bible together.
Who’s your pastor?
Dave Collins is the pastor at Living Hope. If you’d like to read a short bio about him, click here.
What should I expect from the sermons?
Pastor Dave gives a message for about 30 minutes, with some worship music both before and after the message. If you’d like to get a feel for what the sermons are like, we encourage you to listen to a sermon. Currently, Pastor Dave is taking us through a series on the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5, 6, & 7). You can see a list of the upcoming sermons here.
What’s your worship time like?
We worship together as a family; we believe worship is the most glorious gift God has given His people – the ability to join Him in His throne room and worship the King of Kings. For us to pass on our faith to the next generations, we believe the generations must worship God together. Our worship time includes prayer, Scripture reading, contemporary worship songs by songwriters like Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Camp, and Matt Redman, as well as some of the classic Hymns we all love. Pastor Dave often uses video clips to illustrate his message, and the drama team occasionally performs a skit that’s relevant to the message. And we celebrate communion together at least once a month.
What’s the dress code?
We don’t have one. We want you to be comfortable, without fear of being judged by the clothes you’re wearing. Most of us are comfortable in jeans and sneakers. Come as you are – we want to welcome you, not your outfit, into the Living Hope family. But we ask folks to be respectful of others – not to wear anything revealing, and to avoid clothing with offensive sayings.
Do you have Sunday School for the kids?
Yes we do. However, we believe in cross-generational fellowship, so we don’t separate kids from their families during church. We believe it’s important for them to be around multiple generations – during worship, sermons, and in fellowship. After the service, our Cross+Gen group meets to share the Bible stories with kids and their families. And we provide “lap tubs” for any kid that just needs something to fiddle with, color on, or play with during church.
But I have little kids, do you have a nursery?
We want the little ones around too! We enjoy their presence among us and think they have as much to offer us and we have to offer them. We don’t mind the distraction if they are noisy, or need to walk around during church. We do provide an area in church with a rocking chair, a play mat and a box of toys because we know that asking a small child to sit on your lap for an hour is often impossible. We also provide “lap tubs” for the kids that are okay sitting in a chair but need something to fiddle with, color on or play with during church. If you do need to step away from church with your child, we offer a “cry room” (the music room) where you can go and still hear the message or worship. If you have questions or concerns about any of this, please let us know.
What do you offer after church?
Immediately following church, we share a meal together. We think fellowship is necessary, and food and fellowship just seem to go together. After breakfast, we offer several ministry opportunities. Pastor Dave leads a time of discussion about the sermon or anything else that may come up. Dave and Kathy Lynn lead a family Bible study called Cross+Gen – a time of songs, games, prayer, and the study of epic Bible studies in an engaging way. And Josh Burgette leads a college and career Bible study – a time for fellowship, Bible study and prayer for those in their late teens and early twenties. We encourage you to stay for one of these ministries!
Where is Living Hope located? And when do you meet?
We are currently meeting at Ironwood Elementary School on Sundays at 9am. You can find directions, a map and more specific times here.
What do you think about prayer?
We believe that “the prayer of the faithful avails much,” and that there is ultimate power in the One we pray to. We also believe that one of the best ways to get to know our God is to spend time in prayer. So, we strive to be a community that prays – that goes to God in prayer intentionally, & intercedes for one another constantly. We offer a time of prayer before church, at 8:30, on Sunday mornings to pray for our church, our community, our friends, family and loves ones and those who are sick or hurting. We encourage you to join us.
What are your core church beliefs?
We believe in one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that in His life, death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus Christ did all of the work necessary so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish, but may have eternal life. We believe that the true Church of Jesus Christ is not a building or an institution but the assembly of believers. We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, and as such is authoritative in the life of the church and every Christian. We believe that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by any works of our own power or by any other means. We believe that as our Lord Jesus Christ was raised, so those who have died in Christ will be raised again according to the Scriptures. We believe that the details of how and when God will bring His creation to fulfillment in the last days belong to God alone; yet we affirm that our Lord will most certainly come again in glory. We believe that the sacraments of Baptism and Communion were instituted for all believers by our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore should be honored and performed in the church. We believe that the institution of marriage was established by God as the union between one man and one woman, and is to be held in honor by all people. You can read more in-depth about these core beliefs, and find their scriptural references here.
We know you may have many more questions, so we’d love you to continue browsing the website for a more in-depth look at our church. You can also email Pastor Dave or give him a call at (520) 440-6429.