Visit Hope

Nursery is available during Sunday School and the Worship Services for children ages up to 36 months. We also have Worship Classes during the sermon portion of our first worship service each week. Check out our Children’s Ministries page to see what our current offerings are.

Children are always welcome to join us in Worship. They belong, whispers, wiggles, wails and all! Parents who wish to have a more private space with their children are welcome to use our Nursing Mother’s Room (where livestream is available) on the left of the first floor hallway.

Our middle and high school students meet for Sunday School and Youth Group during the school year. For more detailed information, please visit our youth page.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. The Lord’s Supper is open to anyone who is resting and relying on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for salvation. Children who are members are admitted to the table after meeting with an elder to make a (simple) profession of faith.  Our practice is to come forward to receive the elements, beginning with the back rows. The elements consist of bread / gluten free crackers and wine (purple)/juice (white).

One element of our Order of Worship is Confession. This is not a time when we come cringing before God awash in shame, but rather an opportunity to agree with God about our sin and our need of his already freely given forgiveness. James K.A. Smith says this about confession, “We like to tell ourselves a story: ‘This is not who we are.’ But every single week Christians make a confession: ‘This is who we are. Forgive us.'” We voice a written confession together, then have a time of silent prayer to confess personally where we have gone astray. Lastly, we hear the words of Scripture assuring us that we are forgiven.

Although we do take up an offering, the offering is only intended for those who consider Hope their church home, so please feel no pressure to give.

You’ll hear our leaders praying throughout the service, as we are called to worship, after reading this week’s passage, after the sermon, and before communion. The reason we pray so much is twofold: Scripture tells us to and we need to ask for God’s help. Paul Miller says this, “A praying life feels like our family mealtimes because prayer is all about relationship. It’s intimate and hints at eternity. … Prayer is simply the medium through which we experience and connect to God.”

At the end of the service, we lift our hands in an open gesture to receive the benediction. This is a blessing spoken over us by the Pastor as we are sent forth into the world.