verse4today: As the Lord said to Moses may he speak to us: "I have seen..., I have heard..., and I have come to rescue you.... (Exodus 3:7-8).
Posted on 2012-02-01 via Twitter
The congregation that has become Living Hope Church met for the first time on April 6, 2008. On that day, 51 individuals gathered in the Van Namen Recital Hall on the campus of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. (Click here for gallery of photos of first meeting of the Launch Team.)
This group was gathered at the invitation of the Rev. Sam Hamstra, Jr., the founding pastor of Living Hope Church. Pastor Sam had received a vision for a multi-ethnic, charismatic and Calvinistic congregation in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.
That vision was confirmed by both the Palos Heights Christian Reformed Church, Palos Heights, Illinois, where Rev. Hamstra served for more than 10 years as Senior Pastor, and by the Family of Faith Church, Monee, Illinois, the congregation that called Rev. Hamstra to plant Living Hope Church with God's help.
After that initial event, Pastor Hamstra hosted gatherings nearly every week for the purpose of sharing and embracing the vision for Living Hope Church. The hope was that God would lead listeners to embrace the vision and decide to join the Launch Team for Living Hope Church.
By the end of August, about 25 had committed to being part of the Launch Team. We set the launch date for beginning regular Sunday morning services for September 21, 2008. But before that first service, we met one week earlier for a dress rehearsal. Once again, we met in the Van Namen Recital Hall but, this time, at 10:30 a.m.; 38 gathered that day.
On September 21, 2008, we gathered for our first Sunday morning worship service. 125 people came together in the Grand Lobby of the Ozinga Chapel (Trinity Christian College) for a ninety-minute service that included plenty of praise and prayer, as well as a message by our Founding Pastor Sam Hamstra who offered a sermon from I Peter 1:3-9 entitled "Born Again To Living Hope." (Click here to view a gallery of photos from the service.) Since our launch, we continued to meet every Sunday morning. On most occasions we met in the Grand Lobby of the Ozinga Chapel on the campus of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL.
On September 11, 2011, Living Hope opened a new chapter of ministry that could be called "New and Improved." As in the past, Living Hope remained committed to Sunday service, or weekly gathering, characterized by passionate worship, relevant teaching, and authentic community. In addition, the congregation established two new ministries for children, each which takes place on Sunday mornings. The two new groups are "Tiny Tots" and "Kingdom Kids."
But there's more. Under the leadership of Pastor Chris Cano, a new pastor from southern California, the congregation launched a new initiative, one that focuses on making disciples for Jesus Christ. Following a model established in the United Kingdom by Mike Breen, Living Hope launched two new types of groups: discipleship-oriented "Huddles" and outreach-oriented Missional Communities.
As the congregation looks to the near future, it anticipates adding new Huddles and Missional Communities, and securing a new gathering space, one located in the center of the Crestwood region.