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UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT US

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LivingStone Monastery - A 21st Century Evangelical Monastic Community

Having a residential religious community has been a part of Hope's vision from its start. We didn't know what it would look like or when it would happen. During the first couple of years we studied other Christian communities along the lines of Jesus People USA, L'Bri, etc.

When we began a relocation process for our congregation in 2003, we purchased the Sisters of Poor Clares Monastery, a Second Order Franciscan monastery. Suddenly we had the perfect space. When asked by the local paper what we were going to do, we told them of our dreams to continue the monastery's religious life by having men and women live on site, dedicating a season of their lives to hospitality, spiritual formation, and serving the local church. After the reporter fumbled with descriptive words, we finally settled on "evangelical monastery" and now refer to it as a "protestant community and retreat house."
 
Those from our city have been used to having a monastery, and, although we are not Catholic or Franciscan, we are engaging in classical monastic practices of respite, education, and service.
 
The LivingStone Monastery community hosts private and group retreats year-round, constantly practicing hospitality and creating a space for spiritual formation to occur as people come on retreat to seek the Lord. Workers comprising the community also serve in some position of ministry within LivingStone, the LivingStone House of Prayer, or Hope administration.
 
LivingStone remains as a ministry of Hope and is guided by Hope's pastoral leadership and vision. Click here for more information.

Mosaic Partnership - Multi-congregational Campus

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Drive by most churches and they are standing empty 80% of the time. This is especially discouraging when you realize the enormous cost of buildings and parking lots. Church property is some of the most expensive property to build. We believe that it is better stewardship to use church property 80% of the time.

Mosaic is a multi-church campus model where several churches use the same facilities and call it home. Currently we have six churches. You might think of it like a college campus where all space is multi-use versus an elementary school where space is used exclusively for one class.

Except for offices, exceptional ministries, and storage, all our space is shared. We stage our worship services in two different chapels and a new auditorium. We foster a spirit of unity among various denominations. We learn from one another. We steward our resources more effectively. A church can then have more than it could have on its own.

Mosaic also becomes a great place to incubate new churches or to extend the work of declining congregations.

Check out Mosaic's website for many more details on how this experiment works.

A Healing Community

The name of the church was chosen specifically because of our desire to mark what we believe to be so powerful about the gospel message of Jesus - Hope. We believe that change is possible, that sufferring is redemptive, that most restoration takes time, that community is essential, healing is messy, and that everything is spiritual. We are committed to be being a church of grace; who Christ is calling us to be and who in fact we are becoming is NOT always who we are when you first meet one of us. Please don't be discouraged when you look around and see one of us failing. We know that the ideals we hold aren't always being lived out. In other words, we know we are hypocrites in some fashion. Yet, we believe in Jesus, the work of his cross, and the salvation that comes to us by faith. This salvation has set us on a journey to wholeness with many others. You are welcome to come along.

Relational and Sexual Brokenness

Hope Community Church began with a vision to address culturally relevant issues. American culture is saturated with sexuality. In a paradoxical manner our culture has both trivialized and obsessed over sexuality. In so doing it has lost its sanctity, purpose, and its beauty. The American church has been slow to address issues of sexuality. It has especially been weak in the areas of homosexuality, sexual addiction, and restoration from adultery. We believe that the work of Jesus restores us at the core of our identity as men and woman and that this means a restoration of our sexuality. Through ministry programs like Living Waters, SALT, DivorceCare, and pastoral counseling, we believe that God can free us from sexual addiction, adultery, and homosexuality. We are committed to not just sharing that message but walking alongsdie those that are in pursuit of it.

Click here for more details on our restoration ministries. 

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