Hope Church

Purpose statement

Hope's purpose statement, according to its website, is to "offer experiences, relationships and places where people can find life and purpose through Jesus Christ."

Community involvement

Hope Church is actively involved in its community in several ways. On a monthly basis it collects non-perishable food items to donate to the Goochland Food Pantry. It runs the Hope Thrift Store to provide clothing, furniture and other household goods to local low-income families, avid thrifters, or any local shopper. Additionally, Hope Church conducts community events such as an annual 5K run. As a member of a global community, Hope regularly participates in mission activities around the world, such as medical/dental trips to the Dominican Republic.

Programs

There are five services each weekend on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m, and 5:00 p.m. Child care is available at all services except the 6:00 p.m. Additionally there are programs for middle- and high-school students. Thrive and Thrive @ Night are the teaching ministries for women. Other ministries target young adults, college students, men, or anyone interested in small group Bible studies.

History of Hope Church

Hope started in 1997, a "small band of people dreaming about what the church could be if we are honest, relevant, and authentic". According to the website, "We believe the Bible and we’re grateful for its stability and guidance in the midst of a world of change. At the same time we kind of like things on the creative side." For the first two years the church met at Ruby Carver Elementary School, then moved to Godwin High School. Hope bought its current property across from West Creek in Goochland County and moved into the building in September 2008.

Hope Midtown and additional locations

In 2013, with the West Creek auditorium filled to capacity over multiple weekend services, Hope's leadership made a strategic decision not to expand its current auditorium capacity, but instead to launch additional locations in the Richmond metro area, effectively becoming a multisite church. Hope's first campus location was selected – the "Midtown" area of Richmond, a loosely defined geographical area East of Libbie Avenue, West of the Boulevard, North of the James River, and South of the Lakeside area of Richmond. Micah Voraritskul joined Hope’s staff as Midtown Campus Pastor in February 2015, and the "Hope Midtown" community was organized to offer a Sunday worship experience in September 2015 at the historic Thomas Jefferson High School.

Arts and Hope Church

A distinctive element of Hope Church is their commitment to the arts. This value stems from the Christian idea that God as Creator made humans in His image, thereby making them creative and their creations (the arts) a domain of beauty and sacred expression. Hope has a Worship Arts department, whose stated mission is "to expand the worship of God by empowering a community of artists" toward the end of seeing "a movement of redemptive art" in Richmond, Virginia. They attempt to empower local artists by hosting an art gallery and visual art show series, by helping songwriters and musicians capture their art in their on-site recording studio, and by creating, producing, and releasing original films through their affiliate, Check The Gate Films. In addition, they host a summer program of art classes for children and adults alike.