Location Memphis, Tennessee Weekly attendance 6,874 (2014) | Country United States Phone +1 901-755-7721 | |
Denomination Evangelical Presbyterian Church Senior pastor(s) Rev. Rufus Smith Previous: Dr. Craig Strickland (1988-2013) Address 8500 Walnut Grove Rd, Cordova, TN 38018, USA Similar Children's Museum of Memphis, The Cotton Museum, Hutchison School, Memphis Brooks Museum, Christian Brothers University | ||
The four organs of the house of hope presbyterian church
Hope Church is an Evangelical Presbyterian megachurch in Cordova, a district of Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. R. Craig Strickland is the Founding Pastor. His catchphrase is "If you're looking, there's always Hope." It describes itself as a "church for the unchurched". Rev. Rufus Smith is the Senior Pastor.
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Facilities
In December 2007 the church opened a major extension, added 5,000 seats to its capacity with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities. The $26 million worship center, which took 16 months to build, added 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) to the existing 210,000-square-foot (20,000 m2) worship center. The original plan had been for a $50 million auditorium with 5,500-seats and a 76-foot (23 m)-tall building with a bell tower that would reach to 180 feet (55 m). That plan was abandoned after protests from local homeowners. The center built under the revised plan was opened in time for a series of candlelight Christmas services at which total attendance was expected to be 20,000.
Programs
The church runs a youth football program for first- through sixth-graders. The church sponsors the Boy Scout Troop 338. In March 2008 church volunteers started work on renovation of the nearby 114-unit Cedar Court apartment complex, which the church had bought and was upgrading to provide affordable housing in the area as part of an urban outreach ministry. In 2010 the church started running Sunday Lunches where singles could meet in a more wholesome atmosphere than bars and clubs, with unexpected success. This was a continuation of a drive to attract young people looking for a nontraditional church, seen as the future of the church.
Concerts
The church often lets its auditorium be used for concerts. Performances between November 2008 and July 2010 included Lecrae, David Crowder Band, Brandon Heath, Building 429, Todd Agnew, Family Force 5, House of Heroes, Decyfer Down, Dave Barnes, Haste the Day, The Devil Wears Prada, Chris Tomlin and TobyMac. In August 2008 the church staged a concert in memory of Isaac Hayes, who had recently died, which was attended by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Other notables included U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. The church was widely criticized for agreeing to host the concert, since Hayes was well known as a Scientologist. The church defended the event, saying it was a tribute rather than a memorial, and it was for the entire community.