Our History

Hope For Life had its first public worship gathering on January 2, 1994. This local fellowship of believers was born out of a common commitment to be a church that deliberately focused on serving God in this world by developing committed followers of Jesus Christ who would obey God's word and live as Jesus lived in the world. The common desire was to be a different kind of church - not "market driven," but a church where people who were seeking spiritual guidance and help need not be afraid of getting involved. Thus, the atmosphere in our times when we are together is casual but not disrespectful. We don't want the way a person looks or talks to be a hindrance to connection with Jesus. At the same time, we want to be a people with whom others can feel at home and find a place to belong.

In determining how the ministry would develop, we chose to limit "gathering times" (times when we come together for worship, prayer, instruction, etc.) but make the most of the time when we do gather together. At the same time, we desired to maximize the amount of "scattered time" so that people could live as followers of Jesus in their circles of influence (work, home, neighbourhood, school, clubs and hobby groups, etc.).

Most importantly, we desired to be a place where people in all manner of situations could find hope through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his people. Thus, the name of the church captures our most fundamental intention. We desire to be people whose lives and words encourage hope in whomever we might encounter. Our desire is that people will observe us and see what life in the kingdom of God is like and want to become part of what God is doing on earth.