OneThing
Friday, January 16, 2009 at 11:16PM by Anna Kim
The 33 exhausted members of HOPE church resembled a caravan of refugees as they piled out of the 5 minivans they had driven across over 1000 miles. These weary travelers were en route for nearly 20 hours (one way!), not to vacation nor rest, but for a purpose far greater: to meet Jesus.
The OneThing conference in Kansas City spanned 4 days, ones filled with worship, messages about King Jesus and His return, countless fast food meals, but most of all the presence of the One we love and went to seek. The group left Sunday afternoon after service, and returned Friday afternoon, making it the longest of the six years that members of our church have traveled to attend the conference. The heart of the event, run by the International House of Prayer, is to call a generation into lifestyles of radical Christianity, particularly in the area of prayer, to prepare them to usher in the second coming of Christ.
For different ones of us who attended, the significance of the trip varied. Many were awakened and stirred into new love and passion for Jesus. Others made commitments to a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, and whole-hearted living. Some simply enjoyed the blessing of worshipping with 17,000 other believers from around the world. Was the week exhausting? Definitely. Many drove hours-long shifts, sometimes through the night, in order to get the group to and from the conference. Days were comprised of back-to-back services. However, if asked if it was worth it, all would give a resounding, "Yes!" The chance to encounter God, to see His face and know His heart, is always worth it all.
Angel Tree
Friday, January 2, 2009 at 12:58AM by Rosa Shim
Every year, HOPE Church partners with Prison Fellowship Ministry in reaching out to the children of inmates and their families during the Christmas season. HOPE members bought presents for 53 children living in the Greenbelt-College Park-District Heights area on behalf of their prisoner parent as a way to remind these kids that they are loved and not forgotten. On Dec. 13, we threw an amazing Christmas Party where 18 kids and their families showed up to dance with Winnie the Pooh, eat pizza, play musical chairs, decorate Christmas tree cupcakes, and sing carols. It was a great time of fun and a way to share God's love with our community.
A special thanks to Crystal R. and Roderick who helped plan Angel Tree as well as all the helpers who decorated, delivered gifts, MC-ed, agreed to be "Captain Angel Tree" without us explaining what that actually meant, and most of all, showed up just to love the kids.
Faith-fall Festival
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 12:56AM By Ginny Lee
H.O.P.E. Church’s First Annual Faith-Fall Festival was filled with everything from Buzz “Ethan” Lightyear to Cheez-puff peanut butter faces to costumes of Biblical proportions. On October 31, 2008, kids and adults alike came together to enjoy food, fellowship and mammoth amounts of fun. The night began with dinner where we were treated to the delicious results of the first ever chili cook-off. The competition was truly fierce and there could only be one winner so congratulations to Keefe Lee for winning 1st place! Next up was the costume contest and kudos to all those who showed great spirit and dressed up, including the teenage mutant ninja turtle, the Bible, Dumbo, the Ark of the Covenant (!), Batman, twins, a couple of angels and even a baby Darth Vader. The evening concluded with a hilarious round of relay races MC’d by Richard Lee. HOPE members spun around on baseball bats, drank out of baby bottles, became chubby bunnies, jumped rope and dug for candy in flour. And who could forget the huge coolers of candy that caused even the most hardened HOPE Kids’ eyes to bulge? Thanks to everyone’s generosity (and the mandatory entrance fee of one bag o’candy per person) this was the best faith-fall festival ever!