Who We Are
Here's the deal, Hope Church cares about one thing more than anything else, Jesus Christ. Hope Church is a family of individuals that have found hope in Jesus, and simply want those far from God to find HOPE in Christ.
Hope Church’s Mission:
Hope Church’s mission is to make disciples who make disciples.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20
“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” - 2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)
Hope Church’s Vision:
Hope Church exists so that people far from God will find HOPE in Christ.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13
You can find out more about us by clicking on the + signs below.
How We got Started
Pastor Eric and Valerie attended Alive Wesleyan Church in 2014 when they had a conversation with Pastor Buddy Rampey, the District Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church, at that time, about checking out Walhalla Wesleyan Church and seeing if they thought it might be a place God would call them to.
They first visited the church on June 1st, 2014. The church and Pastor Eric accepted a 6-month trial period in September of 2014. They saw potential in the building and with the location. But the church had been without a pastor for a while and was averaging around 14 in attendance. After a few months, it was clear there needed to be significant changes.
Following a conversation with Pastor Buddy a church consultation was scheduled with Dr. Paul Border for February 27th through March 1st, 2015. Strengths, weaknesses, and a prescription on how to move forward were established by Dr. Border and approved by the church.
Most notable was the prescription to close Walhalla Wesleyan Church and restart a new church with a new name. The name of the new church was chosen to be Hope Church. The last Sunday for Walhalla Wesleyan church was June 28th, 2015 with Hope Church set to launch September 20th, 2015.
From June 28th the remodeling on the current facilities began and continued well past the launch date on September 20th. No description would do the transformation justice so we encourage you to check out the pictures on Facebook.
Where We Are Headed
It has been a challenging start for Hope Church since it was a replant birthed without the traditional funding and core groups of people sent from other churches. Hope was birthed with little more than a dream and a handful of people. But God has blessed Hope Church over the years. We have seen people become committed followers of Christ. We have seen people take next steps through water baptism and we have seen people commit to serving in ministry. The church continues to grow and we believe the best is yet to come for Hope Church.
Going forward we will continue to reach out to the people of Oconee County with the message of Hope in Jesus Christ. Our focus will be on reaching the unchurched and discipling those we reach. We invite you to join us on this incredible journey as we seek to make disciples who make disciples.
#HOPE4OC #HOPEISRISING
What This Means for You
What does this mean for you? Most importantly, you are always welcome at Hope Church. We are saving a seat for you. Wherever you are in your faith journey, you will always be welcome as part of the Hope family.
Beyond that, if you're ready to plan your first visit click here. Or if you'd simply like to get in touch with us directly, click the Contact Us button below.
Core Values
Core Values are what sets us apart and are our priorities for ministry. We call these our four core. These are what makes Hope Church unique. We value…
Life Application
We believe that the teachings of Jesus should be lived out and not just heard. Our focus is on teaching these truths in such a way that they can be understood and applied to our everyday lives.
Everything that we teach should not be just for inspiration but also for application. Therefore, application is an important part of our Sunday service, our Life Groups, and all our ministries.
Relational Discipleship
Our mission is to make disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus invited people into relationships with Himself, He loved them, and, in the process, showed them how to follow God.
The best way for that to happen is through connecting with others in a discipleship relationship. These are caring relationships that will equip and encourage us to become more like Christ.
Genuine Friendliness
We believe that every person should be accepted and welcomed at Hope Church, and that we should love them just as they are. We also believe that since the unchurched matter to God, they should matter to us. Therefore, we should include the unchurched in our thinking when planning ministry and our weekly service.
Also, we believe that the church should be the friendliest place on the planet. Therefore we focus on being genuinely friendly to all people regardless of race, culture, social status, or physical appearance.
Simple Over Complex
We believe that the message of Jesus Christ and the ministry of His church are more effective when they are communicated and accomplished in simple ways.
As churches grow they normally move toward complexity. To keep things simple we should constantly be asking if this is the best and simplest way to accomplish our goals.
Life Application
We believe that the teachings of Jesus should be lived out and not just heard. Our focus is on teaching these truths in such a way that they can be understood and applied to our everyday lives.
Everything that we teach should not be just for inspiration but also for application. Therefore, application is an important part of our Sunday service, our Life Groups, and all our ministries.
Relational Discipleship
Our mission is to make disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus invited people into relationships with Himself, He loved them, and, in the process, showed them how to follow God.
The best way for that to happen is through connecting with others in a discipleship relationship. These are caring relationships that will equip and encourage us to become more like Christ.
Genuine Friendliness
We believe that every person should be accepted and welcomed at Hope Church, and that we should love them just as they are. We also believe that since the unchurched matter to God, they should matter to us. Therefore, we should include the unchurched in our thinking when planning ministry and our weekly service.
Also, we believe that the church should be the friendliest place on the planet. Therefore we focus on being genuinely friendly to all people regardless of race, culture, social status, or physical appearance.
Simple Over Complex
We believe that the message of Jesus Christ and the ministry of His church are more effective when they are communicated and accomplished in simple ways.
As churches grow they normally move toward complexity. To keep things simple we should constantly be asking if this is the best and simplest way to accomplish our goals.
Our Beliefs
It's the way we think, act, speak, and love one another. It's in the way we raise our families, love our community, and seek the good of others before ourselves. Here are our core beliefs.
THE BIBLE
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the only written revelation from God to man. The Bible is infallible and the authoritative rule of faith and conduct for mankind. In it, we have everything we need for life and godliness.
2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21
THE ONE TRUE GOD
God is called by many different names because of the different dimensions of His personality, but God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is super-dimensional and eternally self-existent (Jn. 8:54-59). God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1; Luke 1:31; Luke 1:35
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is at the center of everything. We believe that Jesus is the only one who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life. We believe that Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. The Scripture declares:
His virgin birth,
Matthew 1:18-23
His sinless life,
Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22
His miracles,
Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38
His substitutionary death on the cross,
1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21
His bodily resurrection from the dead,
Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4
His exaltation to the right hand of God.
Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Acts 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3
THE FALL OF MAN
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 2:26). However, by a voluntary act of the will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6). That first sin had several repercussions. Man was excommunicated from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23), a curse was pronounced (Genesis 3:14-19), the process of physical death began (Genesis 2:17), and man died spiritually (Romans 5:12-19). Sin separated humankind from God (Ephesians 2:11-18) and left man in a fallen or sinful condition (Romans 3:23).
Genesis 1:26,27; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12-19
THE SALVATION OF MAN
The only means of salvation is Jesus Christ
Acts 4:12 John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7
The Evidence of Salvation. The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit.
Romans 8:16
The outward evidence is the fruit of the spirit. We become a new creation and are transformed into the image of Christ.
Galatians 5:22, 23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The nine fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are the by-product of a Spirit-filled life and evidence of spiritual maturity. The nine gifts of the Spirit are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the body (I Cor. 12:1-11). We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts (I Cor. 12:31, 14:1), but they must be exercised in an orderly way (I Cor. 14:26-33) and in the context of love. (I Cor. 13:1-13).
ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
Baptism in Water
The Scripture teaches that all who repent and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized by immersion. Baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ. It is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life.
Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47,48; Romans 6:4
Communion
The Lord's Supper consists of two elements --bread and the cup. Those elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. Communion is a memorial of Christ's sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation. It is an opportunity for a believer to examine himself and experience forgiveness.
1 Corinthians 11:26
CHURCH
The Church is the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) and has four main purposes.
Hope Church's priority reason for being as part of the Church is to lead people to pursue:
Fellowship with God. Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16
Community with others. 1 Corinthians 12:13
Service in ministry. Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:12
Influence with those outside the faith. Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16
THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
There will be a final judgment in which the dead will be resurrected and judged according to their works. Everyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life, along with the devil and his angels, will be sentenced to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be resurrected and stand at the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded for their good deeds.
Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:43-48; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:8
GOT QUESTIONS?
If you're curious about the Bible, or unsure about something we believe at Hope Church, please get in touch with a person on our lead team directly by clicking the button below.
