Who we are
Those who call Living Hope home come from a variety of backgrounds. Some grew up in a church; some are entirely new to church. Many were born in Canada; a number were born in other countries around the globe. Some are seniors; many are young. A number are married and raising families; several are serving God as singles.
In the midst of our diversity, though, we also have many things in common. The greatest of those is that we all share a desire to know Jesus more fully and to learn what it means to live with Him at the centre of our daily lives! We welcome you to join us on the journey!
Vision, Mission, and Purpose
Vision (what we’re all about)
Passionately Following Jesus; Sharing Him with the World He Loves!
Mission (how we’re going to get there)
God calls us to invite others to join the journey as together we:
– experience genuine community (BELONG),
– explore faith in Jesus Christ (BELIEVE), and
– express Jesus’ love to others (BLESS).
Purpose (why we do what we do)
To See God’s Truth Set People Free!
What We Believe
the Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s Spirit-inspired Word and accept its authority over our faith and lives.
God
We believe in God as revealed in the Bible: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
the Father
We believe in the Father who created and sustains all things and is our own faithful Father through Jesus Christ His Son.
sin
We believe that people, though created in the image of God and originally able to love and serve God perfectly, fell for Satan’s lie and broke God’s command. Since then, all people are sinners both by nature and choice and deserve God’s righteous judgment. This original disobedience not only affected human beings, but it impacted all of life, unleashing sickness, death and devastation upon the whole of creation.
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. For our salvation He came to earth as a human being through a supernatural conception within the virgin Mary. As a human, Jesus experienced the difficulties and temptations of human life yet He never sinned. Through His conversations, teachings and miracles, Jesus revealed God’s character and love.
Jesus died on the cross, bearing our sin, to pay for God’s righteous judgement against it. After three days He rose from the dead to give us new life and has ascended back to heaven where He now reigns as the Lord of the universe.
salvation
We believe that it is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone that we receive the forgiveness of sins and are restored into a right relationship with God, gaining membership in His family as His sons and daughters.
Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who lives within believers. The Holy Spirit sets believers free by the truth of God’s Word, assures them of their salvation, nurtures them in their understanding and expression of the Christian life, and empowers them to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ.
the church
We believe that God gathers His family on earth together in the Church. The Church is called to do God’s work in the world as it reaches out through the words and works of Jesus Christ. The Church is to wholeheartedly praise God for His grace, lovingly function as the body of Christ, practically extend Christian compassion toward the needs of people, and faithfully witness to the message of the Gospel.
Jesus’ return
We believe that one day Jesus will return to earth to raise the dead, judge all people and re-create heaven and earth. Those who have rejected Him will be separated from Him, but those who believe in Him and long for His coming will be given eternal life.
outflow
We believe that Christianity isn’t just about believing the right things, but that it is also about enjoying the flow of God’s love to us in such a way that it overflows from us into the lives of others. Our desire is to pass God’s gracious blessing on to others and so point them to Jesus.
What Does It Mean to Be “Reformed?”
Living Hope is part of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. If the church universal is the trunk that gives us root, then the Reformed tradition and, more specifically, our own Christian Reformed denomination, make up the branch on which we grow.
One of teachings that this branch of the Christian family highlights is the belief that sin has so infected and affected every aspect of our lives that apart from Christ we are spiritually dead and in bondage to sin. Because of this spiritual condition we cannot make a move to God unless He first makes a move to us, liberating us from the power of sin and giving us spiritual life. We believe He has graciously done just that through the sacrifice of Jesus and that He continues to do that through the power of His Word and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit who leads us to repentance and faith.
We also stress God’s unique relationship with our families. God doesn’t just relate to us as individuals, but to us as families from generation to generation. In other words, God cares deeply about our children and He calls parents and the whole Church to raise them to know, love, serve and share Jesus Christ as both Saviour and Lord.
Another biblical teaching that we highlight is the fact that Jesus is Lord of all of life. There is no aspect of life as individuals, families, church and even communities and nations that doesn’t fall under His ultimate authority. Therefore, we seek to live according to the principles of His Kingdom in every facet of life – from education to recreation, from work to entertainment, from science to politics.
These are just a few of the biblical teachings that our Reformed tradition highlights. To discover more, see our denomination’s contemporary testimony “Our World Belongs to God” or visit “The Christian Reformed Church: What We Believe”.