Has Hope Community Church made an impact on your life? How would your life be different if you’d never come to Hope? To help celebrate our 20th anniversary, we want to share how Jesus has changed and saved lives at Hope over the past two decades. So give us your story! We may edit it a little, and then post it here to show the world what God is doing at Hope.
10/13/2008
I remember my mom bringing my brother and I to Hope when I was about seven. It didn’t look like a church to me, since it was in a shopping center. Over time I learned that while most congregations dressed up and didn't have bands that looked like ZZ Top… read the rest of the story.
10/13/2008
I remember my mom bringing my brother and I to Hope when I was about seven. It didn’t look like a church to me, since it was in a shopping center. Over time I learned that while most congregations dressed up and didn't have bands that looked like ZZ Top … this one did. If there was no Hope, I believe that my outlook of God’s church and how people interacted with Him would be different.
When I was old enough I started going to youth activities pretty regularly. Every Wednesday night, we would get together for Life and every Sunday Morning we would get together for Sunday School. That was about the only consistent thing about it because it seemed that every other month we were changing our location. We met at a bus barn, an unused space in a strip mall, the basement of a bank, a space next to the local newspaper, a tent, a hallway, the school, somebody’s house, the recreational building at the park… If there was no Hope, I probably never would have learned that “church” is not confined to some particular building.
When I was in eighth grade, Shane encouraged all the youth to go to the State Youth Convention. So I did. I can’t tell you much about it except for two things. First, there was this comedian there that made me laugh so hard I about wet my pants. Second, if there was no Hope, I would not have received my call to ministry that weekend.
Through out high school I had the same identity crises as any other teenager. Who to be, what to identify yourself with, how to spend my free time … What I found was that, while being
the biggest nerd you have ever seen, there was always a place for me to be whoever I was at Hope. I could bleach my hair and wear tube socks with the color stripes (I told you I was a big nerd) and nobody would demean me. Instead, I received acclimation for being my own person and loving and serving those around me. If there was no Hope, I’m positive that someone would have told that weird teenage kid he was an idiot, and would have put a damper on my heart that was already struggling with whether or not to pursue that call to ministry.
When I graduated high school I volunteered time with the middle school ministry since I had stayed at home and enrolled at the local community college. The amazing times I had with the students and the encouraging words I received from parents warmed my heart towards youth ministry, but when Shane told me that he truly believed in me and offered me an internship working with the youth group it was like somebody shot a six pack of Red Bull into my heart and I was ready to run a marathon for youth ministry. If there was no Hope, I would have never been invested in and shown how to use my talents for the ministry for which I was called.
Later I attended Mid-America Christian University, and after three years graduated with a degree in Specialized Ministry. I'm now pursuing a job in full-time youth ministry. This has been the most
stressful time of my life. There have been times when I believe I know where I’m supposed to be, but find I was wrong. I've often felt like a wreck, anxiety mounting, just waiting. At times it was unbearable. But I came to realize that even after three years of detachment, I still had family. People who loved me and prayed for me. People who invited me into their homes to eat and play games with their kids. People who let me sleep on their couches and use their washing machines as I waited for the next appointment. People who just opened up their home and invited me to relax. I experienced the kind of community that is written about in Acts 2, the kind that God intended, the kind that can only be described as beautiful. If there was no Hope, I would have never known this, and I don’t believe I could have made it through this time in my life.
In short, If there was no Hope, I would not be the person I am today.
I love you all. Thank you.
Kyle Creel
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