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“Exciting” may be the best word to describe Hope’s journey. At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2002, we held our first service in the rented cafeteria of Katella High School. The floors were filthy and our worship was nestled between food-stained tables that had been hurriedly pushed aside. In the absence of musicians, we sang to Christian songs recorded from the radio. Yet even in those humble beginnings, those who were with us on Day One shared a sense of enthusiasm that this would be their church; and this could be the church to reach their family and friends. Hope was born.
After a year in that building our young congregation searched for better digs, relocating to the campus theater before finding our current home in downtown Anaheim. But that particular change brought some major adjustments, namely, requiring us to move our morning service to 5:00 Sunday nights. It was unheard of, but we were determined to make the best of things. Our promotional tag line was, “Finally, a pastor who wants you to sleep in on Sundays!”
Hope is the response of one couple who heard a call to “win this city for Christ,” and that’s the filter every decision passes through. There are lots of great ministry ideas out there, but our purpose is to impact Anaheim in particular. It’s a journey that’s continually being reshaped – sometimes subtly – but it’s our journey and we love it.
Today we find ourselves in the midst of another transition, with the addition of a second worship service on Sundays, and the sense of excitement at Hope is more real now than ever before. The journey continues.
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