Blessed Hope Exposed

Why Exposed?

How often do you have the opportunity to know the heartbeat of a church before you even step through the doors? Blessed Hope realizes that usually never happens, but we've decided it should be an option. If you think about it, visiting a church can be really superficial because you only see the surface. People expecting guests, rehearsed musicians and pastors fully prepared. The best you can do is examine the surface. However, we thought it would be awesome to reverse that trend, to show you what exists both on and below the surface. It is our prayer that by exposing Blessed Hope we will give you a greater understanding of why we are who we are, and will also give the future visit we hope you make a lot more substance.

What You Will See and Hear

It's amazing how awkward a first visit can be. You're afraid you won't know anybody or enjoy it. What if the people aren't friendly, and your children don't have a good time? The what if's can seemingly stretch to infinity. If you think about it, there is a lot of commitment involved in deciding to make a first visit. Fortunately, Blessed Hope realizes that and we want to give you a sneak peak of what you will see and hear on a first visit. The first people you'll meet will be our first impressions team. Their ministry at Blessed Hope is to let you know we're glad you're there. Next you'll be greeted by our welcome ministry. They'll offer you a visitor's card and if you take it (please do), you might as well fill it out. Now you'll find yourself in the sanctuary and just to let you know, it's typically crowded. We're in the process of creating more room so don't let that stop you.

You're probably going to notice that most people aren't wearing the typical suit and dress. It's because we're intentionally more casual. The pastor often jokes that the reason he doesn't wear a tie is because Jesus never said we had to. You'll also see that there are a lot of people over forty and a lot of people under forty. Blessed Hope believes strongly in being multi-generational. Our music is a blend of contemporary, praise & worship and some of the great traditional hymns made new by our talented band. The preaching you'll hear is both biblical and relevant. Pastor Brian believes the bible is more than historical information and that when it's correctly taught it becomes a resource for every aspect of life. At the close of each service you'll be given an opportunity to respond. Several people often choose to come forward to the altar for prayer and others feel more comfortable to pray in their seat. Our concern isn't whether you come forward to the altar or not, but whether your daily life changes because of the truth you've heard.

Handling Finances

Maybe you've heard the old saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This was our Grandparents way of saying It's better to be responsible and intentionally get things right the first time. That's true in life and Blessed Hope believes that's also true with stewarding church finances. The leadership of Blessed Hope gets just as upset as you do when we hear the bad news of religious figures or organizations mis-using money. So several years ago we created strong financial accountability by forming a finance team. Each month a group of designated members examine in detail all of our finances even including future plans and purchases. Pastors are never in possession of offerings and they never see personal gift records. This policy insures fair treatment for everyone and eliminates the tempation to cater to large donors. God said everything should be handled decently and in order, we believe this scripture also applies to finances.

Church Membership

Blessed Hope does allow people the opportunity to identify with our congregation through membership. This privilege is reserved exclusively for people who already have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However, we never pressure people to commit to membership because we fully believe if you already have a personal relationship with Jesus, you're already a part of His church. Therefore, we choose to place more emphasis on faithful attendance and a willingness to serve. Blessed Hope is just a local congregation, but the church includes every Christ follower on the the planet. They can't all possibly join Blessed Hope, but if you really want to, you can.

What About Communion?

Blessed Hope believes communion is one of the most significant acts of worship that Christians ever experience. According to scripture, it exists to call us away from the busyness of life so we can completely focus our attention on Christ. It reminds us of His sacrificial death while pointing us to His eternal love. That's why we share communion together each month as well as on special holidays.