Hey Hope Friends and Family -99% of the time our 9:30 and 11 worship experiences are exact replicas. However, tomorrow morning you want to be at the 11am because we are welcoming one of our brand new bishops, Bishop Bard!I'll be very excited to see you at 9:30 if that fits your schedule, and we'll make room for everyone at the later service if you'd like a chance to meet one of our new Bishops. Bi...  Read More

Dear Hope Friends and Family,Every major world religion has some version of this invitation to "do unto others" in their sacred writings. Why is this challenge so pervasive across cultures and religions, and what does it mean for our day-to-day lives?Tomorrow in worship we'll look at the background for Jesus' challenge in the New Testament. And we'll recognize that it is much harder than it sounds...  Read More

Dear Hope Family,Tuesday afternoon we launched a Bloomington-Normal Kindness Campaign with a multi-church Kindness Rally on the steps of the McLean County History Museum! All of the United Methodist Churches in town, plus 17 local politicians, came together to promote kind in this election season. Tomorrow in worship, we'll consider what that means. It's tempting to equate this to a feeling that w...  Read More

Dear Hope,Has anyone seen a child who is in a growth spurt such that the poor kid seems to be wearing high waters all the time!? It's like the height comes faster than Amazon can deliver the next right size! (Thankfully Van wears shorts in all seasons, or it would definitely appear we aren't getting him pants that fit!)That is a good metaphor for our congregation right now. We have more great oppo...  Read More

Dear Hope,The EBs live one mile from ISU and 2 blocks from IWU. Even without being on campus everyday as I once was, you can tell students are back in town! It's in the air. And I can hear the BHS marching band practicing from my back yard. All signs point to back-to-school!If I'm being real, I'm still not done with summer. Van and his D87 friends spent all day Friday at the pool while their Unit ...  Read More

Our Summer Speaker Series concludes tomorrow! Recent seminary graduate Greta Long will invite us to consider what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to "become like children" and why "grown-ups" need to take time to play. As part of this sermon, you are invited to bring fidgets (like those pictured) and other sensory toys to use during worship. We hope you will join us either in person or onli...  Read More

Hope Church has always been willing to reach people in new ways and focus on justice for those who have been harmed by other Christian communities. Although Christianity has included periods where the Church has caused harm in its nearly 2000-year history, the roots of our modern-day pursuits for justice can also be found throughout the history of Christianity. You are invited to join us either on...  Read More

Hi everyone,After a busy week of Vacation Bible School, our Summer Speaker Series continues tomorrow! Roxy DeLong, Director and Campus Minister of Merge (also known as the ISU Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist campus ministry at ISU), will be our guest preacher. We hope you will join us in person or online at 9:30 or 11 to hear what Roxy has to say about her work with college students and ab...  Read More

Dear Hope,How many times in your life have you wondered -- what is next? Going back is not an option and whatever you do next will be new. Tomorrow's question is "where do we go from here?" That IS a question we as a faith community have asked more than once! It's a question we face as eras in our lives come to end - from the joy of graduations to the grief of losing a loved one to the loss of a j...  Read More

Dear Hope Friends,First a quick financial update: You might recall our monthly recurring gifts took a hit post-COVID, and didn't cover our monthly bills when we came back. We cut costs while also finding a new church home and preparing for growth. Thankfully, we found a home! We still aren't covering our monthly bills, but the gifts from our "Open the Doors" Campaign have bridged some of those gap...  Read More

Why take time for worship during busy summer weekends!? The best reason tomorrow is that Namoli Brennet will be with us!! She is an incredible musician who spent a season as Hope's worship leader with a new album out called The Poet Tree: https://namolibrennet.com/.This weekend we are shuttling between baseball and weddings and grandparents and swimming ... AND I can't for worship tomorrow morning...  Read More

Dear Hope Friends,Responding to a study that not quite half of all US Americans reported feeling burned out immediately after vacation, we are taking a moment to look into the spiritual resources available to us. Last week we considered the importance of 24 hours of Sabbath in our rhythm of rest and work. Tomorrow we are going to look at additional spiritual resources for finding renewal. We'll co...  Read More