Our Story

Dear Friends,

It was about a year ago when God interrupted and disrupted our church and turned it upside down. And He did that by finally answering a nine year prayer! We started out a small church of twenty members and fervently prayed for Him to grow our church. We grew spiritually as our faith matured. We grew in our worship to Him, and as our praise lifted us up into His presence, that became one of the “sweet spots” in our service every Sunday. We grew liturgically as we began to celebrate the Eucharist every week and added prayers and creeds from the earliest Christian church. Most importantly, we grew in our love of God and in our love for each other. We thanked God for growing our faith and continued to pray that He would also grow us numerically. And then God answered our prayer. 

We had started a Wednesday service at an assisted living facility that added about 30 people to our church. Then, about ten months later, fewer people were attending the Sunday service. For many different reasons. Old age that left some homebound. Death. Some no longer wanting to drive the 45 round-trip miles from the western part of the valley to Sylmar. And sadly, some even left because they felt we were wasting our time and finances by holding a mid-week service at an assisted living facility. When the Sunday service became unsustainable and we were unable to afford our rent, New Hope Family Church transitioned to holding just the one service on Wednesday.

God did not answer our prayer according to our plans for New Hope Family Church, He turned us upside down by answering our prayer according to His plans and purposes for us. He grew the church His way. I remember being overjoyed when we’d have 23-24 people at a holiday service. Last Christmas, we had over 80 residents, their families and the caretaker staff at our service. Thanks be to God! There are different populations of people at this assisted living facility. Permanent residents, some of whom have been living here for many years and who make up the core of our church. There have also been many residents who have come, stayed for awhile, and then moved on to a nursing home or a different type of facility when their physical or mental health had changed. There’s even a third group of residents who are placed here by Social Services for a week or two until a more permanent housing solution can be found and we often have two or three of these temporary residents in every service. In the two years we’ve been here, we’ve had the opportunity to bring the Gospel message of Jesus to hundreds of people. And, God gets all the glory!

When I arrived for the service last Wednesday, paramedics were getting ready to load one of our church members in the rescue ambulance and they stopped while I blessed her and said a quick prayer for her. God has given Pastor Manuel and me the opportunity to come alongside people at their greatest point of need and bring them into the presence of God. Pastor Manuel was by a woman’s side when her beloved husband died. They are surrounded by death and all are in the last season of their life. All have moderate to severe health issues. In our service, 80% of them are in wheelchairs. Many of the residents had developed physical or mental difficulties to the point that they had become a burden on their family and they have simply been sent here to die. Only a very few of the residents have family that ever visits them. The first Wednesday we were there, a woman told me, “We’ve been praying for someone from the outside to come and visit us.” It has been nearly two years since we started the Wednesday service and people with tears in their eyes thank us every Wednesday for bringing them their church. Many feel they’ve been abandoned by their family and they know they can count on us to be there for them. We’ve been there every Wednesday. 

The caretaker staff has told us that Wednesdays and Sundays are the one day the residents look forward to because it’s “church day.” We sense the peace of God descend upon this place when we open the service and have observed that many of those with serious dementia who shout, scream or act out, are calm and at peace when they’re in the church service. The songs, scripture and prayers quiet their inner demons, unlock their disintegrating mind and they become “present” in the presence of God. The caretakers have told us that the residents who attend the church service are happier and are making a positive difference in the facility’s social environment. There used to be very limited interaction between the residents. Off by themselves, alone and afraid in their own troubled world, they seldom, if ever, talked with one another. People now reach out to each other, talk about their struggles and encourage each other. I’ve been told that a group of Spanish-speaking women started their own church fellowship group. The oldest resident, 104 year old, Cleo, (now passed on to be with Jesus) would hold a Bible study in her room. We’ve also been connecting people with each other outside of the Wednesday service. We use our big screen, professional sound system and video projector to show old, classic movies every month. It’s their “Saturday Movie Matinee” and they love it.

When your family makes the decision to place you in a residential home for seniors, your life, as you know it, has been ended. Your home and all those things in it that you so enjoyed are gone. There are so many things you miss. Your pets. Your friends. Your freedom to go wherever you wanted. If your family does visit you, it's never often enough. You miss them...

You miss your church. Sunday had always been the day you looked forward to. As you got older, church became even more important to you. It was where you connected with God and connected with church friends. You miss the hymns and worship music that seemed to draw you into the presence of God and give you comfort and peace. You miss hearing the Word of God read. You miss the sermons that would encourage and enlighten you and help you to grow in your faith. You miss Holy Communion – that most intimate time with your Heavenly Father. You miss the fellowship of other believers who loved and cared for you and prayed for you...

We can’t give them back their home, their possessions, their pets or their family. But we can give them church. We are still New Hope Family Church and yes our church “family” looks a little different these days. A little older and grayer. A little more infirm. A little poorer. And a lot more diverse and inclusive! We have devout Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Pentecostals worshiping right next to each other on a Wednesday. That’s a foretaste of the glory of Heaven, (Rev 7:9) and for nearly all of them, New Hope Family Church will be the last church they’ll attend before they too will enter the Kingdom of Heaven to be with Jesus. At this point in their life, the most common fear is the fear of death, and through the grace of God, they have now been given a new hope in Christ. That’s why God called us to this place. To save souls and change lives. To hold their hand during this life transition. They are precious people and I love every one of them. Thank you Lord for reforming the ministry of New Hope Family Church into Your plans and purposes for us. Thank you Lord for answered prayers! To God be all the glory and honor and praise forever and ever. Amen!