About 3 years ago, Danielle and I moved back to Virginia after spending our first 10 years of marriage out of state. When we decided to move back, we were excited because we were much closer to both of our families, but there was also a deeper sense in our hearts that God was bringing us back home for another purpose. Church planting here in America has been on our hearts for years, but we just haven’t been sure of the timing or the place. So we plugged in to a local church in Christiansburg, VA as we waited for God’s direction and His timing. In December of last year, we began praying with a couple of other families about church planting in the New River Valley. As we fasted and prayed, God began to birth in us the vision for Hope Valley Church.
For years I have been burdened over the lostness and brokenness of people all around us. Our community, like yours, is full of people searching for hope in all the wrong places. I have heard the questions again and again. “Is there hope for my marriage? For my children, my finances, or for my addiction? Is there any hope?” The incredible truth is that there is hope! But it’s not found in a self-help book, or an expensive counselor, or a job promotion, or some new program. It’s only found in Jesus! Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He sets the captives free. He heals. He restores. He comforts. He redeems and He forgives. Jesus is the hope of the world, our valley, and He’s the hope for you and me. So God put in us a burning desire to reach our valley with the hope that is only found in Jesus. That desire propelled us to start a new gospel centered church in Christiansburg. We have a simple mission: to see our valley changed by the gospel, trained in the gospel, and sent out with the gospel. We want to be a church that aggressively pursues the mission that Jesus gave us- to make disciples locally and globally. One distinctive of Hope Valley is that everything we do funnels through our weekly home groups that we call Hope Communities. These groups function as “little churches” and drive our discipleship, fellowship, inreach and outreach. We want to be intentional every time we gather together so each of our group meetings are structured around a 3 dimensional focus: Up, In and Out.
On Sunday’s, all our groups come together for a large group worship gathering to celebrate what God is doing in and through our Hope Communities.
We are just getting started and still figuring things out, but we are excited about what God is doing! We are currently meeting at Christiansburg Middle School on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. If you are near by, feel free to drop in and join us!
Please pray for us as we begin this journey. Here are some specific ways you can be praying:
- For the Holy Spirit to go before us in our community and prepare hearts to hear and respond to the gospel.
- For the unchurched and people far from God to turn and believe in Jesus.
- For the gospel to spread as we make disciples and multiply throughout the valley and beyond.
- For disciples to grow into disciple makers.
- For more laborers to join us in the mission.
For more information, visit our website at nrvhope.com
– Jared
