City of Hope Church

Community

In this Page:

• Community Care Small Groups
• Bible Study & Fellowship
• Youth Explosion
• Membership
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Other Serving Opportunities
• Missional Team
• Other Resources

Community Care Small Groups

Our Thoughts on Small Groups

Small groups are the primary place for biblical care and discipleship.

While some congregations have small groups, our congregation is small groups. Small groups serve as the nervous system of a local church. In them, the gospel is used to motivate people towards richer relationship with God. In them, the gospel is a balm to apply to the wounds we incur in this broken world. In them, the gospel is used to call and motivate people into the service of God's kingdom. In response to God's grace, people are urged to develop lives of moral beauty, integrity, and other-centeredness and to discover and use their gifts to carry out ministry both within the congregation and to the world.

So our Community Small Groups will provide:

A place to meet with and experience Jesus Christ in our midst –

The primary goal for small groups is to experience Jesus Christ in our midst in his presence and power. We desire Christ through His Spirit to transform and change our lives as individuals, as small communities, and through us, the larger communities of which we are apart.

A place for fellowship and friendship -

Fellowship can be defined as seeking to share with others what God has made know to you while letting them share with you what they know of him as a means of finding strength, refreshment, and instruction for one's soul. We desire to provide open, real and safe places that enable people to encourage and serve one another, to rejoice and weep with one another, and to correct, instruct, sing to, edify, accept and love one another. There is no better way to put oneself in a position to fulfill these commands than by becoming part of a small group. These groups also serve as a key to integrate people who join our community.

A place where gifts are exercised –

Small groups are a place where spiritual gifts are discovered and exercised within the group itself, within the larger church, and to the world. They are a place where a vision for ministry and service are developed.

A place to discover Christianity –

Small groups are a place where individuals who are seeking truth can be invited and encouraged to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They serve as a place to remind one another of our call to share the good news of the gospel and pray for those with whom we are building relationships with in our lives.

Time & Location

Columbia Small Group
Topic: Acts
When: Saturday - twice a month (see Calendar for specific dates)
Location: The Rickett Home
Contact: Jeff and Val Rickett

Columbia Small Group
Topic: Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road
When: Saturdays - twice a month (see Calendar for specific dates).
Location: The Ince Home
Contact: Irwyn Ince

Ellicott City Small Group
Topic: 2 Timothy
Beginning Soon: A dvd/discussion series on marriage
When: 7:00 pm, every other Friday (see Calendar for specific dates)
Location: the Horrock's house
Contact: Dave Horrocks

Laurel Small Group
Topic: Hebrews
When: 7:00 pm on the 2nd & 4th Mondays of each month
Location: the McMahon's house
Contact: Tom and Alyson Miller

Youth Explosion

A youth ministry designed to equip our youth to grow in their understanding of the Gospel, minister to others, make God-honoring choices, and share the good news of Jesus Christ through:

• Bible Study
• Discipleship
• Fellowship
• Witness
• Service

Bible Study & Fellowship

Women's Bible Study

Men's Fellowship

Membership

Membership at City of Hope

Becoming a member (process)

Whether if you've recently become a Christian or if you're currently a member of another church and you'd like to transfer your membership to City of Hope, the process is essentially the same:

1. Newcomers Brunch
   The first step in the membership process is to attend the Newcomers Brunch we offer the third Sunday of each month. Here we will share with you the vision and values of City of Hope church as well as meet some of our folks.
   
   After you have come to the brunch and have expressed an interest in joining the church, you will be asked to fill out a Membership Application and sign a commitment form based on the Five Membership Questions.
2. Elder Interviews
   You will then be scheduled for an interview with the pastors/elders of City of Hope Church. (Married couples will be interviewed together.) This will be a time for our pastors/elders to get to know you and to hear about your experience of Christ and your desire to join City of Hope Church. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have about the church.
3. Reception at Worship (and Baptism)
   Once you're approved for membership by City of Hope's Session (ruling elders and pastors), you will be received formally during a Sunday worship service. During this service, you will take your membership vows (affirm the Five Questions) and receive the sacrament of baptism, if you have not yet done so in a Christian church.

For questions or additional information about our membership process, please contact Pastor Jeff.

Volunteer Opportunities

"In-house" opportunities for serving are available in areas of:

• Interested in volunteering at COH? We have opportunities for enthusiastic and committed volunteers as needs and events arise.
• Sunday School volunteers are needed to help teach our children each week for an hour before the Sunday service. Contact Martin & Laurie Gallagher.
• The Setup Team needs volunteers. This is a great way for anyone to get involved. It entails showing up early one Sunday per 2-3 months, and hauling stuff from our storage closet to the sanctuary etc. It's not hard and anyone can do it (but you'll still be special if you do!). Contact Mike Randolph this week to get involved.
• Have a heart for the homeless? Want to serve the City of Hope congregation in a tangible way? We need help coordinating our monthly meals for Grassroots Homeless Shelter. For more info, contact Denise Ai.
• Do you like to pour wine? The Communion Team is looking for some recruits to arrive early to the service, and pour wine and juice. We also have opportunities to make the Communion bread. This would be a once to every two-months or so commitment. Email Val Rickett for more info.
• The Music Team Wants You! Are you an alto, tenor, drummer, or other musician? Do you have experience or training in music?
  Contact Irwyn Ince irwyn@cityofhopechurch.net to serve on the music team.

Other Serving Opportunities

Community opportunities for serving are available in areas of:

* See the Mercy Ministries and/or Announcements pages for more community volunteer opportunities.

As a community-driven church, City of Hope depends on its members and regular attenders to be involved, and use their gifts.

As a church "serving and transforming Columbia and beyond," City of Hope wants to learn to love and serve our city.

Missional Team

Mercy Ministries

As Christians, we show mercy to others because of the radical mercy God showed us through Christ. When we begin to realize we need God's grace constantly and desperately, not only once for salvation, we will begin to see ourselves mirrored in the physically and emotionally needy. Acts of love and mercy will flow naturally out of and testify to a heart changed by Christ's love.

As the Church, our mercy should mirror God's mercy to us in Christ, thus reflecting the Gospel to those we serve. This mercy is sacrificial, relational, honoring, and meets people where they are but does not leave them there. The organizations that the Missional Team has principally partnered with seek to embody these principles.

The current organizations we have relationship with are as follows:

• Grassroots Crisis Prevention and Homeless Shelter (www.grassrootscrisis.org): The mission of this agency is to provide shelter for the homeless people and families in Howard County. Additonally, it desires to create the opportunity for people in crisis and need to make positive empowering changes in their lives by being a 24 hour resource responding helpfully and professionally, while recognizing each person's individuality and dignity.
• Volunteer Howard County (www.volunteerhoward.org): The mission of this organization is to stimulate and expand volunteerism in the community through connecting people to nonprofit and public agencies in order to improve the quality of life for all people in Howard County.
• Christian Jail Ministry (www.christianjailministry.org): The mission of this agency is to minister to the personal, social, and spiritual needs of inmates at the Howard County Detention Center, their families, Detention Center Staff, and volunteers involved with inmates.
• Helping Up Mission (www.helpingupmission.org): Largest long-term residential recovery program in Baltimore metro area, helping 210 men in their efforts to overcome homelessness, alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness.
• Domestic Violence Center (www.dvcenter.org): The mission of this agency is to eliminate domestic violence in the county by providing shelter, counseling and advocacy, increasing community awareness and changing social attitudes. The DVC believes that it is the right of every individual to live free from the fear of abuse.
• Friends of the Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway (www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org): The mission of this organization is to connect people with the natural, environmental, historic, cultural, and recreational assets of the Patapsco in ways that interpret, preserve, and enhance those assets and peoples awareness, understanding and appreciation of them.

The Missonal Team exercises our faith in Columbia and surrounding areas through deeds of mercy to those in need. We have connected with established organizations, ministering to disadvantaged communities all over the area. The Missonal team facilitates opportunities to get involved with these organizations at all levels of commitment-from occasional events to more regular or long-term activities that will allow you to develop relationships and more deeply impact a community. Contact Pastor Jeff for more information.

Other Resources

• View our Photo Gallery
• View Calendar of Events
• City of Hope Church Blog
• Pastor Irwyn's blog