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ABOUT COMMUNITY OF HOPE
WE ARE A CHURCH FAMILY CENTERED IN CHRIST'S LOVE THAT GIVES HOPE TO THE WORLD
OUR HISTORY
Community of Hope was started as a mission congregation by about thirty faithful believers. The mission developer/pastor was Pastor Muriel Peterson. Worship was initially held at Frog Pong Grange Hall on Stafford Road in the fall of 1991. The Church’s desire was to serve the Lord and the people of the community through the Love of Christ.
As our church grew, we moved to Boeckman Creek School and become officially organized in November of 1992. The congregation continued to grow, and in 1997 Pastor Peterson left to start a new church in Georgia. When Pastor Doug Adams came to Community of Hope in 1998, the church was looking for a permanent location. In 2000 we purchased our current four acre site on Stafford Road and built the first phase; a sanctuary and classroom hall. As the church grew with more children and adult ministries, we added the east wing classrooms in 2009.
Pastor Doug retired in 2018, and Pastor John Foss was called to serve at Hope.
We are grateful to the Lord that over the years we provide our church facility for our own use as well as community uses. What is still most important to us is our desire to serve the Lord and the people in our community through the Love of Christ and his blessings.
KNOW
JESUS
Our main mission is to bring people into deeper relationship with the Lord. That they might KNOW him and have a personal relationship with him.
GROW
IN FAITH
Faith is a continuous learning process. We believe we are strengthened as we GROW alongside other believers and their faith stories.
GO
SHARE ABOUT JESUS
With our knowledge and trusting in our faith we believe we are called to GO and build relationships with people outside the church.
OUR VISION, VALUES, & BELIEFS
Community of Hope Vision
To help people know, grow, and go out with the love of Christ
We are a church that is Christian/Lutheran (Colossians 3:17)
COH is a church that first and foremost serves/honors Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is guided by God’s Spirit. We desire in every ministry/activity/program that Jesus Christ be glorified and the power of His love shared. We are a member of the LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) and as such are grateful for our Lutheran heritage and draw from it substantially while also recognizing valuable insights about ministry from other Christian congregations/denominations.
We are a church that follows Christ as our Lord & Example (Galatians 5:22-25)
COH believes that all people need to have a personal faith relationship with Jesus Christ and need to grow in faith. We believe that Jesus can and does change lives and through following Him, our spirits are shaped by Him and we are filled with God’s love.
We are a church that is committed to Outreach to the Unchurched (Luke 19:10)
COH has two equally important goals: to help people come to faith in Jesus Christ and to help people of faith grow in Christ and go out serving God. We will welcome and minister to people who come to us and we will find ways to go out to minister to people in need outside the walls of the church.
We are a church that Relies on God’s Word (II Timothy 3:16-17)
COH is a church that believes that God’s Word is Truth for our lives and that the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ is revealed through the scriptures. God uses the scriptures to guide and encourage us in faith and we are committed to faithfully preaching and teaching His Word to young and old, new and mature in faith. As an example, we believe God’s Word teaches that the gift of sex is to be honored between a husband and wife in the covenant of marriage.
We are a church that values Dynamic Worship (John 4:25)
COH believes that worship is essential for life. Worship is fullest when we come with an attitude to give (praise and thanks) and receive (grace and insights). We provide worship services that blend traditional music/ practices with contemporary music and communication resources.
We are a church that values Supportive Fellowship (Acts 2:44-47)
COH is a church that values the warmth that comes from personal relationships, where people freely share God’s love. It is important that every person have a place to belong and to meet together for mutual support. We also know it’s important for the whole congregation to have events to come together on a regular basis.
We are a church that believes in Every Member Ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13)
COH believes that every Christian is gifted by God with spiritual gifts and natural talents to serve in ministry inside and outside the church. It is the role of the pastor/staff to equip each member for ministry. We are committed to staffing to support growth to increase the number of lay people in ministry leadership.
COH believes that God is faithful and generous and will provide for us. As a church, we believe in giving a tithe of our offerings to Christian work outside the congregation. We encourage every member to trust God and joyfully give a proportion of income (up to a tithe), as able, for the work and vision of the congregation.
We are a church that is committed to Faithful Giving (II Corinthians 9:6-10)
COH is committed to seeking and following God’s vision for the future of our congregation. We will be pro-active in planning, visioning and praying, seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit in all we do. The Church Council, Vision Team and Staff are responsible for overseeing the vision process.
We are a church that relies upon the Holy Spirit’s Guidance (John 16:12-13)
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
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Pastor – John Foss
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President – Brenda Melum
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Vice President – Greg Lundeen
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Secretary – Robin Weisshaar
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Treasurer – Chuck Benson
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Outreach Team – Chad Ellis
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Social Concerns Team – Dan Dahle
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Property Team – Dave Snodderly
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Worship Team – Bj Shrock
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Adult Ministry & Fellowship – Ruth Riskedahl
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Children & Youth Ministry – Julie Foltz
JOHN FOSS
Pastor
Pastor John started serving as a Pastor in 1996. He came to Community of Hope in 2018. John was born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota and Washington state. He graduated from the Lutheran Bible Institute in Issaquah, WA and seminary in St. Paul, MN. He is married to Sarah, and they have four children: Megan, Joshua, Andrew, and Caleb. John has served churches in Hawthorne, CA, Bremerton, WA, and Aliso Viejo, CA. In his free time he loves
to travel with his family and surf, even in
the cold Oregon ocean!
DANA EATON
Church Administrator
Dana and her family are native Oregonians and have been active members of Community of Hope since 1995. Dana joined the Community of Hope staff in 2013 as the Church Administrator/Office Manager. She oversees church operations and bookkeeping and for several years was Director of Children’s Ministry. Dana and her husband, Tim, have a son and daughter and have all enjoyed serving in a variety of ministry areas.
DAVE MEADOR
Director of Youth & Kids Ministries
Dave was born in Texas, was called to the ministry at 16, and graduated from Dallas Baptist University. He has served in a variety of ministries in Texas, Colorado, and Oregon. Dave plans to return to seminary and focus on a degree in family ministries. He has been married to Tisa for over 30 years and they have two adult children: Zachary and Lyndsey. Dave loves to spend time on the Oregon coast hiking and fossil hunting, but most of all praising God for His incredible creation!
IAN CHAPMAN
Worship Ministry
Ian started attending Community of Hope in 2000. He spent many years playing bass as a volunteer for the worship team. In the fall of 2022, he stepped up as the acting worship director. He is a teacher at a local middle school. He has two kids who are active in the life of the church. He enjoys playing music and spending time with his family.
HILLARY FERNÁNDEZ
Communications
Hillary grew up in West Linn and has a background in education. She has attended Community of Hope since she was in middle school. She graduated from Linfield College in 2014 with an English major and Spanish and Education double minor. She spent two years teaching in the Dominican Republic after she graduated from college. Hillary manages the church communications. Her and her husband, Juan, enjoy serving together.