New Hope church was planted near an old Printworks factory with a vision for incarnational ministry to the local community. It includes a group of Terraced houses that people live in for 3-5 years to establish Christ-centred community within the church and the local area.

 

Since it was planted in 2001, the community around New Hope has changed dramatically. Since the start of 2019, the church has been prayerfully seeking God’s will for how its ministry can best match the changing context.

 

In January 2019 the congregation heard God calling the church to stop, let go, and “let the vineyard go fallow.” In the following years we’ve been through a difficult season of uprooting. The more we’ve been uprooted, though, the clearer God’s call has become: to let go of everything we cling to, in our church and in our own lives, to cling to Christ alone. He’s inviting us to return to ancient paths, to work out the fullness of discipleship across our entire weeks.

 

At the start of this year (2024), we collectively let go of our old ways of doing church, deciding to take things right back to the basics. We stopped our traditional format of Sunday services, adopting a more home-church style of gathering focussed on group bible study. We’re deepening in friendship and discipleship, and slowly working out how to share more of life together as we support one another in following Christ. 

 

From here, we don’t know where God will lead us! All are welcome to join on this journey.