This year we hope to become "a church beyond the walls" that looks beyond the attitude walls of our desire for comfort, safety, and security of the familiar, to go beyond the physical walls of a building-centered ministry, and reach across relational walls to people who are not like us for the sake of the gospel.

My hope for the church is that she truly remain the HOPE of the World! May our compassion and grace be the hallmarks of our mission. May the truth of our message bring repentance and freedom. May the Spirit of our lives bring liberty and life. May the generosity of our members provide food, clothing, shelter and dignity to others. May the love of Christ be on display to the world in the same way Jesus displayed to us..."For God showed off his love toward us, in that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us.". May our judgment of truth help us remain doctrinally pure. May our reservation of judgement of others help us love unconditionally. I HOPE!

That CHRIST'S body, the church universal will wake up and realize that we need to be walking with and as our Savior did, period. Forget the buildings, programs, money, Sunday talent shows, and the corruption that is rotting the church from within; we, the church, need to live as what we are, CHRIST'S Body, an extension of Jesus CHRIST, Himself to a world that is perishing in darkness. As individuals, we need to live with integrity, moral purity, self-sacrifice and self-denial, love one another, and look to our Savior and GOD for mercy when we fail. As His corporate body, we need to love one another and have compassion, instead of judgment for and on those who are blind because they do not know or follow our Savior. My hope for CHRIST'S Church is unfailing, as He has said it will not fail, He will triumph, to the glory of GOD, our Father!

My hope for the Church is we would see ourselves as partners with others who share our faith in Christ; that we would encourage each other and that we would not shrink back from sharing Christ even if we are persecuted. I pray unbelievers would be drawn to Christ because of the unity of the Church with Christ and with each other, because of our love and purity, and because we speak the truth to each other and to them.

My hope is that the church in America will continue to care about unreached people in the world, and look with hope toward every person who hasn't had an effective witness of the gospel. My hope is that the church would be a multigenerational community that will model wholeness and family for our fractured society. My hope is that we will embrace diversity (1 Cor 12) and show grater honor to those who are weak or different than us. My hope is that we will focus more on sharing the grace of God than receiving it.

My hope is that the church would become what God has called it to be -- a people set apart to reveal the glory and goodness of God, to be His instrument of blessing and transformation for this world.

Hope for the Church is in effect a hope for an eternal life with our Creator. That was St. Paul's intent and it should be ours. And all that that hope is so terribly contingent on that other mighty virtue..FAITH. If as it oft time seems that the "world has lost its way", then quite probably it has lost its FAITH. That gift of a real and vibrant personal Faith must take some sort of lead as we all pass thru time and space. Else we may very well come to the conclusion that this bodily life is the sum of our individual existence. Then we shall find ourselves singing the words of an old Peggy Lee song..."is that all there is?"

My hope for the church is that we will once again become united in our efforts to bring Christ to our communities and to show the people a God who loves them. When we cannot work together because of doctrinal and ecclesiastical differences how can we show others that we know the love of God, which supersedes these very differences that separate us. We need to show the world that we are one in the love of Christ and that we are united in our belief that he is the only Way, Truth, and Life that leads us to the Father.

My hope is to see unity among Churches. To see Churches strip themselves of denominations and no longer be divided. The division among churches have caused much grief among people searching for the Lord because they are not sure which denomination is right.How can Christianity seem good when churches are fighting among themselves over petty doctrines such as tongues, gifts, should women be pastors when we all should be focusing on Jesus Christ our Lord, author and perfecter of our faith. My hope is to see churches take care of it's sheep and help them and also to have a desire to reach out to the lost.

My hope is the church would err more on the side of grace than on the side of judgement as Christ did.