Our Church

What To Expect When Visiting Living Hope

If you are visiting Living Hope for the first time, it is important to us that you feel at home. On your arrival, there will be someone at the main door who will welcome you with a smile and a handshake.  They will be able to direct you to the room where we meet and will be able to answer any questions you may have including questions about the nursery or the location of the bathrooms.

There are also ushers available in the room where we worship who will be able to answer those questions and also hand you a bulletin that has information about the content of our worship service.

After the services there is a time of gathering together, encouraging one another and simply getting to know each other. After the morning service there is also tea, coffee and snacks available.  As a church, we have a deep desire to see our children grow in their faith.  In order to nurture such growth, the children participate in a Bible centered Sunday school program from September to June every year.

Every so often we like to come together for a potluck meal (usually once a season). Please feel free to join us if you happen to turn up at a potluck dinner, you are more than welcome. There is always plenty of home cooking to go around.

Why We Meet Together

God has called His people to gather together as a family to worship Him. Therefore, we meet every Sunday at 9:30am and 3:30pm to give Him thanks and gratitude because He has freed us from the guilt of our sinful lives and given us a new identity as children of God.

Our worship service consists of singing hymns of praise, a time of prayer, an opportunity to confess our sin privately to God and to be reminded of His forgiveness, teaching from the Bible (Old and New Testament), a time of communion and a time together in fellowship after the service.

We believe that these times of worship together are for everybody, young and old. However, we are also aware that it can sometimes be challenging for small children and their parents. We provide a nursery for infants and toddlers (up to 3 years old) for the duration of the worship service.

History of Living Hope

Living Hope became a church in 2001. Like any church plant we have had our growing pains and periods of great encouragement.  Up until 2018, we were a mission work of our sister congregation Grace Covenant Church in Sheffield, Ontario. Our Teaching Elder (Pastor Doug Bylsma) was initially ordained as a Ruling Elder of Living Hope in 2003.  After obtaining his seminary degree, he was called by the congregation, and ordained as her Teaching Elder in March of 2011. In 2018 we became an independent congregation, no longer under the direct oversight of Grace Covenant. Our ministry continues to grow.

As a church, we are passionate about discipleship and being an encouragement to each other. For those who have particular struggles, one of our Ruling Elders, Michael Short is a trained Biblical Counsellor and is more than willing to walk alongside those who need help.

We are also passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. Our church is actively involved in our community through participation in various community events such as the West Niagara Community Care Food Drive and the Coldest Night of the Year.  We also support various other local, national and international ministries.

Our Name and Logo

The name “Living Hope” is drawn from 1 Peter 1:3 which states:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

A Christian does not worship a wise teacher, an itinerant preacher who walked the earth some 2000 years ago.  We don’t worship a moral man, who gave good pointers on life.  Nor do we worship a martyr, a man dying for His convictions.  We worship a resurrected King, who, though He was crucified and died, on the third day he came back to life and walked out of His tomb.

His resurrection is the assurance that all will one day rise from the dead.   Those who continue to reject the gospel, living a life of self-serving  sin will rise to everlasting condemnation.  But those who have put their trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins will receive the gift of eternal life.

Our logo captures the atoning death of Christ through the crown of thorns that was placed on Christ’s head at His crucifixion.  The green plant, a symbol of life, grows out of the crown of thorns. Through His death, and through His resurrection from the dead, we have our “living hope,” through all that Christ has accomplished for us.