Blog

On the weekend of the big game in 2007, an SOS went out to the churches of Des Moines that all the food pantry shelves in central Iowa were running on empty. Donations of food usually pour in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in the bitter winds of winter not so much. The usual strategy was for churches to encourage people to bring a few items of food to the church and other drop-off locations. But this time Pastor Mike decided that a dramatic new strategy was needed to collect food.

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Baptism is integral to the Christian life. Mark 16:16 summarizes its import: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Infant baptism has been the predominant practice of baptism for most Christians for the past 2,000 years. However, in recent years with the seismic decline in church membership, baptism has lost its relevance to an increasing number of families.

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A transformational new idea took root at the beginning of 2011 at Lutheran Church of Hope. The idea was called simply “50-50.” It first surfaced in the 20/20 Vision statement written by Pastor Mike, and since then has become foundational for the congregation.

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At the Hope Christmas services in 2008, Larry Spencer shared his Christmas story as a POW in Vietnam. Larry entered the Navy in February 1963. In early 1966, while he was serving as a radar operator in an F4B “Phantom II” jet fighter, his aircraft was shot down over North Vietnam. He was captured by the villagers and brought to the prison which would, facetiously, become known as the Hanoi Hilton.

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Lutheran Church of Hope has been preparing for this pandemic for 20 years. By making generous investments in both technological equipment and staff, Hope was able to pivot from in-person to online church overnight. With five weekend worship services, most major ministries and more than 35 online classes, Hope is a much different church today than 10 months ago.

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