Connect with Hope

by Emilie VanDis
PowerLife Coordinator

PowerLife just wrapped up for the year with our confirmation services on May 6.

There always manages to be a tear in my eye as I watch the eighth-graders move into Hope’s high school ministry, and grow into men and women inspired by what the Holy Spirit has done in their lives.

The last couple Wednesdays leading up to confirmation, I had the opportunity to sit in on the students’ faith statement readings. Faith statements are written by each student and reveal their beliefs, struggles, praises and determination to keep God close to their hearts. Check out a few quotes from some of them:

“God tends to challenge me when I’m at my worst or not expecting it. But that’s one of his ways for making me become stronger …”

“I was made in God’s image and couldn’t be better in God’s eyes. He has given me the assurance I will never be alone, the promise I will always be loved and the voice that believes in me each step of the way.”

“Faith in Jesus to me means an endless friend that brings peace and may not always give you what you want but when he does something it is because he has a plan for you.”

Every spring when we take these students on a retreat to guide them and turn their focus to writing their statements, we remind
them that every person has a faith statement: a story of what they believe and the effect their beliefs have on their lives. Their stories
matter.  Their stories tell the truth about where they’re at with God.  Their stories are authentic, real and bold.

Have you thought about your story lately? Have you thought about the ways God has breathed into your life, bringing you to where you stand now?

The path weaving throughout your story may be rocky at times. Do you realize that although rocky, someone might be able to identify with you?

Your story is not only an opportunity to connect as a body of believers, but also a chance to witness to someone who needs to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 says to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 

Your “answer” is your story! So, go ahead, grab a cup of coffee, a blank page of your journal (or laptop-however you roll!), and find a
spot to brag about what God has done in your life!

And remember that your story doesn’t stop here. It continues to evolve and reveal the awesome goodness of our big God.

by Merv Thompson
Teaching pastor

For several years, Mission Rio Grande has engaged the imaginations and passions of a number of people from Lutheran Church of Hope, causing them to travel to Mexican border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Partnering with Pastor Rosemary Sanchez-Guzman and members of her Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey congregation, team members have undertaken myriad projects, construction, painting, maintenance, as well as sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, children’s ministry and personal relationships.

During the most recent 2011 sojourn, Pastor Sanchez-Guzman, while expressing deep appreciation to all team members for their many gifts of love and service, challenged them to now go back to West Des Moines, to Lutheran Church of Hope, look in our back yard and discern how God might use them to reach out to Latinos in our own community.  It is wonderful to be missionaries in foreign lands, so much is needed; but that does not mean we should ignore the needs at home, just down the street and across the town.

The team was so moved by Pastor Sanchez-Guzman’s Spirit-filled words that someone immediately sent a message via Facebook to Senior Pastor Mike Housholder, repeating the challenge from Pastor Rosemary and informing him that the team was now returning home on fire for beginning a ministry for Latinos. Even though it was late at night (does the man ever sleep?), Mike replied clearly and unequivocally, “I am totally in favor of your vision, go for it.” Amen and Amen.

As soon as the team arrived back in West Des Moines an appointment was made with Chief Ministry Officer Gus Gustafson. He was equally as encouraging. “Whatever I can do to help you in this venture I will do,” he promised. He explained, The next step for you is to begin to pray and come up with an action plan to bring to the Lutheran Church of Hope church council. What made it such a God thing is that when word started to spread about this new ministry, new people just showed up to be a part of the time, some of them bilingual, some with deep resumes of working with Latinos in the past.

Some of the content of the action plan was as follows:

Aim-Agenda. “To bring God’s Word to people in their language, creating an opportunity for people to worship and learn and grow regardless of any language barriers.

Problem-Opportunity. The Latino population in the Des Moines area is growing, and there are few Spanish-speaking ministries to serve it. To make heaven more crowded, we wish to provide a ministry to this community in its own language.

Mission-Vision. We believe this ministry is consistent with the overall vision of Hope: to reach out to the world around us and share the everlasting love of Jesus Christ. That world around us at Lutheran Church of Hope most definitely includes Spanish-speaking residents. By the way, 23 percent of U.S. Latinos identify themselves as Protestant; and, at present, there is no other Lutheran congregation in the community that is providing these resources.

Solution. Develop a culturally relevant program at Hope for Latinos.

When the Latino Ministry team met with the Lutheran Church of Hope church council in August of 2011, it  unpacked three initial goals.

1.  Serve, minister and worship shoulder to shoulder with Latinos, and incorporate staff and members in this ministry.
2.  Begin a “simultaneous interpretation” of the worship service and sermon as a temporary solution for Latino worship.
3. Plug into the Thursday Outreach Night event, in which food, clothes, fellowship, worship and support groups are offered for all.  In addition, permission was granted to order more than a hundred Spanish Bibles, to be given away when appropriate.

With permission granted, the  team now began making plans to reach out to Latinos on Thursday nights. Fliers were developed and distributed at the
huge Latino Heritage Festival held each fall in downtown Des Moines. In addition, the team members printed T-shirts that had “Hope en Accion” (Hope in Action) on the front, and the mission statement on the back (in Spanish).

Outreach Night began slowly for the Latino population. One family showed up, then another, word got out and another came. The Latino Ministry team showed up each week to provide hospitality, relationships and bilingual communication. It was not long before the team wanted to offer more than just food and fellowship, and so a Bible study was implemented following the meal.

At first it began at a table in The Bridge, but then it grew to a point where a separate room was needed to handle all of the people, both children and adults.  Soon the children and adults were moved to a separate place where the children could have more of a “Sunday school Kingdom Quest experienc,” with videos, teaching and interaction, most of this in English. They were taught and engaged in Bible study in Spanish.

At Christmas of 2011, the first simultaneous translation of the sermon and worship service took place. This enabled any person with a Spanish language background to go to the Welcome Center, secure some headphones, and then be able to listen to the message in Spanish.

By early 2012 the numbers of Latinos who attended Thursday Outreach Night have grown to more than 100 per week. Almost half of them remain after the Thursday meal at 5:00 pm for fellowship, Bible study and worship (re:vive for young adults meets on Thursday evenings). An expanded Latino Ministry team continues to welcome and show hospitality to all who come on Thursdays, and those who are bilingual have even more opportunities for such interaction.

The Latino Ministry team identified a need to the church council and the need has only intensified since then, that an ultimate goal would be secure a full-time staff person of Latino heritage to lead this ministry. This would then make it possible to fulfill a second goal, to host a Latino worship service each week, with the appropriate music, language, etc. And remembering that the original challenge came from Pastor Rosemary Sanchez-Guzman, there is the strong desire to build even stronger ties with her congregation.

Because of the connection with re:vive  and the fact that some of the Latinos are part of this community, the leaders of re:vive are looking closely at developing closer ties to this new ministry. In fact, they are going to host a trip this Mission Rio Grande and are launching a ministry to teens. This could make a huge impact on the entire ministry.

There are also plans be made to have the Latino mission featured rather prominently at the Taste of Hope event during the summer. This could include providing culturally relevant components such as Mexican food, organizing Latin music with mariachis, a taco truck and Spanish style dancing.

A major breakthrough in the visibility of this ministry has just taken place with the request of one of the families to hold a quinceanera at Lutheran Church of Hope.  What is a quinceanera? In the Spanish culture, there is a tradition that when a young girl reaches 15 years of age, she is honored with a ceremony that recognizes that she is now moving from childhood to adulthood. Oftentimes this event incorporates a blessing from the church, and this will certainly be a part of this celebration. Other families have expressed interest in Hope hosting their daughters’ quinceanera as well.

Please pray for this new ministry, to bless the present volunteers, bring new ones, to unearth some potential bilingual staff and volunteers. There is so much potential to reach the Latino community in the Des Moines area, and vision that God has revealed to us.

By Mark Brandt
Minister of Children and Students

A little Christmas cheer …

Last night, Hope’s high school program, Ignition, sent the house groups out caroling in the neighborhoods around where they meet.

We have done this for the past few years. Our groups of teenagers wander around, approach a house where people are home and sing a few tunes. Then the group asks the residents if they can pray for them. This is most often a welcome add-on to their beautiful singing! Then the group moves on.

We most often don’t know the people (although Hopesters do identify themselves); we just think of it as a way to give back to the neighborhoods we have been overwhelming with cars and students on a weekly basis on Sunday evenings.

But you never know the kind of effect this simple act of singing and prayer can bring. Last night we received this email:

Hello,

We are a Muslim family and live in Clive. Tonight around 7:30 we had a large group of teenagers who came and sang and prayed at our house. When they were done, they also asked if we had any special prayers that they could pray with us. This is the second year that they have done that. I am very touched, humbled and grateful for their kindness and thoughtfulness. I want to laud and praise the leadership of the Church who has envisioned this.

Thank you again. God Bless You and Merry Christmas.

What a blessing! I literally cried last night reading this. I am SO proud of our students and leaders who are taking bold steps in faith to share the love of God! Even through some raucous carols … I hope this
inspires you to reach out this year, too! What we are doing makes a difference for the kingdom!

by Ken Fuson
Hope member

You hear it before almost every Hope service: We don’t believe it’s an accident you’re here.

Chris Weaver must have wondered if he represented the exception.

After all, here is a 23-year-old African-American man who had grown up in the suburbs of Long Island, N.Y., who found himself attending college in lily-white Pella, Iowa, and who somehow ending up singing at a large church in West Des Moines after spotting a news story in a free weekly newspaper.

Not exactly the most direct course. Can you explain that, Chris?

He laughs. “I could if I knew.”

By now, of course, Hope worshipers recognize Chris as the talented, enthusiastic singer whose voice inspires people at Celebrate Recovery, PowerLife and Ignition gatherings, as well as the occasional weekend worship service.

Anyone who heard Chris and John Cheatem sing “Jesus Saves” during Hope’s Easter services won’t soon forget it.

But what you may not know is that Chris is still called “Rev” by friends back home, that his first microphone was a can of air freshener, and that he still can get nervous before going in front of a crowd.

“Then you realize, it’s not about you,” he says. “I’m not going up there for me. I’m not going up there to show off. I’m not going out there to promote me. For me, every time before I go to lead worship, I say to myself, ‘OK, God, this is for you.’”

Had we met Chris when he was a youngster, he might have done more than sing. He might have preached.

“When I was 2 or 3, my godmother used to take me to church with her,” he says. “I used to come home, put on my Dad’s shirt and recite word for word the message that the pastor would preach.”

Marcia Weaver, Chris’s mother, says it was entertaining at first.

“I thought it was cute, and you’d laugh, when he’d take the can and stand on the table and begin to preach,” she says. “It was funny. But then it would happen practically every Sunday.”

The Pentecostal church he attended frowned on vices of any sort. One day, young Chris came home and saw his mother, Marcia, and a friend, on the porch, drinking a beer and smoking. He unleashed some fire and brimstone at them.

“After that, I didn’t like him going to church anymore,” she says. “I was so afraid of him coming home and preaching. It had become a fear thing for me.”

She eventually decided to go hear for herself this pastor who had such an enormous influence over her son.

She’s now an ordained evangelist.

Chris fondly remembers that church. “It was very much spirit-led,” he says. “Shout out, lift your hands, feel the Spirit – that sort of thing.”

(By the way, don’t tell his former church, but Chris now acknowledges, “I love to dance.”)

He may have been preaching at home, but he was singing at church, almost from the time he could talk.

“You always had to have a song ready in case you were called,” he says. “I’d practice in front of a mirror, using an air freshener can as a microphone. I see videos of myself from back then and I think, ‘You were not a singer.’”

He laughs. “It’s pretty bad.”

He was singing at home, too.

“Oh, yes,” Marcia Weaver says. “In the morning. In the evening. All the time.”

One morning, she woke up, and 7-year-old Chris, as usual, was singing. She was not the most enthusiastic audience.

“Good morning,” he said.

She growled.

“Mom, can I ask you something?” he said. “Morning’s not your friend, is it?”

Says Marcia: “I was on the floor laughing. After that, I didn’t say anything more about his singing.”

In kindergarten, Chris led his classmates in prayer after spotting a fire in the area. “He was called to preach before he was called to sing,” his mother says.

At Freeport High School, Chris joined the choir, but quit before his junior year.

“I decided I was done,” he says. “I didn’t want to sing classical music anymore. One of the biggest regrets of my life. So I came back my senior year. There was just something missing.”

Also in high school, Chris started a gospel choir, called Voices of Victory, which started with 35 members but dwindled to 15.

“There were some great moments, there were some humbling moments and there were some moments when I said, ‘OK, this is really what I want to do.’”

Not that his faith was exactly a secret. He almost always carried a Bible with him in school. A security guard began calling him “Bible boy.” Classmates awarded him the nickname “Rev.”

“From third grade to fifth grade, I got picked on a lot for it,” he says. “I don’t know what happened, but there was a sudden change, and I started making a lot of friends and hanging out with people. They just knew this is who I was.

“I had a kid tell me he was going to punch me in the face. I said, ‘You can’t.’ He said, ‘Why can’t I?’ Because the Bible says, ‘Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.’ He just backed up.”

(So there you go, kids. Another reason to read your Bible!)

Chris is quick to note he wasn’t perfect. He said what he thought, when tact might have been a kinder course. One friend wrote in his yearbook, “You are the funniest/meanest Christian I have ever met.”

“I was definitely not where I should have been in my faith,” he says. “I was in high school. I wanted to show people that I loved God, but I wanted to fit in and do my own thing.”

As a high schools senior, he had barely heard of Iowa, much less Pella, when he accepted an invitation for a free trip to tour Central College.

“The drive from Des Moines to Pella was probably the longest I had ever taken,” he says. “I kept thinking about ‘Jeepers Creepers.’”

More laughter. “It’s a horror movie that takes place in cornfields. It was very disturbing at first.”

He arrived with five others students. They attended a movie – not “Jeepers Creepers,” thankfully – that let out about 1 a.m.

“Just dead silence,” Chris remembers. “I said, ‘I cannot do this.’ It was so quiet. But the people were nice.”

When Central later accepted him, he decided to give it a try. It wasn’t the historic black college he had thought he would be attending. He thinks Central had six other African-American students when he arrived.

“I got there, and I started meeting people and making real friendships. Never once did it come into my mind to say, ‘Do you realize you’re black and they’re white and you’re getting along just fine?’ Never entered my mind.”

It wasn’t until he went home for Christmas break and returned to Pella that he realized he was no longer in Long Island.

“That’s when it was like, ‘Wow! There are a lot of white people here.’ I dealt with it. People would ask, ‘Should I call you black or African-American?’ and I’d tell them to just call me Chris.”

At Central, he joined a worship team for a collegiate student ministry and also studied abroad in London for four months. He sang with the London Community Gospel Choir throughout Europe, and hoped to rejoin that group after he graduated in May 2010.

Just one problem: “I realized I didn’t have any money to go anywhere.”

He and a friend moved into an apartment in West Des Moines, and Chris looked for work. He vowed to himself that he would not give up singing.

And now we come to one of those moments that others may call at accident, but not the people at Hope.

While looking for work, Chris picked up a copy of Juice, the free weekly aimed at young professionals. There was a feature called, “People You Should Know.”

That week’s profile: John Cheatem.

On a whim, Chris sent John, who he had never meant, a message on Facebook.

Which led to a meeting.

Which led to an audition.

Which led to a Hope internship last August.

Which led in July to a full-time job as a worship coordinator junior high and high school programming.

“First of all, he has a fantastic voice,” says Matt McNeece, a fellow worship coordinator. “He’s a trained vocalist, but he also has a warm personality, too. There’s no snobbery with Chris. It’s the real deal. He’s got an awesome voice, and he’s got an awesome spirit.

“You could say it’s a gospel thing, but I don’t know if it’s a gospel thing so much as he’s just another passionate person about God who’s had a different life experience.”

For Chris, Hope took some getting used to.

“My honest first impression when I came to Hope? I turned to my friend and I said, ‘Cup holders? Really?’”

He laughs again.

“But then I had been here for three or four months, and I was just sitting in the audience one Sunday. Pastor Mike was talking and this feeling just came over me: Gosh, I really love this church.

“By any definition, it is a mega-church, but when you come here, you don’t feel like that. It’s awesome. I love it. I love serving this church and I love being a part of it.”

Like John Cheatem, Chris eventually aspires to a recording career, but he’s in no hurry. He recently became a member of Hope.

“This is home,” he says. “This is where I’m fed. This is where I’m taught. Out of all the people who go to this church, if just one tells me they feel blessed by my music ministry, I’m fine with that. I know I’ve done my job.”

But keep an air freshener can handy. You never know when “Rev” might want to add to his portfolio by dusting off his preaching chops.

Big laugh this time.

“You never know what He’ll call you to do.”

Whatever it is, don’t call it an accident.

by Scott Rains
Hope Ankeny campus pastor

This summer Hope Ankeny hired Brent Rauch as Children’s and Student Ministry Director. Ankeny is a community filled with young families and to effectively carry out the mission of Hope in Ankeny we need to have thriving ministries for children and students.

With Brent’s arrival, that meant I would no longer be teaching confirmation. Except then we started this message series called “Confirmation for Grown-Ups!”

It’s been an interesting fall to teach “Confirmation for Grown-Ups” rather than for middle-school students. I have preached some of the messages in this series, and we have a Pastor’s Bible Study on Tuesdays at the Station where we are able to spend a little more time digging into the topics from the weekend. One of the more seasoned students brought her copy of Luther’s Small Catechism … a copy she used as a middle-school student in the late 1950s!

I guess I’ve been struck by the history of the Christian faith this fall. Our oldest son, Dalton, is a 6^th grader and started PowerLife this fall. As he and his fellow PowerLifers learn the Creed, they join countless others who learned about the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Sacraments in their generations.

Most of them didn’t use Power Point. Most of them didn’t even have Luther’s Small Catechism. The methods for teaching confirmation have certainly changed, but the content of our faith is the same.

Hebrews 12 reminds us we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” As we live our faith, we stand on the shoulders of people who have gone before.

There’s something comforting about knowing whatever circumstances we are going through in life, we are not the first people to have these experiences.

Maybe life’s not so good right now. Job loss. Illness. Bankruptcy. Infertility. Divorce. Loneliness. Death.

Maybe life is great right now. Weddings. Babies. New friendships. Fall weather.

In good times and in bad, God remains the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God remains faithful. God remains worthy of our praise.  Jesus still conquered death. Forgiveness is ours. The Holy Spirit still empowers us to live a life a faith. Eternity is still real.

As we live our daily lives and gather together for worship each weekend, let us remember the saints who have led the way. And “let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

By Ken Fuson
Hope member

In the waning moments of his life, Dean Schuck repeated the same phrase, at least five times:

“I have faith.”

“I have faith.”

“I have faith.”

“I have faith.”

“I have faith.”

It was Oct. 11, 2010 – exactly one year ago Tuesday. He had been in the hospital for 52 straight days. It was the end of a journey that had begun five years earlier, with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.

“Dean had a lot of great qualities,” says his wife, Sherrie. “He was quiet and gentle, yet strong and faith-filled. He was also a practical joker.”

The Schucks (pronounced shook) joined Lutheran Church of Hope 11 years ago, after their son, Justin, attended PowerLife, Hope’s confirmation program, with a friend and urged his parents to attend the church.

“We haven’t stopped coming since,” Sherrie says.

Or serving. Justin, 23, a senior at Iowa State University in Ames, has worked on Hope’s production team. Sherrie has volunteered on the wedding team. She and Dean helped out for eight years at Vacation Bible School.

“That was such a passion for Dean,” she says. “He looked forward to it so much.”

When Dean died, the consensus was unanimous: Memorial contributions should be directed to Hope’s Vacation Bible School.

A year later, the Schuck family wanted to do something else to honor Dean’s memory. They decided at the last minute to participate in the Light the Night Walk, held Saturday night by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“He would want us to continue this fight against cancer, to help others beat this, so we decided to do this walk to raise money for others,” Sherrie says.

She and Justin designed black T-shirts for everyone to wear.

The front says, “We Walk in Memory of Your…Faith and Strength…Dean Schuck…10-11-10…Walk As If Your Life Depends On It!”

The letter “t” in the word “Faith” and the first “t” in the word “Strength” are designed like crosses, encased in a footprint.

“The footprints on the shirt represent the journey we are on,” Sherrie says, “and the crosses in them are a reminder of the price paid for our sins. We can’t get through any of this without Christ and His grace for us.”

The back of the T-shirt says TEAM SCHUCK, followed by Isaiah 40:29-31: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

“The scripture on the back reminds us that if we put our trust in the Lord, He will give us the strength we need for our journey,” Sherrie says.

A total of 67 friends, family members, Hope members, neighbors and colleagues joined Sherrie and Justin at Saturday’s night walk. Afterward, they gathered at the Schuck home, and someone said, “We should wear these to church tomorrow.”

What better place?

“It’s the Hope family, truly, that got us through this,” Sherrie says. “Those last 52 days in the hospital, the caring team was there daily, if not twice a day. Someone was there praying with us constantly. And the pastors were there. You just can’t say enough good about Hope. They are so there for you when you need them.”

Don’t be surprised if you see a Team Schuck T-shirt in other locations.

“Our prayer is that, as we wear these shirts, whether in line at the store, at a game, on campus, or wherever, it’s one small way to share God’s word and just maybe someone will ask a question about our God and we can share what He’s done for us,” Sherrie says.

You see, Dean Schuck’s final words to his wife and son were not, “I have faith.”

They were, “Do you have faith?”

“He knew that we did, but he just wanted that reassurance,” Sherrie says. “What a gift that was for us.”

One year after his death, their answer remains unchanged.

518 people attended the second Sunday worship service at Hope Johnston-Grimes.

By Ken Fuson
Hope member

Week Two

Just like last week, the workers arrived before dawn to set up the Hope Johnston-Grimes satellite campus.

Just like last week, all the extra chairs were needed.

And just like last week, Pastor Mike Housholder appeared.

Only this time he wasn’t on the video screen.

He was in person.

“It’s really a two-part reason,” he said. “The most important part is, I wanted to be here to support what God’s doing at Johnston-Grimes. The second part is, as long as I’m here, I might as well earn my keep.”

Housholder was supposed to have the weekend off. At the West Des Moines campus, pastors Dave and Jeremy Johnson and Merv Thompson were handling the sermon duties.

“We just looked at the schedule and thought rather than have a video, it would be better to have it live,” Housholder said.

A gift for those people who returned for Week Two?

“I don’t know if it’s a reward or not,” he joked. “Might be the opposite.”

Then he grew serious.

“This is a labor of love, because there’s nothing as exciting as being around the brand-new launch of a new church.”

Seeing Pastor Mike, who was accompanied by his wife, Sally, and daughter, Kristy, wasn’t the only surprise.

Hope Johnston-Grimes now has its own cross. Co-director Fritz Trost and about a dozen volunteers worked seven weeks to construct it. Trost, of course, was the main builder of the cross that adorns the West Des Moines Worship Center.

The two crosses are made of the same material, but the Johnston-Grimes version was built .4016 to scale of the West Des Moines cross.

The new cross for Hope Johnston-Grimes. It is 0.4016 in scale to the cross in Hope West Des Moines' Worship Center.

There are other differences.

The West Des Moines cross weighs 5,000 pounds; the Johnston-Grimes cross weighs about 120 pounds.

The West Des Moines cross is solid wood; the Johnston-Grimes cross is hollow, “so it’s easier to move around,” Trost says.

The West Des Moines cross stays put; the Johnston-Grimes will be transported to and from Summit Middle School each week. As a result, it comes in three parts.

Trost, who worked until 4 a.m. Saturday to finish the cross, said he felt similar emotions building each.

“With the cross, there’s always this pull between God’s great love, but there’s also this great sacrifice and suffering,” he said. “That’s the exact tension we have in the world today. People want to praise God’s love, but they don’t know what to do with the suffering. God answered that on the cross.

“We have to believe that when we face troubles and trials in this world that He will be with us. He won’t leave us.”

This Sunday, 518 people attended.

“Let me tell you what I believe this morning,” Pastor Mike said. “I believe God is up to something incredibly big here at Lutheran Church of Hope Johnston-Grimes. And he’s doing it for you and through you, and it’s just blowing me away to be here this morning. You really are blessed to be part of this.”

He asked the volunteers involved with getting the new church started to stand. The congregation applauded. He then asked everyone else to join them.

“You’re all called,” he said. “You’re all called into this ministry. We know that being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ means it’s more about serving than consuming.”

The sermon focused on the Apostles’ Creed, part of the “Confirmation for Grown-Ups” series. But Pastor Mike also talked about how much a church can accomplish when the people involved allow God to take over. It’s a leap of faith, he said.

“This God of power, this God of big power and personal love calls you to a wild ride of being church together, of being part of something new,” he said. “Follow Him.”

The worshipers then celebrated communion together for the first time at Hope Johnston-Grimes.

Afterward, as the chairs were stacked and brunch was enjoyed, Pastor Mike surveyed the busy scene.

“God’s on the move,” he said. “It’s just like God to make it very exciting and very fresh. You can see people praying right now and being healed. God’s love is pouring out through worship and word and communion. It’s just good to be the church.”

564 people attend the first service of Hope Johnston-Grimes - praise God!

By Ken Fuson
Hope member

Sunday, 6:15 a.m.

Fifty minutes before the sun introduces itself, Greg Pautsch and P.J. Wubbena pull into the empty and darkened parking lot at Summit Middle School in Johnston.

In less than four hours, the school’s cafeteria/auditorium will be turned into a sanctuary for the debut of Lutheran Church of Hope’s Johnston-Grimes satellite campus.

The night before, the same area hosted hundreds of students for Johnston High School’s homecoming dance.

“You’ll see it all get transformed,” Pautsch promises. He’s not kidding.

6:20 a.m.

Matt McNeece, the worship service coordinator, arrives.

“Right as I got to the back door, there was a guy there to open it,” he says, surprised.

Nobody’s sure if this qualifies as the morning’s first miracle, but McNeece is pleased. He has to make sure the band is set up and has enough time to rehearse before the service begins at 10:00 am.

More volunteers filter in, followed by Aaron Ward, who leads the production team.

“We’ve got the truck here,” he says.

The high school homecoming dance was held the night before. Less than 12 hours later, the cafeteria/auditorium become a church.

He looks at the floor, clean and shiny after last night’s homecoming party. He had seen it the night before.

“I’m glad they swept it, because it was a little gross,” he says.

Thirteen men surround Ward. He asks for prayer requests.

“That everything goes smoothly,” volunteer John Kelling says. “And that we have enough chairs.”

Ah, yes, the chairs. If there’s one wild card that concerns the volunteers, it’s not knowing how many people will show up. They will set out 250 chairs, with more than 200 more in reserve.

Ward begins his prayer.

“Lord, thank you so much for bringing this team together. I’m so impressed with how everyone has pitched in. You are our motivator today. Bless this place. There was a dance last night with a bunch of crazy teenager,s and we want to turn it into your house this morning. Just be in it, Lord. Be with us as we bring all the equipment in and set it up.”

The work begins.

6:37 am

Outside the school’s back door, a 26-foot rental truck waits to be unloaded. Some of the heavier equipment was hauled in last night, but there’s still plenty to do.

A stage must be built. The 16-by-9-foot screen must be put in place. A truss must be constructed over the stage to hold the speakers. The displays that worshipers see as they enter – the Welcome Center, Youth Booth and Volunteer Center – must be organized. The nursery and Kingdom Quest areas must be prepared.

Matt Heinen and Zach Kraft, both from Johnston, bring in the 100-pound wooden cross. Fritz Trost, the co-director of Hope’s new satellite, is building a smaller version of the enormous cross that stands in the West Des Moines Worship Center, but it’s not yet finished. This cross, made of elm, was used a couple of years ago during Hope’s Good Friday services.

Equipment enters on dollies. Plastic tubs filled with everything from bulletins to classroom supplies and registration forms are transported to their designated areas.

The school building is there, but the church must be built from scratch every week. It appears the people have done this before, and they have. Volunteers at Hope Johnston-Grimes conducted dress rehearsals the past two Sundays, and those practice runs followed months of planning.

More than 120 people – larger than many small-town churches – have volunteered to serve on the various teams.

Wubbena, who lives in Grimes, is one of them.

“My wife (Laurie) and I had talked and prayed about it.” he says. “We felt like we wanted to get involved in something. It will be fun to see it from the ground up.”

6:45 am

“We’re getting into a rhythm now,” John Kelling says. “It’s amazing how things come together pretty quickly.”

The truss, which will hold two enormous speakers, seems to materialize in minutes.

Kelling and Pautsch lead the team responsible for setting up and tearing down the equipment.

“It’s something I’ve never done before,” Pautsch says. “I just felt God leading me to do it.”

Kelling has been attending Hope for 12 years, but lives in Johnston and couldn’t resist getting involved. He hopes more people will volunteer so they can rotate production teams.

“I saw this as a great opportunity to get in on the foundation, at floor level, of a church being built, he says.

The sound of a bass drum fills the room. It’s early for a drummer – for anyone, actually – but Jason Bradley offers no complaints.

“Anything for God, man,” he says. “Any time I have an opportunity to be loud in worship, I’m there.”

The question is: how many others will join him? It remains the great unknown.

“Our big challenge will be how many people show up today,” Kelling says. “If we have 500 people, we’ll be maxed.”

6:55 am

Fritz and Lora Trost, the new church’s co-directors, arrive.

Fritz Trost grabs Kelling. “You want to go on an errand with me?”

It turns out the owner of Friedrich’s Coffee has donated five free gallons. Given the time of day and the number of people, this is an offer much too good to refuse.

Lora Trost looks more excited than nervous.

“We don’t know if there will be 250 or 450 people,” she says. “That concerns us on everything from eggs to chairs to balloons. Again, though, our team is so reliable. If we need chairs, they’ll get up. People are here to serve others.”

She promises this: “We’re going to have fun.”

On the main floor, Wubbena helps attach the speakers to the truss.

“I didn’t realize the speakers were as heavy as they are,” he says. “That’s definitely a two-person job.”

7:18 am

Workers untangle long lines of thick electrical cables. Elsewhere on the main floor, the enormous screen is raised. Each week, the congregation will watch a taped recording of the sermon from Saturday’s night’s services at Hope West Des Moines.

Tim Feight, the band’s bass player, appears ready.

“We’ve been doing this the last two weeks, so it’s good,” he says. “One of the neat things has been this start-up. They’ve really gone about it right.”

Feight and his wife, Missy, live three blocks north of the school.

“My wife and I really had to think about it and pray a lot,” he says. “We’ve been going to Hope in West Des Moines for an extended period of time, and we have a lot of friends.

“It’s easy there. You just plug in and play. But we really felt that with the proximity to our home that we need to be a part of this. Now I’m excited about it.”

7:32 am

Like ushers at a ballpark, workers wash and wipe the seats of chairs. Fritz Trost says his only worry is that the worship space won’t have enough chairs.

“I think everything else will be OK,” he says.

Just in case, Trost and his son, Josiah, borrowed 75 wooden chairs that had been stored in a friend’s barn and hauled them to school the day before. He doubts they will be necessary.

Near the school’s entryway, Judy Swayne and her daughter, Maylin, 10, apply adhesive tape to signs. Judy is one of two AM coordinators, which essentially means, “Make sure everything gets done.”

About a year ago, she and her husband, Lloyd, who live in Grimes, stepped down from being prayer ministry leaders at Hope’s West Des Moines campus.

“In our hearts, we knew there was something in the community God was leading us to,” she says. “We found out about this endeavor and we thought, ‘That’s it.’”

7:56 am

Wubbena takes a break to enjoy one of the pumpkin bars someone has brought.

“We seem to be getting faster at this the more practice we have,” he says.

The pace quickens. The band begins its sound checks. Retractable signs welcoming visitors are placed near the entrance. More volunteers stream in, wearing their green Hope Johnston-Grimes T-shirts, which say, “Building God’s Kingdom” on the back.

8:23 am

Fritz Trost brings the emergency wooden chairs to the edge of the main floor. Just in case, of course. Probably won’t need them.

Popcorn is served at Hope Johnston-Grimes, along with breakfast.

The smell of popcorn fills the air in the main hallway. The idea is to give visitors a cup of popcorn as they enter and a helium-filled balloon as they leave.

8:54 am

“Check, 1-2. Hey, I can hear it in the house.”

It’s Matt McNeece’s voice. In a few minutes, he will sing the first line of the popular Chris Tomlin song, “I Will Follow” to check sound levels.

Where you go, I’ll go. …

He will be joined on the makeshift stage by Bradley, Feight, Scott Rohden on lead guitar, Dustin Braun on keyboard and vocalist Annelie Heinen.

They appear to be in a hurry.

8:55 am

Let the record show that Abby Rice of Grimes is the first visitor to arrive at Hope Johnston-Grimes.

Let the record also show that five minutes later, she is asking for a volunteer assignment.

“I’ve always wanted to volunteer at the big Hope, but living out here, it’s complicated,” she says. “This is perfect.”

8:59 am

An hour to go before the service starts, and the food arrives from West Des Moines. Daniel Willrich, an area architect who serves on the church’s creative team, carries in a box of doughnut holes, the official food of a Hope breakfast.

Willrich and his wife, Heather, have three young sons. They had been looking for new ways to serve.

As soon as the new satellite church was announced, “my wife and I just looked at each other and we knew at that point that that’s where we were supposed to help out,” he says. “We were feeling pretty comfortable in our church, and we were looking to get out of that comfort zone. This is a way we thought we could do it.”

9:20 am

Matt Smith, the other AM coordinator, surveys the scene.

Ready?

“We were born ready.”

How many people?

“We’re thinking 400.”

9:27 am

Fritz Trost sits in the front row, reviewing his notes. He holds a Bible and a red, helium-filled balloon.

“I really want to prepare a space for people to sense the love of Christ,” he says.

The volunteers gather in the main room for prayer, but the band still needs to rehearse its final song. It’s a problem; people are arriving.

Prayer wins out.

“I want to start by thanking you and thanking God, who gives us the strength to put this all together,” Trost says. “We pray that the meditations of our minds, hearts and words will be pleasing in your sight. We ask for the blessing of this place and all who will be here.”

When he’s finished, Lora gathers the volunteers in a huddle, like a football team preparing to take the field.

“One-two-three,” she says, and then everyone joins her, raising their hands and shouting:

“Go God!”

9:35 am

Willrich and his son, Levi, 7, stand outside, holding a Welcome to Hope Johnston-Grimes sign. Levi does his best carnival barker impression.

“Come on in!” he shouts.

Inside, Beth Lewis and Serena Peters shake hands. Eight-year-old Betula Zeller hands out stickers to children.

Gus Gustafson, Hope’s chief ministry officer, enters and hugs Fritz Trost. Trost’s father, a retired Lutheran minister, also has arrived.

Along with half of Polk and Dallas counties, it seems. People flood in. The emergency wooden chairs will be needed, that’s obvious quickly.

“We’re going to have a bunch,” John Kelling predicts.

10:01 a.m.

Matt McNeece and the band lead the call to worship.

Where you go, I’ll go.

Where you stay, I’ll stay.

When you move, I’ll move.

I will follow

“Can you see that God is moving?” Lora Trost asks the congregation.

Gustafson installs the Trosts as the new church’s directors, then invites the couple to seal the moment with a kiss. They comply. Pastor. Dave Johnson says a prayer.

Still more people arrive. Ushers scramble to find more chairs and empty seats.

In his distinctive radio voice, J. Michael “Mac” McKoy reads the Bible verse, Exodus 20.

Fritz Trost then invites children to the front.

“I promise I won’t scare you,” he says. “I might look like a giant, but I’m a gentle giant.” More than 100 kids gather on the floor in the front of the auditorium to listen and answer questions.

Fritz Trost gives the children's sermon.

The lesson ends with him asking the children if he should let the balloon go. The vote appears to be unanimous.

10:35 am

On the big screen, the image of Senior Pastor Mike Housholder appears. He’s wearing a green Hope Johnston-Grimes T-shirt and asks everyone at the Saturday night service in West Des Moines to turn around and wave at the new church.

Everything works. The new church congregation learns the pastor’s easy-to-memorize version of the Ten Commandments. As instructed, they turn to each other and say, “You’re nice.” They laugh at the Homer Simpson clips.

When it ends, Lora Trost invites worshipers to write one-word prayers on a Post-It note that represents how Hope J-G is founded on prayer. The notes will eventually be turned into a piece of art for the new church.

Among the submissions: “Joy,” “Peace,” “Freedom,”

McNeece sings as the people come forward to leave their notes.

And that’s it. The first service of the new church is over.

Time for breakfast. The menu includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and, of course, doughnut holes.

1:10 pm

The Trosts and the take-down crews return home. The equipment has been taken down, returned to the truck and transported to Hope in West Des Moines. Hope Johnston-Grimes has been transformed back into Summit Middle School.

The final count: 564 people. Nobody predicted that many.

Earlier in the day, when volunteers at the Welcome Center told Fritz Trost that many of the visitors filled out cards indicating they do not attend church regularly, he made a fist.

“Awesome!”

As it turned out, the only people forced to stand were a handful of volunteers. Somehow, there were enough chairs. Not enough eggs, or doughnut holes, but that will be fixed in time.

“There were a few glitches, but nothing big,” Trost says.

For him, for his wife, and for the 120 volunteers who had worked so hard to pull it off, the only thing that really mattered was spelled out on the back of all those green T-shirts.

God’s kingdom is growing, and there’s always room for more next Sunday. They’ll find the chairs.