From January 10-12, the church will host a conference called “Setting Your Heart Free” that will focus on personal growth. On January 31, the church will host a 6:30 p.m. 25th anniversary dinner at Pleasant Hill Community Center, which is located near the church.
Hope Center was founded with the assistance of Hillside Covenant Church in nearby Walnut Creek and pastors Jim Persson, Jonathan Brown and Lon Allison. Persson and Allison both eventually served as directors of the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism of the Evangelical Covenant Church. The church had its first worship service in a rented movie theater on January 15, 1978, and became an official Covenant church a year later at the denomination’s Annual Meeting.
The church gained a reputation for its unique setting and for its extensive use of drama and media tools. The high energy “Sunday worship celebrations” caught on and the congregation had 350 in attendance within one year. Within five years, the church had a worship attendance of 750 and produced its own radio show on Sunday mornings. Two of the core group of 12 who helped start the church, Tom and Karen Patitucci, are still playing major roles in worship and drama for the church.
Hope Center has made inroads in other interesting ways. Community theater programs such as Ebenezer and The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe have brought thousands to church who might not otherwise attend a Sunday worship service. A Sunday school program met in a local ice cream parlor.
The current congregation under senior pastor Dean Honnette has an average worship attendance of 550. For more information about the church and upcoming events, call church staff at 925-685-4673 or email the church at hopecenter@hopecenter.cc.
Copyright © 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
