A fledgling church has a new home.
The New Hope Community Church has bounced around between a couple different facilities since it formed in October 2007, but it now has a permanent residence on City View Avenue in Jamestown.
Greg Streed, a Jamestown resident with 22 years of pastoring experience, started the non-denominational church with about 30 followers.
Article Photos
From left, Terry Dailey, New Hope trustee chairman; Greg Streed, New Hope pastor; and Doug Barmore, New Hope trustee, proudly pose in New Hope Community Church’s new home on City View Avenue in Jamestown.
"We decided to start this church and it was a total step of faith," said Streed. "We weren't being supported or helped by anyone. It was an independent move on our behalf."
"We are a church that wants to serve the community. It's the community's church," he said. "We chose the name New Hope because we really believe that one of the greatest needs of the human heart is to have hope."
Originally, the church's services were held at the arena room at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena. After several months the congregation began to outgrow the rented room, so it moved to the YWCA Lake Lodge. As the congregation still continued to flourish and grow, about a year and a half later, the church moved into the second floor of the downtown .
The church's congregation has grown from about 30 people on that first Sunday to about 70.
"We were still praying that somehow, someway, we could have a place of our own," said Streed, though he added that they weren't actively looking, as they had settled into the YWCA.
After about a year and half in the YWCA, Streed was made aware that the Concordia Lutheran Church on City View Avenue was for sale. Although he was impressed with the building possibilities, the price started out at $200,000, which Streed said was laughable and impossible for them. Yet, the church was able to buy it for significantly less.
"God just dropped this into our laps and made it very affordable for us," he said. "Through the giving of our people over the course of those four and half years, we were able to accumulate a down payment. We were blessed to have some private investors lend us the money so we didn't have to take a conventional mortgage out through a bank, which made it more affordable."
The church closed on the property three weeks ago, and the congregation has rallied together to paint and renovate the structure. New Hope Community Church's first service in the new church, located at 80 City View Ave., will be Sunday at 10:30 a.m..
In addition to a Sunday service, the church also offers a youth ministry, Sunday school class, a social fellowship group and weekly bible study and prayer time. For more information about New Hope Community Church, call Greg Streed at 661-9594.
"We're all about proclaiming the truth in Christ, offering hope and welcoming anyone and everyone to go to our church to find compassion and love in an exceptional group of friendly believers," said Streed.