Mom was Wow! Mother’s Day 2017

Hope Chicago celebrated Mother’s Day by honoring the Lord and the Mother’s Love. The only word to describe Mom was Wow! (as the decorations demonstrated) The day started off with a spirit-filled worship session led by our extremely talented Moody Bible students. As an added bonus, a special Thai song was performed by Rose and her Mother, whom recently arrived here for the first time from Thailand.

 

We had several Mothers in attendance, some that have been with us for a while and some visiting for the first time. Our Mothers (and one Mother-to-be) were presented with loving gifts and special prayers were bestowed on each one of them. It was a very special day as J. Garcia presented the message before he went on a mission trip to Thailand. It had been a while since J. last visited us and we have been blessed by his presence ever since. His influence can still be felt through the Moody Bible students today. 

He even gave a heroic and stirring testimony he encountered about pulling a mother and son from a car wreck on his way to Chicago that day. Service was followed by a delicious lunch with our Mothers being the guests of honor and getting served first. Overall, it was a beautiful day and a great way to celebrate the ones who nurtured us on earth and being blessed by the love of the Lord eternally.

By : Tyler V.
 

Grasping the Love of God (Easter 2017)

Easter always reminds me of two major things in life: my sins and the love of God. 
The original sin in the Garden of Eden was man's disobedience to God's command (Genesis 3:6). Adam and Eve hid in fear and shame, and they blamed God for their mistakes. My life was a bitter, broken battle after I accepted Christ as my Savior. 

Although I trusted in His power to save me, I didn't surrender all of my sins for Him to be my Lord. Sin causes separation from God because it dethrones Him from His rightful place in our lives. He is our Creator and our Father. Denying His words means disobeying His commands. Ravi Zaccharaias once said, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." These are wise words considering that all sin leaves us with shame, guilt and fear. It promises great pleasure and happiness, but never lives up to fulfilling them. Sin is a hopeless situation that we cannot save ourselves from. 
We all need the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 73:26 says, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." The love of God is a beautiful and amazing thing. 

He gave His Son to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life. He sent down His Spirit to counsel us in wisdom and truth. The life of Christ was powerful, but the power of the cross and what was accomplished was far greater. In love, Jesus bore our wrath for the Father to redeem us. 

By power, Jesus was resurrected from the grave and Satan was defeated once and for all. Jesus has risen and He is coming soon. Easter at Hope Chicago Church was such a blessing from the Lord. From the caring fellowship to the powerful message of God by Pastor David, I am amazed by everything God is doing. God is so faithful for His provision and blessings in our prayers. Hallelujah, amen!

By Chelsea Herr

NA Camp 2016

This year’s North American Annual Conference was held for the first time in Chicago. The 2016 NAAC was hosted by Hope Chicago Church, with many attendees from around the continent visiting for the very first time. This year’s theme was Journey to Spiritual Maturity in Christ, and people truly did journey, physically and spiritually. We had pastors come from Australia, Singapore, Canada, and North America, all in order to share the word of God and help grow the attendants. People came from L.A., Seattle, Ontario, Toronto, and all around to celebrate the Love of the Lord. Members of Hope Chicago Church, volunteers from L.A., Seattle, and Toronto, and pastors from all over the world dedicated themselves to make the 2016 NAAC the best ever.

 The conference was held on the beautiful lakefront campus of Loyola University. Situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Lord provided great weather and glorious views. The visuals provided in the meeting room were artfully decorated to illustrate the theme of the conference. Worship teams from Chicago, Seattle, Toronto, and L.A. provided inspiration for each of the sessions. Opening night provided a special performance that highlighted the Journey theme of the conference. It told the story of Mr. Christian, a young man embarking on his journey through the world; having to deal with the many trials and tribulations that besiege every one of us.

Pastor’s Wilson Lim, Lai Ling Lim, Ben Lee, Dina Lee, and Dr. Eric Herbert provided the preaching in keeping with the Journey theme with subjects such as, “I will follow Christ,” “The maturing process,” “Convictions matter,” “Whole life approach,” and “ I will cross over with Christ.”
Every morning was jumpstarted with a post-breakfast Devotional. Workshops gave the attendees the chance to really delve deep into the subjects of Nurturing Faith at Home, Ups and Downs of Being a Jesus Follower, Mentoring, Going to the Next Level for Longer-term Believers, Christian Apologetics, and Core Team Leaders.
Friday night brought a special Free-flow worship session where Pastor Lai Ling also gave the prophetic Word to many of the attendees. The Baptism sessions were blessed to be performed at the adjoining beach in the waters of the Great Lake Michigan. A break in the teachings was provided by Arnut Paothong, with bible trivia concerning the Life of Peter.

The conference held special significance in that it was the final one with Pastor Ben Lee as the North American Regional Pastor; passing the torch to Pastor Youngyuth Wiraponsawan to oversee the churches in North America. Special performances and a final lesson by Pastor Ben made for a very emotional farewell.

The closing ceremonies brought a conclusion to the Journey for Mr. Christian. Having grown in Spiritual Maturity during the conference, he was better equipped to deal with the challenges that faced him. As a special reminder of a truly wonderful conference, attendees were given a postcard to write down their Journey, which would great them in the mail when they returned home, in order to once again be inspired and blessed by what they learned in growing closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.


By : Tyler V.

Easter 2016

Approximately 2,000 years ago, Christ died for our sins; only to rise again in victory. On Easter Sunday, Hope Chicago Church celebrated his resurrection and remembered his sacrifice.

 

 The festivities started off with an inspiring sunrise service over Lake Michigan. The dawn greeted us as we boldly worshipped the Lord in the early morning light. The outdoor service was a beautiful way to honor Him, with the message provided by Daniel, one of our Moody Bible School students.

After the sunrise service, breakfast was hosted by one of our church members which allowed us to continue the fellowship and share in the joy of the Lord. Church service began with spirited worship that also incorporated a spoken word presentation of “The Word.”

Special performances were given by our children and members, which even included sign language. We welcomed six first time visitors to our services, with Pastor David enlightening us with His message.

The celebration continued after the service with a delicious potluck lunch, allowing all of us to enjoy the fellowship and thank the Lord for all he has given us. The Lord provided us with good weather and the children participating in an exciting outdoor Easter egg hunt.

 All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend the day celebrating the love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tyler V.

Christmas Service 2015

Hope Chicago Church celebrated Christmas with great worship and loving fellowship. Even before the celebration, Church members participated in fasting for three days in anticipation for the festivities. Our prayers were answered when the 106 people whom attended the celebration were touched by God, with four people accepting Christ. The theme of the day was “The true meaning of Christmas” and this was demonstrated through the variety of presentations, performances, and activities throughout the day’s program.

The December 13, 2015 festivities were started by a Christmas Choir, which included special solo performances from school age children and adults. The birth of Jesus Christ was highlighted a re-enactment of the story leading to the nativity scene. We had a special video presentation from one of our members, whom is a Moody Bible Institute student, about the persecution of the Rohinyas in Myanmar and the work he has done with them here and abroad.

Our Church gave a love offering to support “Oasis Ministry” to reach out to the Rohinya refugees. Stirring worship was provided by talented Moody Bible students and our honored guest, Pastor Charoen, gave a passionate sermon. He and his entourage traveled all the way from Thailand to join us.

Powerful testimony was given from a new believer, Charuprapa, about how her life has changed since she came to know the Lord. Our festivities also included a catered lunch, gifts for the children and seniors, special performances, and a talent show. It was a joyous time that was made special because of the love of the Lord and the Spirit given in us.

Tyler V.

Mother's day 2015

Last Sunday, Hope Chicago Church celebrated Mother’s Day by honoring the Lord and cherishing our moms. Every one of us has a mom, is a mom, or will become a mom and we wanted to give thanks for all that they do. Pastor David Natttawuttisit paid special notice to moms who faced hardships in raising their children and to the single moms that go above and beyond what is expected of them.

The children of Hope Chicago Church presented surprise gifts and heartfelt messages to their moms, along with a special performance to pay tribute to them as well. The moms had prayers bestowed upon them so they could all be individually blessed by the lord.

Hope Chicago Church, a Christ-centered Church located on 7534 W. Berwyn Ave. (service at 11 am), opened things up with a spirit-filled worship session, and after the service, a delicious pot-luck luncheon was provided (with moms getting served first, of course).

It was a day that could not have been better in being able to glorify our love of Christ, whom provides for us spiritually, and share it with our moms, who provide and nurture us physically.

By : Tyler V.