Launching people on an empowering journey of hope and equipping them to offer it to others.
Ephesians
4:3 “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when
you were called.” One body and one
spirit and one hope to which we are called, experienced in the context of
community, life changing community.
Seized by
Hope Ministries is committed to offering experiences of life changing
community. In Acts 2 we read that the
early church “held all things in common”, today our fast paced world makes it
difficult to connect with others over “all things”. Too often time spent with others is relegated
to sharing only surface information with one another and then moving on to
study something in scripture that increases our knowledge base but fails to
connect us with one another at a deeper level.
Fellowship with one another is critical to our growth as believers. Loving one another well is complex and occurs
in community. Jesus told his disciples in John 13: 34-35 "A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another."
Our vision
is to equip individuals, leaders, and communities to embark on a journey of
hope not deferred in their relationship with Christ and each other. A
journey where hearts are freed unto life: free to believe and have faith, free
to desire, dream and hope, free to love with abandon. We offer safe,
life-giving encounters where pain, joy and healing are experienced in the
context of grace filled relationships. Those who participate in what we
offer become leaders, mentors and counselors equipped to bring tender care,
hope and healing to the broken hearted and to those simply hungry for more in
their relationships.
We offer
this type of community is several settings:
Red Tent
Dinners: Once a month gatherings for 6-8
women that include enjoying a meal together and taking time to share pieces of
their lives with one another. It is a
place where believers and non believers in Jesus can experience community as
they find connection in unexpected ways with one another.
Forums of
Four: Small groups where time is spent
in God’s word, prayer requests are shared and time is allotted for each member
of the group to share about their life. These
groups include a facilitator and 3 group members.
Grace
Groups: Partnering with Open Hearts Ministry, based in Kalamazoo Michigan, we
offer small groups where people can share their life story. We believe that "Building up one another
in love" is a group process.
Christian community is challenging because in the course of our lives we
have all experienced hurts and disappointments that make trusting others
difficult. The damage occurred in the
context of relationships and we believe it is best healed in relationship. Grace Groups are a place where trust is
rebuilt and growth can begin towards deeper life giving community. Currently we are offering Grace Groups for
individuals and couples, who have experienced the group process as individuals
and want to go deeper and find more intimacy in their marriage.
Retreats:
Weekend encounters for men, women and couples that offer a respite from daily
life and an opportunity to taste life changing community with others in a restful
setting.
Finally, we
offer training for small group leaders.
Training that assists leaders in developing their skills for listening,
responding and pursuing people in a small group setting.
People who
have participated in community offered through Seized by Hope Ministries have
said the following:
“Your ministry has not only impacted my
husband and me in very deep places, but you have impacted the life of our
daughter, and any other children God blesses us with. Our children will grow up
knowing that they bring glory to God because of who He has designed them to be.
Our daughter will grow to understand what femininity truly is and she will know
that she is worth knowing. You have
taught me those things and I will pass them on to her. Thank you for impacting
generations to come in our family and for all of the love that you have shown
to us.”
“The time we spent in prayer for each
other was so very precious; I will hold it dear to my heart for many years to
come. Thank you for blessing us with your open heart and home. I cherish and
cling to the hope the forum has poured into my life.”
“It's been
hard for me to access words as a result of how I felt after the weekend was over.
I still feel full and contemplative and can still taste all that I truly
savored this past weekend. There was so
much to take in - the smells, the tastes, the thoughts, the music, the clips,
her words, the sunshine, etc. I don't remember a time where I felt more alive
as a woman.”
“You have changed the heartbeat of the young adult’s ministry and have shown hundreds of young hearts how to truly live. You cultivated a safe environment for growth and change. You are always available to minister in deep time of need and never make anyone feel like an inconvenience. Looking back over the last 8 years I can see how your home has been the only "home" for many young adults, especially the military guys. We truly appreciate the sacrifices you have made in order to be open vessels for God.”
