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The atmosphere at Hope Christian Fellowship is friendly and informal.  

We've modeled our Fellowship after the Early 1st Century Church.  We may be best described as a Non-Denominational Bible Church.    

In short, we keep church simple.  Believers are God's representatives on earth, and we strive to continually advance the cause of Christ and expand the Kingdom of God while we await the return of our Lord Jesus.   

The Early Church model we adhere to can be found in Acts 2:42: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."  (NKJV)  

This verse documents 4 aspects of the Early Church: 

1. The Apostle's Doctrine

Convinced that the Body of Christ should be well-grounded in a knowledge of the Scriptures, we focus on digging into the Bible in order to extract everything we possibly can from God's Holy Word. 

2. Fellowship

Our members have become a family.  We watch out for each other and we take care of each other.  Attending one of our Services feels like "coming home." 

3. Breaking of Bread

We practice open Communion each Sunday.  Even if you are not a member, you can join us in Communion if you have made your Confession of Faith and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. 

4. Prayers

God has given us a way to communicate with Him, and that is through prayer.  When we gather together we always spend time in prayer.  If there are those in need for God's intervention in their life, or with their health, we bring this before our Lord through prayer. 

We believe in the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

God, the Father, is the Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all things seen and unseen. 

For our salvation, Jesus, the Son of God came down from Heaven and by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary. 

For our sake he took upon Himself the sins of the world and was crucified.  He died, was buried, and three days later He rose again to life. 

Humanity's only way to receive forgiveness of sins is by Grace, through Faith in Jesus, our resurrected Lord.  

Jesus ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is both King and Priest and serves as an advocate for us. 

Jesus will return to Rapture His Church and later will return to judge the living and the dead. 

The Holy Spirit is the giver of life who proceeds from the Father. 

In this Church Age the Spirit lives within each Believer. With the Father and the Son, the Spirit is worshipped as God. 

Those who believe in God use the time we have on earth to bring as many people into the Kingdom of God as possible. 

Religion cannot save us.  Only a personal relationship with our Risen Lord can do that. 

We believe in two ordinances: Baptism and Communion. 

We look forward to an eternal future of living with God. 

      Pastor Dave and his wife Colleen were married in 1986, and have been blessed with 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.  Most of their kids live in Cedar Rapids or near Stone City, Iowa.  One daughter and 3 grandchildren live in Washington State.  

    In the early years of their marriage, neither Dave or Colleen had a connection with any Church, and Dave continued in the lifestyle he had developed since going to college.  By 1993 alcohol had become a real problem for Dave and the physical damage he had done to himself by drinking took him to the place where he was re-introduced to the Lord.  Lying in a hospital bed at the Iowa City Hospital and knowing the damage he had done to himself and his family, Dave called out to the Lord for help.  By the next morning his healing had already begun, leaving the Doctors wondering how this could be. 

       This all took place in June of 1993.  That was the day everything changed for Dave and Colleen.  Throughout this turmoil it was Colleen who kept the family together.  Now it was time for Dave and Colleen to get to know this God who had shown such mercy and had intervened in their lives. They joined Trinity Lutheran Church and remained active there until 2004.  That entire time was filled for Dave with an unending number of books and an insatiable desire to learn everything possible about this great God who had blessed them so much.  By 2004 they joined the Father's House Vineyard Church in Cedar Rapids.  In 2006, Dave was invited to join the Staff at the Father's House and was mentored by the Senior Pastor Marty Boller.  In 2007 Dave received his Ordination through the Vineyard Association of Churches and was appointed Associate Pastor at The Father's House.

      In 2010, Pastor Dave was led by the Lord to plant a new Church in Cedar Rapids.  He continued to work a full-time job for 11 years to support his family, while growing the Church.  In 2021 Pastor Dave was able to bid farewell to his secular job and concentrate on Hope Christian Fellowship.  His dream had finally come true.  For both Pastor Dave and Colleen, they know this "Unlikely Journey" hasn't ended.  It has just begun.