Pursuing Honour for Christ, Health for His Church and Hope for our Community
Stories of hope ...
On this page, you will find some pictures and very short stories of hope from the lives of real people who are members of Hope Community Church in Longdendale. Although their stories are all very different, they do have one thing in common: they have found a source of joyful, life-giving HOPE in the midst of difficult situations they were facing!
hope for the suffering
My name is Hephzibah (which means “my delight is in her”).
I am 20 years old and for the last 5 years, I have suffered with chronic illness which has left me so exhausted and in such pain that I was very disabled.
But in the pain, God has given me hope, joy, and purpose that cannot be shaken, showing me how he delights in me despite my weakness.
He has shown his goodness in illness, and now he is showing me his goodness by healing me too!
hope for the desperate
My name is Jack. I’m 21 and I’m a student.
Like many people my age, I was searching for meaning and purpose for my life. I turned to drugs to fill the hole that this feeling of meaninglessness produced in me.
But nothing seemed to give me hope until, one desperate day, I picked up a Bible and started to read it. The things I read turned on a light in my dark thoughts!
Since then, I have been discovering that Jesus Christ satisfies me in a way that drugs never did!
hope for the isolated
hope for the grieving
My name is Sylvia and I am married to Michael (see below).
In 1971, I was left struggling as a single mum to raise 5 young children in Hattersley. Then in 1982, I met and moved in with Michael and we had a daughter together. Rather than making things easier, my struggles increased because Michael had a serious drink problem.
Then in 1987 our friend and neighbour began telling me about God’s great love for me and the gift of his son, Jesus, as saviour. Before long, I trusted Jesus by faith to forgive my sin and to help me with all my struggles.
Only eight days after deciding to follow Jesus, my 19 year-old son John was stabbed to death. Incredibly, I found that Jesus carried me through the terrible pain of losing a child, and he gave me grace and courage to forgive the man who killed him.
I prayed constantly for Michael. After three years, in 1990, God rescued him and set him completely free from his alcohol addiction. Since then we have joyfully worshiped and served Jesus together.
hope for the addicted
My name is Michael and I am in my sixties.
I was running out of options: all the future held for me was the sack, prison or death. My desperation for drink led to begging and stealing.
I realised that my only hope was to give God the mess that was my life.
That was some years ago. Now I have a future.
I want to be all that God has called me to be; to learn from my mistakes; to share my faith with family and friends and to end well with God.
My name is Ian and I am in my forties.
Until 12 months ago, I was living in complete misery on the streets. Because of a traumatic background, a relationship breakdown, and dependence on substances I had no family, no friends and no hope.
But then, through a phone call with someone at Hope Community Church, I was invited and welcomed into the church and started to hear about everything Jesus has done for me.
Now my life has totally changed. I have discovered a family in the church and God is restoring the things I lost. I am so grateful for what he has given me.