The first Easter service at the K-Love Hope Center is in the books and, boy, was it a special one! The entire weekend was a first time for many things, including live music and open invites by members of The HOPE, the church located at the Center. All of these things led to a room full of fresh faces, curious minds and eventually, changed hearts.
Perhaps the greatest story of this weekend comes from one of those changed hearts. A man by the name of Julius, who a little more than a month ago met Pastor Jerel outside of the Hope Center very early one morning, came with a very unique story. His story was that of a man in need of a lot of things, yet nothing greater than the need to get off of the streets. That week, Julius entered into an intense detox program that allowed him access into a good shelter. They began to give him work to do around the Center. Then, this past Easter Sunday, he was finally able to make it to church service where, after hearing about Jesus for over a month, he decided to accept Him as the Lord of his life!
Thanks to so many outside supporters, the church has many stories like Julius. These include starting to give away tons of gift bags to first time guests, as well as clothes and ultimately, love. Over the course of the entire Easter season, many have said that they can’t wait to come back. Our prayer during this season of launching the Center is that we will have everything we need to provide for the needs of those that walk through our doors. Our desire is to see true life change through meeting everyday needs, with no need being greater than discovering and starting a journey with the Hope that is found only in Jesus.