Hope Church

Hope Church 26525 N. 19th Avenue, Phoenix 623-565-8076, hopechurch.me

The remedy to the loneliness epidemic in America By Brittany Sawyer T here’s a new epidemic sweeping through America - loneliness. According to Dr. Frank J. Ninivaggi, the loneliness epidemic currently aff ects 47% of American adults who claim to feel isolated or misunderstood.

According to this information, one out of every two people we engage with each day is lonely. As we continue to occupy ourselves with careers, jam-packed schedules and the distraction of technology, we slowly numb our real need for genuine human connection. If nearly half of the American population is lonely—half of our North Phoenix community is lonely, too.

Hope Church recognizes the relational poverty in our neighborhood and desires to change the loneliness epidemic by creating an authentic community.

Pastor Paul Sorensen says, “As we have served in this community for the past 10 years, we have found that many people are in search of friendships yet feeling very isolated. We realize it takes a village to have a healthy life, a healthy marriage and a healthy nuclear family. We want to be a part of bringing people back together in a community.”

When you walk inside Hope Church, you feel something diff erent than any other church on a Sunday morning. Hope’s Worship Leader Josh James describes it as “a welcoming, authentic family.” Josh is one of many people at Hope who recognizes that the church is more than a place to worship on Sunday mornings but also a place to create and cultivate a sense of family.

Hope Church is passionate about equipping people to connect with God, to form friendships with each other and to serve on mission together. To practice these three aspects of life, people regularly meet in groups called Hope Communities. Hope Communities meet in homes and usually focus on a specifi c topic or age group to facilitate conversation and help people create connections.

Hope Communities include Hope Youth, Hospitality Team, Worship Team, Young Women’s Group, Hope Kids and Legacy. No matter your age, stage of life or interests, Hope has a community for everyone and the communities are always open to new people.

Aside from Hope Communities, Hope creates family through Hope Family Picnics on the fi rst Sunday of each month. Aft er the worship celebration, Hope invites everyone to enjoy a picnic lunch to connect as a greater community, even if it is your fi rst time attending.

You can visit hopechurch.me to learn more about Hope Communities or the next Hope Family Picnic. You can also join Hope Church on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. to see for yourself what Hope is about for yourself.

Th e loneliness epidemic may be sweeping through America, but Hope Church continues to believe where there is faith, family and community; there will always be hope. The Hope family smiling for the camera during the Hope Family Picnic in November. (Photo by Josiah, mymoment.com)

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