Hope Chapel
February 2nd, 2005Church Review
Scriptural View: 3/5
Beliefs: 3/5
Community: 4/5
Preaching: Expository
Worship: Choruses
Service times: Sun. 8:45, 10:30 AM
Website Review
Site Usability: 3/5
Site Design: 1/5
Site Content: 1/5
Review: I attended a service at Hope Chapel in the summer of 2004. This church is not far from the hub of downtown Huntington Beach. When I walked in I was greeted by all different kinds of people from older men in suits to surfers in shorts and sandals.
The worship in song time was led by an older man on a guitar along with a drummer and some backup singers. We sang a number of older Christian worship choruses mixed with a couple of newer ones.
Apparently the Pastor of the church was gone that day and there was a guest speaker in his place to preach. The guest speaker was very passionate and preached from Mark 4:35-41. He magnified the authority of the Bible and the power of Jesus Christ as the God of the universe. Part of his sermon included a vivid acting out of the scene to help understand the mood of the story and the weight of the words that are spoken in this text. His application focused on encouraging the people to believe in the power and ability of Jesus to work in our lives and their problems.
After the service the college Pastor spoke with me for a little while and told me about a service they have on Friday nights called “Friday Night Live.” He said that worship band at that service plays “a much louder and rock and roll style set.” He also said, “all kinds of people come to this service and that they have been seeing many people getting saved.”
I was impressed with the guest speaker’s reverance for the Bible and the varience of cultures represented by the people present. Hope Chapel seems very evangelical and missional. However, it is part of the Foursquare denomination whose doctrinal statement lacks strong commitment to the convictions of the Reformation and thus I must give it a lower rating on Scriptural View and Beliefs. I spoke with the guest speaker after the service who communicated a mix of theological persuasion regarding Reformed doctrine, which he admitted is somewhat maverick in the Foursquare movement he is licensed in.