The Beginning Years
Seventeen years ago, on March 7, 1999, Hope Fellowship got its start. At the time, Zion CRC in Oshawa had become a large church under Rev. Henry Wildeboer’s visionary leadership with dreams of moving to a larger property and building a larger facility. Blueprints for the new building were drawn. But when the proposal came to the congregation, the vote fell just shy of the required amount.
Suddenly and shockingly, Zion was faced with a “scenario of choice” – to stay together as one or to multiply and become two – and when the night was done, Hope Fellowship was born.
Arlan Koppendrayer moved from Zion to Hope to become HF’s first pastor.
Known initially as the Church That Left (CTL), the fledgling group held its first worship service in Rehoboth CRC in Bowmanville and then worshiped in Durham Christian High’s gym before finding a home in G.L. Roberts Collegiate in South Oshawa. It was an exciting time, as young, enthusiastic leaders planned worship services, developed ministries and articulated their vision. At G.L. Roberts, volunteers built a metal cage in one of the rooms to store the sound equipment that was hauled into the cafeteria every week. The staff grew to include five people: the lead pastor, a youth pastor, a head of finance, a worship leader and an administrative assistant.
In those early years, Hope Fellowship’s office was located in a house on Zion’s church property. Meetings and ministries were held and conducted in people’s homes. There was talk of buying a property and building a church. A large property on the corner of Townline and Pebblestone Road had possibilities. An industrial building located downtown looked good. An attempt to buy South Courtice Public School came close to succeeding, but failed.
It was an exciting beginning. But it was also an upsetting and confusing time, especially for those left behind in Zion CRC. The birth of Hope Fellowship meant the exodus of the young visionary leaders that represented Zion’s future. Attendance at Zion’s worship services was suddenly cut in half. For those who left to start a new church, life was exciting, as it always is for those who go on new adventures. But for those who stayed at Zion, there was a sense of loss, as there often is for those who are left behind.
This is not to say that the founding members of Hope Fellowship did not also grieve this unplanned and unexpected separation. Yes, the decision to part ways was framed positively as a “multiplication” rather than a “division.” But that choice of words did not negate the fact that Hope Fellowship’s people also had to grieve the fact that Zion did not move forward as one large congregation. Neither did it negate the reality that they also missed people with whom they had always worshiped and served. For both church families, the loss of fellowship and a common vision was a reason to mourn.
Thankfully, Zion and Hope Fellowship were able to stay connected, especially through the Hope/Zion Foodbank. Finances, properties and even estates were divvied up amicably, giving Hope Fellowship the financial support that it needed in the first chapter of its journey.
For two years, life was good. People were excited. The Church That Left adopted its current name. It developed a grand vision for a praying church of small groups that wanted to grow to a thousand people by “bringing people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.” It offered blended worship services and relevant messages by a dynamic preacher. The Start-Up Years saw the church grow steadily. And then, one year into the new millennium, a storm that had been brewing on the horizon blew in and brought on the Humbling Years.
- Pastor Peter
Coming March 20: The Humbling Years
Seventeen years ago, on March 7, 1999, Hope Fellowship got its start. At the time, Zion CRC in Oshawa had become a large church under Rev. Henry Wildeboer’s visionary leadership with dreams of moving to a larger property and building a larger facility. Blueprints for the new building were drawn. But when the proposal came to the congregation, the vote fell just shy of the required amount.
Suddenly and shockingly, Zion was faced with a “scenario of choice” – to stay together as one or to multiply and become two – and when the night was done, Hope Fellowship was born.
Arlan Koppendrayer moved from Zion to Hope to become HF’s first pastor.
Known initially as the Church That Left (CTL), the fledgling group held its first worship service in Rehoboth CRC in Bowmanville and then worshiped in Durham Christian High’s gym before finding a home in G.L. Roberts Collegiate in South Oshawa. It was an exciting time, as young, enthusiastic leaders planned worship services, developed ministries and articulated their vision. At G.L. Roberts, volunteers built a metal cage in one of the rooms to store the sound equipment that was hauled into the cafeteria every week. The staff grew to include five people: the lead pastor, a youth pastor, a head of finance, a worship leader and an administrative assistant.
In those early years, Hope Fellowship’s office was located in a house on Zion’s church property. Meetings and ministries were held and conducted in people’s homes. There was talk of buying a property and building a church. A large property on the corner of Townline and Pebblestone Road had possibilities. An industrial building located downtown looked good. An attempt to buy South Courtice Public School came close to succeeding, but failed.
It was an exciting beginning. But it was also an upsetting and confusing time, especially for those left behind in Zion CRC. The birth of Hope Fellowship meant the exodus of the young visionary leaders that represented Zion’s future. Attendance at Zion’s worship services was suddenly cut in half. For those who left to start a new church, life was exciting, as it always is for those who go on new adventures. But for those who stayed at Zion, there was a sense of loss, as there often is for those who are left behind.
This is not to say that the founding members of Hope Fellowship did not also grieve this unplanned and unexpected separation. Yes, the decision to part ways was framed positively as a “multiplication” rather than a “division.” But that choice of words did not negate the fact that Hope Fellowship’s people also had to grieve the fact that Zion did not move forward as one large congregation. Neither did it negate the reality that they also missed people with whom they had always worshiped and served. For both church families, the loss of fellowship and a common vision was a reason to mourn.
Thankfully, Zion and Hope Fellowship were able to stay connected, especially through the Hope/Zion Foodbank. Finances, properties and even estates were divvied up amicably, giving Hope Fellowship the financial support that it needed in the first chapter of its journey.
For two years, life was good. People were excited. The Church That Left adopted its current name. It developed a grand vision for a praying church of small groups that wanted to grow to a thousand people by “bringing people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.” It offered blended worship services and relevant messages by a dynamic preacher. The Start-Up Years saw the church grow steadily. And then, one year into the new millennium, a storm that had been brewing on the horizon blew in and brought on the Humbling Years.
- Pastor Peter
Coming March 20: The Humbling Years
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