Exploring Hope, 2189 W Bowler, Chicago, IL (2026)

08/09/2026

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Hope Church Family,

"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD!'"

What a privilege -- to have access to personal presence of the LORD! What an honor -- that He longs to have us in His presence!

We have been journeying through the book of 1 Peter in the series, "The Hope That Overcomes." Chapter 2, verses 9 & 10 tell us,

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

We are God's people! We don't have a temple; we are the Temple, God's dwelling place. When we gather together as a local church, He is with us in a unique and special way.

So join us at 4:00 this afternoon in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Avenue in Chicago, as we worship our Lord around His Word. Additional parking is behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags. If you can't make it in person, our livestream is available at https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is at https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

We are excited to have you worshiping our Lord with us!

For His Kingdom in the City,
Pastor Charles
--
Charles M. Butler
Pastor
Hope Church Chicago
"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13, ESV

08/02/2026

Sunday, August 2, 2026

When God‘s people gather together to worship Him, He makes Himself known to them in special ways. Many years ago, a friend who studied worship pointed out to me these verses from Hebrews chapter 2.

11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, “I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing Your praises.” (Hebrews 2:11–12, NIV84)

When we gather in His name, Jesus comes among us to declare the name of the Father in our midst, and to sing His praises in the presence of the congregation. May the Spirit of God enable us to perceive the voice of our Lord in our congregation today!

Join us at 4:00 PM as we gather to worship our Lord around His Word and to encourage one another! We meet in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school in the lot at 2156 W. Ogden. Entrances to our service are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are not able to join us in person, our live stream is available at https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

Our wonderful Lord is with us always, but reserves a special presence for when we are gathered together in worship! Let’s worship Him together today!

Listening for our Savior's voice,
Pastor Charles.
--
Charles M. Butler
Pastor
Hope Church Chicago
"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13, ESV

07/26/2026

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Hezekiah Walker, pastor of Love Tabernacle Fellowship in New York City, wrote a song for his church that started, “I need you. You need me. We’re all a part of God’s body.” He was teaching them a truth that’s hard for Americans to grasp: we are God’s people and His most significant engagement with us is as a local church rather than as individuals. We need each other.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says it this way:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

I hope you can join us at 4:00 PM as we gather to worship our Lord around His Word and encourage one another! We meet in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school in the lot at 2156 W. Ogden. Entrances to our service are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you can't join us in person, our live stream is available at https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give
Our wonderful Lord is worthy of our best worship! Let’s adore Him together!

Looking forward to being with you,
Pastor Charles.
--
Charles M. Butler
Pastor
Hope Church Chicago

"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13, ESV

07/19/2026

Sunday, July 19, 2026

An Ethiopian government official had embraced Yahweh as his God, though he had not fully converted to Judaism. He had visited Jerusalem to worship and was returning to Ethiopia by way of the Gaza Road. The Spirit of God took Philip to that place and left him on the road to encounter the Ethiopian. When he did, the Ethiopian was reading out loud from Isaiah 53. Philip asked if he understood what he was reading

That opened the door for Philip to be invited into his chariot and to lead the Ethiopian to receive the Lord Jesus as his Messiah and Savior

Isaiah 53 has been at the heart of gospel preaching from the first days of Christianity. It still speaks powerfully today. Our own Scott Lilly will bring today’s message, “The Lamb of God,” from Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Read the passage before coming to church. It will open your eyes and your heart to what God will say to us through Scott.

I hope you can join us in person at 4:00 PM as we gather to worship our Lord around His Word. We meet in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school in the lot at 2156 W. Ogden. Entrances to our service are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags. If you are not able to join us in person, our live stream is available by visiting
https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

The distance between us and God is immense, but the Lord Jesus bridges the chasm with His outstretched arms. He invites us -- He urges us -- to come to Him and receive the free gift of forgiveness, reconciliation with God and eternal life. We are more estranged from God than we know, but He invites us into a relationship more wonderful than we could have ever imagined.

Rejoicing in His Love,
Pastor Charles

07/12/2026

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Having your home broken into is a violating experience. It happened to me in two different seasons of life. The first was in my elementary school days. It was the day after Christmas. We had visitied another family for dinner. When we got back home, our house had been broken into and all our presents were taken. The other after I was married and we had moved into our current house. Someone broke into our basement while we were sleeping. A scary thought! The officers told us it was crack addicts because they stole all the sweet breakfast cereal that we kept on our basement shelving. They also took tools, computers and other things.

Having someone take what belongs to you evokes several emotions in addition to feeling violated: anger, fear, feeling victimized and vulnerable --- the list could go on.

But what emotions are stirred when we come to Christ and He takes our sins away? when by His wounds we are healed? Gratitude? Astonishment? Feeling humbled? Loved? Protected? Rescued?

That's where our thoughts will be as we worship our Lord around His Word at 4:00 PM this Sunday. We are continuing the series, "The Hope That Overcomes" with a message from 1 Peter 2:21-25 -- "By His Wounds." We meet in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags. We hope to see you in the room!

If you can't come in person, our livestream is available at
https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving at https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

We count it a privilege that you chose to worship with us. When the LORD takes our sin from us, He gives something that is infinitely better!

Celebrating His goodness,
Pastor Charles

07/05/2026

Sunday, July 5, 2026

Submitting isn't really submitting until you're told to do something that you don't want to do, and you do it.

Being subject to others, or submitting to them, is a common instruction in the letters of Peter and Paul. American culture pushes strongly toward independence. Our tendency to push back against authority is woven into the storyline of our nation, our governance, our families and our individual lives. The Apostle Peter gives us guidance in the attitude and actions of being subject to someone else as a follower of Christ.

As we worship our Lord around His Word today, we'll reflect on 1 Peter 2:18-25 under the title of "In His Steps", in our series in 1 Peter, "The Hope That Overcomes". Worship with us in person at 4:00 in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. There's free parking behind the school in the lot at 2156 West Ogden. The entrances to our service are marked by Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are not able to meet with us in person, you can join our livestream here:
https://www.youtube.com/
Also, if you planned to give, you can do so through our secure online giving here:
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give
Whether in person on digitally, we would be thrilled to have you worship with us, and pray that the Lord will connect with you in life-giving and life-changing ways.

Seeking to follow in our Lord's steps,
Pastor Charles
--
Charles M. Butler
Pastor
Hope Church Chicago
"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13, ESV

06/28/2026

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Hope Church Family,

Everybody loves being blessed. We like it when things go well for us.

But in these days when everyone is telling us how blessed we are and all that God will do for us, we are at a loss when things begin to go badly.

In John 15, Jesus describes how the Father, as the vinedresser, prunes the vine. He trims it back, cutting off parts that are hindering the fruitfulness of our lives.

But pruning hurts. We don't like it. Still, it is necessary in the Father's eyes.

Will we trust Him?

We will worship the Lord around His Word today, guided by our long time friend, Pastor Daryle Worley, teaching pastor of Grace Church of DuPage, a church that has partnered with Hope Church Chicago.from our earliest days. His message, For Our Good, from Hebrews 12:1-11, will help us understand, and grow to welcome, the hand of God when He disciplines us. It is not for our destruction, but for our benefit.

We hope to see you when we gather at 4:00 PM in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are unable to join us in person, you can worship with us via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/
If you desire to give an offering, you can do that securely at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

Because our Heavenly Father loves us, He will, on occasion, discipline us, so that our fruitfulness can flourish. As a friend and fellow pastor has said, "God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way!"

Anticipating the fruitfulness,
Pastor Charles
--
Charles M. Butler
Pastor
Hope Church Chicago
"May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:13, ESV

06/20/2026

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Just a quick note to remind you that Father's Day is this Sunday. Because of that, we have moved our service from 4:00 Sunday afternoon (in the middle of Father's Day celebrations) to Saturday (today) morning at 10:00.

Bring your dad! Bring your granddad! Bring your son! Or bring someone who is like a father or a son to you! Together we'll celebrate fathers and fatherhood by worshiping our heavenly Father around His Word. We'll gather at our usual place, the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. There's additional parking behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you're unable to join us in person, we will stream our service live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/
Also, secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

Our desire is to exalt our Lord and help you to connect with Him in ways that renew hope and transform your life.

For the Hope that Overcomes,
Pastor Charles

06/07/2026

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Hope Church Family,

In our 1 Peter series, "The Hope That Overcomes", we've learned that we have a new identity in Christ. That new identity changes our relationship with our old life and our world. How do we live now, given who we are and who we aren't?

As we worship our Lord around His Word, we will hear how the Lord answered that question through Peter.

I hope you can join us today at 4:00 PM as we gather to worship in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school in the lot at 2156 W. Ogden. Entrances to our service are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are not able to join us in person, our live stream is available at https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

God has spoken His heart. We seek to learn it, to live it, and to share it. It's the most important thing that God had to say to us!

Listening to Him,
Pastor Charles.

05/31/2026

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Hope Church Family,

In the book of Nehemiah, after the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, chapter 8, verses 1-8 describe a time set aside for reading God‘s Word, which they called "The Law." Ezra read from a platform and Levites who were among the people, explained what Ezra was reading so that they understood. The time of reading was not simply a ritual, it was a time of learning; the people were growing in their understanding of God’s Word.

Today at Hope Church Chicago, as we worship our Lord around His Word, we are going to do something different. The message will be a bit shorter and we will take time to discuss what we just heard from God‘s Word. James 1:25 instructs us to be, not a "hearer who forgets but a doer who acts", when it comes to God‘s Word. Our goal is to heed the lessons of Ezra and James.

I hope you can join us today at 4:00 PM as we gather to worship in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. Additional parking is available behind the school in the lot at 2156 W. Ogden. Entrances to our service are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are not able to join us in person, our live stream is available at https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

God has spoken His heart. We seek to learn it, to live it, and to share it. We would love to have you with us on that journey!

Attentive to His Word,
Pastor Charles.

Exploring Hope

08/09/2026

08/02/2026

07/26/2026

07/19/2026

07/12/2026

07/05/2026

06/28/2026

06/20/2026

06/07/2026

05/31/2026

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