Exploring Hope

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.

05/24/2026

The individuality of American Culture is incompatible with the life God calls us to live through Jesus the Christ as a family.

God gives us an identity that does not align with the traditional definition of identity (I look to my culture) or the progressive definition of identity (I look within myself).

1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Thoughts from today’s message:
Your New Identity.

Pastor Charles Butler. Hope Church Chicago.
Exploring Hope

05/24/2026

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Hope Church Family,

There are few worse feelings for a kid than to be the last one on the playground to be chosen when teams are being formed. It screams that you are unwanted.

But what a difference when the players who always win choose you to be on their team as one of their first picks!

Among other titles that Peter calls the church by in 1 Peter 2:9-10, the first is "a chosen race." Those born of the Spirit through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Christ are considered another "race" of people, and He has chosen that "race" for His own.

We will explore that title and others in Our New Identity -- my next message in the series "The Hope That Overcomes." I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow afternoon as we worship the Lord around His Word at 4:00 in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 1289 West Bowler Street in Chicago. There is a parking lot behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you are unable to join us, our livestream is available at
https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving site is
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give
But if you can make it with a bit of extra effort, please do, It will be worth it. We would love to worship with you either way!

Rejoicing to have been chosen,
Pastor Charles

05/16/2026

Hope Church Family,

Each Sunday, we have the privilege of meeting in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy. This Sunday, however, the school is having their graduation in the chapel at the time we would normally meet for worship.

Because of that, we will gather for worship at the Butler home at our usual time of 4:00. For security reasons, I will not post our home address in this public email. However, if your would like to come and don't know where we live, email me at [email protected] and I'll get the info to you.

We don't livestream from our house, but on Monday or Tuesday we will post an audio recording of tomorrow's message, "Living Stones" from 1 Peter 2:4-10. The following Sunday we will be back in the chapel.

Feel free to visit our YouTube page at
https://www.youtube.com/
to view a past message or service. We will look forward to being with you next week. If you prepared an offering for this weekend, our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

The Lord is our Rock, the foundation stone of our salvation and of our lives. Worship Him with your whole heart,

Because He is worthy,
Pastor Charles.

05/03/2026

May 3, 2026

Hope Church Family

What shapes your mind? What is most influential in forming your identity or the values that guide your innermost choices?

Fear shapes many people — violence perpetrated against them, financial loss that left them at risk, trust that was violated and left them emotionally compromised. Experiences like these can cause us to make vows to ourselves that, by any means necessary, we will protect ourselves from that happening again.

Some people get shaped by desire. They have an experience they want to make a regular part of their lives. They commit themselves to a manner of life that, to the best of their ability, ensures the availability of that experience. That can be an experience of power, of pleasure, or of security.

The apostle Peter presents another path: to be shaped by hope. He describes what that means in 1 Peter 1:13–21, which will be the focus of today's message, "Shaped By Hope," in our current series, The Hope That Overcomes.

Will you join us today 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. There's more parking 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
We would love for you to worship with us.

For the Hope that Jesus provides,
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

04/26/2026

Hope Church Family,

We know that we are saved because we believe the gospel. We believe the gospel because we trust the message that was delivered to us. That message came from the Scriptures that our Lord believed, the same Scriptures that He fulfilled through His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Ours is not a faith of superstitions, but one of truth and veracity. It is also a message of wonder to be believed. As we worship our Lord around His Word today, we rejoice that we can be confident in the gospel and the salvation that it promises. We hope you'll be able to join us in person at 4:00 PM in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. There's more parking behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Our entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags.

If you can't join us in person, view our livestream by visiting
https://www.youtube.com/
and if you prepared an offering, our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

We have a wonderful Savior who has provided a wonderful salvation! Truly the gospel is "A Message of Wonder," today's word from 1 Peter 1:10-12. It's the fourth message in our series in 1 Peter, "The Hope That Overcomes."

Rejoicing in His Hope,
Pastor Charles

04/19/2026

"42" is a biographical film that tells the story of the integration of Major League Baseball by Jackie Robinson. Branch Rickey, the executive who recruited Jackie Robinson, approached him with a vision: to racially integrate Major League Baseball by becoming the first Black player in the league. That was going to mean enduring hostility from the press, the fans, the opposing team, and his own team. He would suffer verbal abuse, biased calls, and attempts to injure him physically during games. But he would need to show restraint and grace, and overcome the obstacles with talent and dignity.

When you are clear about your destination, when you're confident about your goal, it raises your capacity to endure uncertainty and hardship.

If that is true about earthly things, and it is, how much more does it hold true for eternal things? Through the message, “Fire-Tested Faith,” 1 Peter 1:6–9 will encourage and strengthen us as we continue the series, "The Hope That Overcomes."

I hope you can join us today 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 St. 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, you can view our live stream by visiting
https://www.youtube.com/
and our secure online giving is available at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

Our Lord is worthy of our time and attention. Let's worship Him today with our whole being!

For His Glory,
Pastor Charles.

04/12/2026

04/12/2026

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Hope Church Family,

In my online ordering life, I've received several problem packages. In one of them, a bottle of liquid detergent had broken and soaked several shirts. Another came with the box tattered and the item dented and scratched. We even had one delivery person roll a boxed nightstand UP our front stairs and leave it on our porch; the markings on the box clearly indicated that two persons were required to transport it.

In all my cases, the companies took responsibility and reshipped the items. But we've all heard stories of folks getting stuck with wrong items, damaged items, items that were not as presented. Broken promises.

Jesus promised His disciples, and through them, He promised us, that after He was crucified, He would be raised from the dead on the third day. That's an astounding promise!

And He kept it!

When it comes to death, most of us have some level of discomfort and uncertainty. But Jesus has been there and come back. And He says we don't need to worry -- He's got us.

He is The Hope That Overcomes. That's the title of our new series in 1 Peter. Today's message, "It's All In The Resurrection," is drawn from 1 Peter 1:3-5. Read chapter one of 1 Peter before service so that you can gain the best blessing from God's Word today!

We will meet to worship our Lord around His Word at 4:00 PM today in the chapel of Chicago Hope Academy, 2189 West Bowler Street in Chicago. There's more parking behind the school at 2156 West Ogden. Entrances are marked with Hope Church Welcome flags. We look forward to seeing you there! If you can't make it in person, you can view our livestream by visiting
https://www.youtube.com/
and offerings can be securely given online at
https://hopechurchchgo.org/give

Our Lord is worthy of our trust and our worship. Let's honor Him today.

For His Kingdom in the City,
Pastor Charles

03/30/2026

Palm Sunday Hymn Sing 2026 at Hope Church Chicago with guests Roy Patterson, Joann Monts, and Team. A blessed time.