Hope Midtown, 221 E 52nd Street, New York, NY (2026)

05/24/2023

“AAPI Heritage Month is significant for me, especially as a leader for our community at work and also as a proud mom of an Asian American.

Growing up, I encountered racism on several occasions and initially as a child, I didn't know how to react to that. But later on in life, I learned how to speak up and call out conscious and unconscious biases. I realized that if I didn’t call them out explicitly and just stayed silent, nothing in our society would change.

I became even more passionate about this area after I had my daughter, Audrey. She’s six now, and I had to make a difference in our society for her sake.

Whether being vocal at work or being active at my daughter’s school, one of the things I’m fighting for is a sense of belonging.

When you're dealing with unconscious and conscious biases,
you can feel like a foreigner. Like, you just don’t belong.

Somewhere along the way, God planted the seed in me that I belong everywhere as a child of God. I’m grateful for that because regardless of whether I'm included or not, it doesn't matter anymore.

I don't need anyone's permission to belong because God has given me the authority to belong wherever I go and He’s given me the confidence to speak up.

And even for my daughter, she may encounter some biases in the future, I want to show her that she can speak up for herself and that she can walk in the confidence and authority that God has given her.” -Julie

05/24/2023

“AAPI Heritage Month is significant for me, especially as a leader for our community at work and also as a proud mom of an Asian American.

Growing up, I encountered racism on several occasions and initially as a child, I didn't know how to react to that. But later on in life, I learned how to speak up and call out conscious and unconscious biases. I realized that if I didn’t call them out explicitly and just stayed silent, nothing in our society would change.

I became even more passionate about this area after I had my daughter, Audrey. She’s six now, and I had to make a difference in our society for her sake.

Whether being vocal at work or being active at my daughter’s school, one of the things I’m fighting for is a sense of belonging.

When you're dealing with unconscious and conscious biases,
you can feel like a foreigner. Like, you just don’t belong.

Somewhere along the way, God planted the seed in me that I belong everywhere as a child of God. I’m grateful for that because regardless of whether I'm included or not, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't need anyone's permission to belong because God has given me the authority to belong wherever I go and He’s given me the confidence to speak up.

And even for my daughter, she may encounter some biases in the future, I want to show her that she can speak up for herself and that she can walk in the confidence and authority that God has given her.” -Julie

04/29/2023

Join us tomorrow at 10 + 11:30am as we continue our series on the book of Nehemiah and celebrate baptisms! Come worship with us and join us in encouraging those who are taking this important step in their faith journey.

04/27/2023

(2/2) “The next thing I remember, Shandra with her husband sitting in front of the fire, playing and singing How He Loves by John Mark McMillan: “My heart turned violently inside of my chest.”

I finally asked God for that Love through Jesus. When I did, He engulfed me. He reached my heart and soul. And I found my forever home who is with me everywhere I go.

There were times as a youth when leaving life seemed like the best option; I would have missed out on the places, miracles, and moments Jesus had (and still has) for me and my loved ones.

I'm thankful for people pursuing the Love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for others.

Looking back, I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn’t for Him. But He stepped in with His community to fight back. Loved ones didn’t give up on me - the prayers & worship, celebrations, teachings, cries, laughter, accountability, and friendships testify to this because here I am.

So far, I've been on my nomadic journey for 15 years now with Jesus and 10 years since proclaiming it publicly in the waters. And goodness, it's a journey - going back between the past, the present, and the future with His Holy Spirit. In breaking and in healing. In growing and in pruning. In learning and in teaching. In following and in leading. In being and in moving. In speaking and in listening. In singing and in playing. In trusting and in loving.

I carry Corrie Ten Boom's words in my heartsong: "There's no pit so deep where God's love is not deeper still." There were seasons where life was difficult throughout the journey with Him. It can still be challenging because there’s so much more to life as a growing Christian. But God doesn’t give up. And His Word carries so much more life and freedom for me. He is still here. He sees me. He loves me. I belong. I am His daughter. No one can take me away, echoing the truths in Romans 8.

Receiving this Love, Jesus also invites me to be part of sharing it with others by pursuing them and not giving up. And I join in on the mission He proclaims with His Love of - You are not alone. I am here. I see you, I love you, and you belong here.” - Daisy

04/27/2023

(1/2) “My parents migrated from Cuenca, Ecuador; it was a long journey with crossing the border from Ecuador to Arizona and then coming to New York. My three siblings and I were born and raised in a small NY town.

We met sweet and loving people. But we also encountered individuals who constantly reminded us that we weren't white, that our parents were undocumented, and that we didn't belong.

I had an anxious childhood. I knew about God, but I felt so far away from Him. My siblings and I would hear, "Say nothing, or 'la migra' (ICE) will come. They'll take us away. They’ll take you all away and you’ll be alone here in this country". We didn't know who was safe to open up to.

But change came when I met my 4th-grade teacher, Mrs. Windels (Jen). She and her husband, Henry, are special people to my family—two of many who share love with us.

As we got to know each other, I shared with her the fears of my family through a writing piece in her class. I told her about my parents' migration journey. Instead of saying, "They came across the border? They broke the law and are illegals. They shouldn't be here", she would say, "That's amazing, and you can be proud. Your parents went through that long journey to be here." I remember thinking, Someone sees us. We're finally connecting.

She shared about this summer camp that she volunteered with. In 6th grade, Jen brought my siblings and me. At this camp, we felt so safe. We felt so free. The love there felt so real. We met more spiritual mama bears like Shandra, Sheyla, Jasmine, and others who felt like family. It was a home, and we kept going back.

Life fractured more during my youth years. I spiraled a lot with anxiety and depression, constantly scared for my family. The only homes we felt we had were Jen & Henry and the summer camp group.

As a high school freshman, we had (at summer camp) a campfire time one night. At the end of it, a young adult camp counselor shared about God as a loving Father, How He met her in the pain she’d been through with His Son, Jesus. Her pain was like my own. I felt so far away and I wanted Jesus to meet me like he did with her.” (continues in next post)

03/02/2023

(2/2) For me, embracing my humanity and grappling with questions has been such a crucial and important part of my faith journey.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I think a lot of people have this tendency to think of deconstruction as this scary and sacrilegious thing. But I think at the core of it all, it just means that we’re really critically engaging with our faith; not with the goal of tearing it down, but to really inspect what's there. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
To examine it, test it, and hopefully build it back up in a healthier way. And at the same time, examine our own biases and temptations and test them through prayer and through the word.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
And I think that since I've started critically thinking and engaging and asking these questions, my faith has deepened in a way that it never was before. I really feel so much closer to God and I think my faith feels more authentic. And what I mean by that is that instead of just swallowing up all the doubts and questions that I have in the name of faithfully following Jesus, I feel so much freer to ask questions and get to the bottom of things.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
These days I'm pretty interested in hermeneutics, like how people interpret the Bible. So if something feels inconsistent with the character of God, I’ll look at how the text was translated. How was it written in the original Hebrew or Greek? What was the historical and cultural context behind it? How does that form what we actually believe and what we actually practice? And I think that has helped my understanding of God grow a lot and be a lot more expansive, ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
The way that I engage with my faith these days is so different from the more limited ways that I experienced God in the past, and I really praise God for that. But it did take a long time and a lot of healing in my relationship with myself, with the church and with God.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Now I feel so much more freedom in the way that I engage with God and experience the Holy Spirit in my life.⁠⁣
⁣
I feel like there is such a redemptive arc there. And I think that's pretty consistent also with the character of God just being redemptive throughout the course of history.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
-Angela

03/02/2023

(1/2) I grew up in a more fundamentalist church, and what I mean by that is, there was a lot of emphasis on this sort of holy, “law and order” type of God in which there was a right and wrong way of doing things. Practicing faith felt constrained in that the pinnacle of faith was: you pray, you read the Bible every day, you know the most about the Bible, and that’s it. It was very cognitive and about achieving the right beliefs. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I remember people would use bible verses about the flesh being weak and our emotions being fickle to suggest that if there was an inkling of doubt or questioning, then it was due to my sinful flesh. And because of that, I should squash it down with more prayer and Bible study.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
At the time I thought that to be human was to be sinful and to be godly was to be good. And while there definitely are parts of our flesh and our emotions that can sometimes lead us astray, I feel like this denouncing of our humanness is something that I have subsequently come to really mourn and push back against.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
This type of theology made me feel far from myself and far from God because I was so caught up in this vision of becoming someone that I was not in order to feel that I was more godly. But now I believe that we can most be in touch with God when we are fully human and acknowledge it before him.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I think a lot about how Jesus was fully God and fully human, and so I don't think that to be godly and to be human are two, incompatible things on opposite ends of the spectrum.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
This was so transformative for me to really internalize this, because for so long, I’d internalized this belief that everything about our humanness was an obstacle to experiencing God, instead of the conduit through which we can fully encounter and experience Him.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
(Continue in next post)

02/15/2023

(3/3) Let’s start by celebrating Ida B. Wells, who turned the light of truth on lynchings she witnessed in the 1800’s. She had a strong faith in God who gave her courage to speak out and call out churches for their roles in segregation and complicity with racism. It was her faith that fueled her relentless work to expose and eradicate the wrongs of injustice, violence, and oppression of Black people. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Let’s also celebrate George Washington Carver, who experienced extreme racism yet rose to international acclaim. In 1894, Carver earned a BS degree and in 1896 an MS degree in bacterial botany and agriculture. He’s also noted for being the first Black faculty member at Iowa College. How did he do this in the midst of oppression? He was a Christian man of great faith! He said, “I am simply God’s servant endeavoring in my humble way to do that which God has given me the trust to do.” ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Carver and Wells are just two of many African-Americans worthy of celebration during Black History Month. I encourage you to learn about others and celebrate them too. I’m not an expert on Black History, but I intend to learn more as I celebrate Black History Month each year. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Black History Month for me, as a follower of Jesus, is not just about Black History! It’s about God History too! I’m celebrating Black History Month with gospel eyes. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I can see more clearly God’s heart towards the oppressed. I can see how God was with them. I see the power and beauty of God working through the lives of people whose stories were filled with severe racism, injustice, and violence. I can see how He helped them endure and persevere, while bearing much fruit. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I believe only the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to redeem our nation’s racist history and present. And only the gospel of Jesus Christ gives me hope for a better future. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
With gospel hope and gospel eyes, celebrate Black History Month with me! Let’s celebrate it motivated by the love of Jesus Christ and His work of redemption on the cross.⁣
⁣
Only through Jesus’ death and resurrection can we, as His followers, celebrate Black History Month with hope, compassion, and God’s love for all people! -Ronalda

02/15/2023

(2/3) This was the purpose of our Black Culture Club! We were turning the light of truth on the wrongs of hiding Black History to suppress the truth about Black people. Throughout the year, we were righting these wrongs by unveiling Black History through education and celebration. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Every February, we celebrated Negro History Week, the brainchild of historian Carter Woodson, initiated in 1926. Its purpose: to showcase the contributions of Black Americans and to expand and deepen the study of African-American history. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
As we learned about amazing Black Men and Women and their extraordinary sacrifices and contributions to our nation, we were being changed. We Black students began walking the halls with a new sense of dignity. White students began to respect us more and include us in their activities. We experienced more understanding, unity in solidarity, and even love between us! ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
This was our God of love, mercy, and justice at work through us. Ultimately, it was God, “The Light of Truth,” who used our Black Culture Club to right the wrong of excluding the truth about Black History from U.S. History at our school.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Several years after the birth of our Black Culture Club, Negro History Week expanded into Black History Month. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Black History Month exists to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and acknowledge their central role in U.S. History. President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month in 1976. He called on all Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Let’s seize the opportunity to honor the sacrifices and contributions of African-Americans to our nation. Let’s celebrate Black History Month, but not as the world celebrates it! Let’s celebrate it with gospel eyes and hope.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
(Continues in next post)

02/15/2023

(1/3) ⁠When I was a kid growing up in Philly during the 50’s and 60’s, we weren’t taught Black History in school. We were taught Western European History and American History from a White perspective and bias that portrayed Black people as slaves, mammies, maids, cooks, crooks, and clowns. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I remember degrading stereotypes of Black people such as: Aunt Jemima, Sambo, “Step-in-Fetch it ” — buffoon-like characters that were made to look foolish and stupid — amusing to some but not to us Black folk. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
As a young Black girl, I needed to see brilliant Black women like Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. They didn’t fit the stereotypes that depicted Black people as ignorant fools! These three Black women worked for NASA and played a pivotal role in the first American to orbit the Earth. The first time I heard about them was in the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures”. Why were they and this monumental Black history hidden from U.S. History? ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Though my family is Caribbean-American, I always identified as Black. I didn’t have a sense of low self-esteem, but I did feel like a second-class citizen when White food servers and sales reps would blatantly bypass me and ignore me while attending to White customers who were behind me in line. ⁣
⁣
Whenever I’d experience prejudice like this, the thought of Dr. Martin Luther King fighting for justice, equality, and civil rights encouraged me. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
The day Dr. King was assassinated, April 4, 1968, I remember the shock and pain I felt. I was 15 years old. It was then that I resolved to carry on fighting for justice and equality through educating myself and my Black and White classmates about Black History. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I pioneered the first Black Culture Club at my high school, which was a predominantly White, Catholic girls school. I naively thought Black History education would erase Black stereotypes and racism. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
But over half-a-century later, it’s clear to me that fighting racism is more complex and evident in systems of racism that hide truth. Ida B. Wells, a Black woman and investigative journalist wrote: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
(Continues in next post)

02/02/2023

As Jordan Varghese shared on Sunday, when we face hardship, many of us are tempted to disconnect from God. But as Jesus approached the cross, we see that it was actually through his wresting with God that he was strengthened to continue to engage. ⁠⁣
⁠⁣
The strength was not to resolve the issue or even to give him peace about it in order to go forward; it was to pray more earnestly and to remain connected to God.

01/27/2023

This past weekend, our church talked about the spiritual practice of silence and solitude. We see in Luke 5 that Jesus often withdrew to desolate places to pray, and as his disciples (especially in a culture of constant busyness and distraction), we too must prioritize moments where we give God our undivided attention in order to cultivate deeper communion with Him.

Hope Midtown

05/24/2023

05/24/2023

04/29/2023

04/27/2023

04/27/2023

03/02/2023

03/02/2023

02/15/2023

02/15/2023

02/15/2023

02/02/2023

01/27/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category