Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church

03/04/2023

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01/30/2023

Dear friends of Hope,
I apologize for not giving an update here sooner regarding our incorporation status.
Hope's incorporation was closed prior to the start of 2023, meaning our church officially is legally closed and all our accounts are closed as well as of the calendar year 2022.
My youngest son was diagnosed with cancer last fall and so I had to take a step back in several matters - including the process of closing Hope legally. So, I don't have details for you, as I was not directly involved, but if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to reach out to me and I will find the answers for you.
I'd also like to remind everyone that Hope's historical artifacts are now located at the Portage Historical Society.
Lord's blessings to you all,
Pastor Locklair

06/23/2022

General Update Concerning Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church:

Dear friends, here we would like to summarize what is happening and has happened.
1. Hope's voters voted this spring to cease services, move forward with closing our incorporation and join with Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Northwest Indiana (6240 Grand Blvd, Hobart). This means that Grace is now the continuation of Hope and we urge all our members to work with Pastor Locklair to transfer to Grace.

2. Hope's church building was sold on April 29th. We know very little about the buyers but they did tell us they are a Christian church and plan to use the building as a church.

3. Hope's council has had discussions about what to do with the remaining assets of the incorporation. The council are the decision makers for that, according to our Articles of Incorporation, but they are certainly taking input from Hope's members.

4. As part of 3, Hope is in the processing of transferring ownership of the parsonage to Grace.

5. Later this year, the council will meet to decide how to disburse the remaining assets. In general, there has been a strong desire to gift the assets to mission work of our fellowship, both in the US and around the world.

6. Once all the assets have been disbursed, the incorporation itself will be closed.

We hope to see you at Grace in Hobart!

05/01/2022

For those wondering about the archives room and all the wonderful historical content in it:
All of the items in the archives room were donated to the Portage Historical Society.
They will make decisions concerning what will be displayed, but you should be able to view at least some of those wonderful items there in the future.

04/29/2022

Dear friends,
Today we closed on the sale of our church property and turned over possession of it.
For those who have asked, the buyers indicated they intend to use it as a Christian church and will “respect” the architecture of the building.
We did not have time to host a closing Service, unfortunately.
Thank you for all your support.
Again, we encourage all Hope members to work with Pastor Locklair to transfer to Grace Lutheran in Hobart, IN, our sister ELS congregation.

02/27/2022

Dear friends of Hope,
today was the final regular Sunday Service for our church in our current building (at least for the time being). At Hope's annual meeting, the voters voted to stop Services in our building beginning March 1st rather than to hold Services at a non-traditional time.
Additionally, we have a pending offer of sale for our church property. Should the sale go through, the congregation will then decide next steps.
In the meantime our membership is urgently encouraged to attend our sister congregation (Grace Lutheran) in Hobart.
We hope to be able to schedule an official closing Service in our building later this spring. We will keep you posted.
So, here is the sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday and the final regular Service in our building.
"We are Saved through Faith Alone"

Hope Lutheran Sermons

02/21/2022

Today’s Sermon: The Word Alone Gives Growth

Hope Lutheran Sermons

02/13/2022

Today’s sermon: Christ Controls Creation

Hope Lutheran Sermons

02/03/2022

Dear friends, Pastor Locklair did test positive for covid this week. Therefore, there will be no Service at Hope this Sunday, February 6th. There will be a Service at Grace Lutheran in Hobart at 9am. Please attend there.
Pastor will of course follow the CDC guidelines for isolation. Assuming recovery goes well, he will be able to conduct the Service on February 13th. Please continue to keep the Locklairs in your prayers!

01/30/2022

As there is no Service today (January 30th), I encourage you to view this shortened Service and Sermon from one of our sister ELS congregations - Western Koshkonong Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, WI, served by Rev. Trent Saari.

Sunday, January 30, 2022 11 hours ago by Pastor Trent Saari THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY Sermon: “Stormy Seas and a Great Calm” Text: Matthew 8:23-27   Posted in Sermons

01/30/2022

Dear members and friends of Hope, an immediate member of Pastor's family has tested positive for covid-19. There will be no Service tomorrow, January 30th, as Pastor will have to quarantine. When he can return depends on both when the immediate family member recovers and if Pastor develops symptoms. When we know if there will be a Service on February 6th, we will post that update here. Please keep Pastor's family in your prayers for a speedy and full recovery.