2023 YEAR IN REView
With one hand reach out to Jesus and with the other, bring a friend.
Nobody is beyond God’s ability to save! I love how this truth is even reflected in the name of our church “Hope Chapel’. There’s hope for everyone. Jesus can use anyone, any place, at any time and work out his purposes in every circumstance. This year God's grace and faithfulness to us has been so near as we have gone through the tragedy of the fires and all the impacts upon our island home. God has used us as a church to share the hope of Jesus like never before.
On top of the overwhelming outpouring of support for fire relief, our biblically-mandated mission to share the Gospel and make disciples through all our ministries has been strengthened. As this year draws to a close, we want to take the opportunity to reflect on the many ways God has used us as a church family to make a difference here on Maui and throughout the world.
As you read through all that God is doing through Hope, I pray you would be encouraged, your faith built up, and that you would join me in investing in God's work and believing for even greater things in 2024. By year's end, we are trusting that we will meet our budget and be ready to serve God’s advancing Kingdom this next year. Thank you for your love, prayers, generosity, and faith.
Better Together,
Ben
Baptism is an outward expression of our inward faith- this year we celebrated 58 people making this public profession of faith!
Our annual All-Church Series this year saw all 72 of our 'Ohana Groups studying One at a Time by Kyle Idleman, with our Youth and Kids ministries also getting on the same page to focus on learning how Jesus saw and ministered to people one at a time. And get this- the largest gathering had 162 of us in 14 different table groups meeting each week under the big tent in the courtyard!
Alana was one of hundreds of volunteers who paused their lives to help those who needed it most. Hear her share how Jesus used her ministry of presence to show his love through our Distribution Hub.
The people of Hope mobilized from Day 1 to be the hands and feet of Jesus amidst tragedy. To date, we've distributed over $1,000,000 in direct support, met the needs of over 7,000 people through our Distribution Hub, and had teams working in Lahaina for many weeks following the fires. With your help we've been able to bring hope & healing to so many!
Vertical Sports encourages kids to to compete according to God's word, by His power, and for His glory! Sports Camp saw 621 kids, 300 volunteers, 25 guest coaches, 9 sports, and 5 days of fun. Let's celebrate the 140 kids who made decisions for Christ at camp this year!
A person's worldview and faith is largely set by the time they reach age 13, and now more than ever, we need to equip parents and leaders to disciple our kids. Hope held our first Kids Ministry Impact Forum this year, we're committed to impact the next generation for all of eternity!
A change of place and a change of pace brings about a change in perspective - in our first trip back to Hume Lake in years, 42 students and 9 leaders built lifelong friendships and many of our youth found new life in Christ. Pray that the seeds planted would grow to bear fruit for generations to come!
60 young adults attended the Kauai retreat this July where they built lasting community and grew in their walks with the Lord. Our Young Adults meet every Wednesday for Bible study and every weekend at Big Beach to play volleyball- they had such a jump in numbers this year they had to set up a second net! God is moving in the growth of our Young Adult community.
In March, we welcomed Derek LaFontaine as our new Pastor of Care & Counseling, encouraging and equipping our Care ministries and bringing leadership to our counseling team. Little did we know how much we would need a 25-year veteran firefighter with a biblical counseling background to minister to the needs of the people of Maui! Hear how God called his family to Maui here.
In October, our missionaries, Sammy & Marcia Diab, opened the Jason Spence Academy-Christian School and Home for Children in Brazil. 240 people attended the grand opening! Their mission is to provide a place for families and children to spend quality time together and enhance creativity, exploration, and learning in a nature-focused environment.
We received so many notes of thanks for the incredible generosity and provision of the Lord for those affected by the wildfires- over 7,000 have received aid. Thank you for your gifts and helping hands.
DOING CHURCH
AS A TEAM
180+
families watch online every week
530
members
serving in
30+
ministries
2023 Impact
1,150+
Kids attended services
58
Baptisms
LIFE CHANGE
CARE & COUNSELING
$1,035,315
given to families and those affected by the fires
$86,622
61
Kokua Requests met
for a total of
FIRE RELIEF EFFORTS
5,220+
Volunteer hours worked
(Aug 8 - Dec 10)
562
Volunteers
1,035
Volunteer positions filled
3,021
Gift cards distributed
769
Direct aid checks given
7,314+
Total calls received and answered
(Aug 8 - Dec 10)
7,200+
Families served through the
Distribution Center
12
local missions serving our community
LOCAL AND GLOBAL MISSIONS
10
missionary families in
9
locations around the world
254
Families discipled by
Hope Chapel Kids
76
Members trained in Compassionate Counseling
160+
Counseling Sessions since April
736
members in
72
'Ohana Groups
2023 Financial Report
Under the guidance of the Board of Elders, we continue to steward our resources with a conservative approach- even with the growing pressures of inflation, we kept our 2023 budget unchanged compared to 2022, while doing more ministry than ever before. The Maui fires in August gave us an opportunity to respond to great needs, and we're so grateful for the generosity we received from our church and from around the world! A few financial notes:
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We entered December with a small giving shortfall of $52,715 (as of Dec 10)
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We have saved $39,307 compared to our actual budget
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We saw an incredible outpouring of generosity for fire relief, distributing $1,035,315 directly to displaced families and those affected by the fires, and much more in donated goods via our Distribution Hub
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Our fire relief efforts will continue for the next several years as we steward the remaining funds for medium- and long-term needs
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We have partnered with Harvest, Saddleback, Twin Lakes Church, DisasterAidUSA, and several other organizations to employ their depth of knowledge and resources in disaster relief
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Every year, we undergo a voluntary comprehensive audit- for more details you can review our 2021 Audited Financial Statements here (2022 Audited Financial Statements will be posted as soon as they are available).
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Thank you for your faithful giving and generosity!
An Update on the Land Sale
In 2018 we entered into an agreement to sell a portion of undeveloped land (the southern-most part of Hope's parcel) to our current neighbor Hale Mahaolu, along with a development group who is partnering with them. Hale Mahaolu is meeting a great need in the community by providing affordable housing for the elderly in South Maui, and they are seeking to expand by creating even more affordable senior housing.
In late 2022 we received news that their plan has been approved by the county and they are moving forward with the project, and in 2023 their funding application was approved subject to final building permit issuance. They have agreed to pay an extension fee and expect to close on the project in early 2024 if the Lord wills. Please pray with us that the Lord will see this project to completion, and when it is finalized, we will be able to pay off the mortgage and be debt-free!
God's Grace & Faithfulness in 2024 and beyond.
By God’s grace, with your faithful giving along with prudent stewardship, we have navigated a challenging year with our spending on-target and our giving is close to our budget. With your help we have met needs across our community and made a difference in the lives of many who were affected by the fires this year. To keep the ministry strong we are believing God that through the participation of each of us, we will meet our current budget, plus the remainder of December's giving ($207,082), to make budget this year.
Please join us in asking God how he would have you participate in the ministry of Hope Chapel through a special year-end financial gift.
**A note on non-cash gifts: a gift of appreciated stock, land, or other non-cash assets made before 12/31 has significant tax advantages- please contact us and we can help!