In a quick answer, “All hell is breaking Loose.” For many years, confidence in government, business, the school system, society, even the church itself has deteriorated. The moral fabric of our once great Christian nation has been slowly eroded by compromise and self-focused living. Though many area churches have done, and are doing all they know to do, the erosion continues.

In addition to the many effective efforts of the Lafayette Christian community, God has breathed another weapon to help re-take our city for His glory and His purpose. This comes from within the congregation of the miraculously growing Hope Alive church. Hope Alive is a congregation committed to winning and discipling the lost and the un-churched in our community. Faith in God desperately needs to be restored in our families and in our city, and the Hope Alive crusade may be part of the answer.

So what’s so different about Hope Alive? The preaching is very direct, intense and challenging; not to diminish the efforts of the other Spirit-led, “on fire” preachers in our area. The praise and worship is exciting and inspiring, and for many new visitors the music is the likes of which they have never heard or experienced in a church before. Then again, there are other area praise and worship services that likewise usher in the presence and power of God. The synergistic effect of great preaching and great worship together is powerful, but even together they are not the secret to the remarkable growth and impact of Hope Alive in South Louisiana.

The key to the Hope Alive phenomena is found in both what Hope Alive is and what it is not. Hope Alive is not just another friendly Christian social club where complacency and luke-warm-ness is often the norm. Hope Alive is on the same mission Jesus declared He was on, “to destroy the works of the devil” and to “set the captives free”. Yes, “all hell is breaking loose” and releasing its grip on lives as the redeemed of the Lord come forth and stand together in faith.

Hope Alive is a modern day full gospel church that emphasizes youth involvement, but also reaches out across all generational, social, and cultural lines. Hope Alive differs from many other traditional churches and denominations because it does not rely on the pastor to do all the pastoring and reaching out. The “pastor’s supposed to do that” traditional mentality limits many churches in a number of ways. Hope Alive’s existence is not dependent on any one man or woman. Hope has become a unified team of like-minded believers who understand that the pastor’s job is to equip the people to go out and win the lost, and to do the work of the ministry. People are challenged to trust and rely on God, to pray for the sick, to believe in the miracle working power of God, and to teach others to do likewise.

Hope Alive encourages small mid-week prayer and study cell groups, home groups, or what are sometimes called life groups to reach and involve others. The slogan of a well-known cellular services provider, “it’s the network”, well describes the core of the Hope Alive growth phenomena. Weekend retreats called “Encounters” are held where people set aside time to “encounter God” and address some of their life influencing issues. Discipleship classes are structured to give all who attend a focused understanding of who God is, who they are, and how to successfully engage in the spiritual battle that surrounds them.

Hope Alive is on a mission to restore Godly living, hope and purpose in the lives of individuals and families in our community. Evidence of the Hope Alive success story is found in the increasing number of people who are turning away from a lifestyle that has had little or no spiritual impact and was headed for destruction. They’re tired of seeing friends, family and loved ones devoured by the schemes of the enemy and are ready to join a God-believing team that is committed and empowered to do something about it.

God repeatedly encourages us to come together in prayerful agreement to access the great power he makes available to us. One by one, people are stepping out of their complacency and into the front lines of the great spiritual battle raging just beyond our natural physical perception. Hope Alive has developed a disciple-producing process that unites believers to effectively confront the divisional devices of the enemy. The “Team Jesus” mentality unlocks the potential of the isolated individual to discover the power of believer-agreement in this spiritual battle.

Hope Alive believes that within each individual lies the seed of a great ministry. Have you found the peace and the power of knowing God in full measure, and are certain that you are in the exact place that God intends in order that you might impact the lives of those around you? Not only do your friends, family and loved ones need you to be the fruitful disciple of Christ that God intends, Jesus deserves you to be. Honestly seek God’s will for your life, and He will give you direction.
No, Hope Alive is not a typical church. But then again, maybe they are some of the “peculiar people” God was talking about in the Bible. You are cordially invited to visit Hope Alive and “come see” for yourself. Like many who have already come, your life might not be the same again either.

The People of Hope