A Word from Pastor Jill
Wow! Every year I am more and more humbled by the work I get to be a part of at Hope Church. Just like every year past, I am blown away by these numbers. Statistics aren't our goal at Hope, but they are a great way to see a bird's eye view of the work our community is doing. Because of YOU - your faith, your generosity, your dedication - our collective efforts are truly changing lives.
Have you ever wondered where your offering is going? Been curious about what other small groups are up to, besides your own? Do you watch our baptisms every month and wonder how many we do in a year? This is where we house all the different workings of our church in one simple place for you to view - so you can see the work of our church on a wide scale, even though you are a part of it on a small scale.
We're all part of the body! Just different parts. Take a look at what our arms are doing and what our feet are doing - there's so much happening at Hope Church, and we're so glad you're involved. This extended letter can include a testimonial from a church member, a longer letter from the pastor, or even a more detailed intro from your communications manager! It expands as long (or as short!) as your church needs it to be. Vivamus eu euismod ipsum, at sagittis ante. Vestibulum et ex vel est varius maximus. Aliquam at orci justo. Proin laoreet purus tellus, ac tincidunt nisl pellentesque eget. Mauris quis mollis sapien. Praesent aliquam gravida lorem, vitae auctor nisi tempus ut. In ornare congue viverra. Nullam ac feugiat ante. Fusce porttitor, dolor ac ultrices placerat, diam augue consectetur turpis, quis feugiat nisi nisl in mi. Donec imperdiet urna vulputate sodales efficitur. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae;
Maecenas eu dui nunc. Vestibulum nec orci tellus. Curabitur tortor erat, mattis et malesuada vel, egestas in libero. Morbi tempor faucibus felis quis molestie. Maecenas commodo, est vel lobortis eleifend, dui nunc posuere orci, eget fermentum arcu mauris vestibulum lorem. In iaculis urna vitae orci lobortis, non rhoncus nisi interdum. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. In non pretium nibh. Donec mauris odio, iaculis a nunc eget, ultricies iaculis felis. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Morbi et lobortis nisi. Duis ultricies volutpat vulputate. Curabitur orci lorem, posuere a ante quis, accumsan tristique massa. Cras elit nisi, lobortis eleifend feugiat quis, pretium non neque. Nullam a erat in augue volutpat pharetra et in ex. Ut ac dui at sapien tincidunt blandit.
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Attendance
380 average weekly attendance
Which is a 10.1% increase from the previous year! Attendance isn't everything, but we think it's a helpful tool to see how our engagement is growing!
80
average weekly online worship viewers across 17 countries. 170 new social media followers welcomed — extending the reach of God’s message far beyond our walls.
100
kids (birth - 5th grade) ministered to monthly
18
students (6 - 12th grade) ministered to during reNEW Youth meetings
690
enrolled across our our Early Childhood Music School and Kid's Morning Out Preschool
44
enrolled in Messy Church Camp Summer Program
133 adults grew in Sunday School
This includes brand new members and newly committed members alike!
61 joined short-term studies
exploring everything from storytelling to prayer
54 found encouragement in small groups
In addition, 39 journeyed through the Pastors’ Bible Studies on Galatians, Psalms, and Ruth, and 11 committed to a 24-week Covenant Bible Study
27 women gathered for retreat
finding rest, renewal, and deeper connection with God and one another.
Next Steps
25 new members in 2025
With 8 baptisms this year!
Music Ministries
24 new singers and players joined choir, bells, and orchestra, with 4 coming for weekly voice classes. Our Early Childhood Music School taught over 650 students in more than 1,650 classes. ECMS also provided scholarships that allowed four students to participate—covering a total of 90 classes—so every child could experience the joy of music.
217 families were helped by 15 partner churches and 36 partner agencies
We put on 17 events!
Local Outreach
30,500 fliers were handed out around the neighborhood for local events
Kids Morning Out
49 children were nurtured this year, including 14 who graduated to kindergarten. Families received $7,343 in scholarships to make participation possible. The KMO community was enriched with 15 visits from the Williamsburg Regional Library Book Mobile and 15 chapels with the WUMC pastoral team. Children also created 150 handprint turkeys that blessed families through our Thanksgiving Meals ministry.
Respite Care Ministry
With 1,716 visits, this ministry was filled with laughter, music, and friendship. Members sang 72 renditions of “Brown Eyed Girl,” broke a record by keeping a balloon in the air for 7 minutes, and received the gift of music from Lou-Anne, who led them in song 11 times this year. Behind the joy is a deeper truth: Respite provided a safe, life-giving community for caregivers and their loved ones, supported by $162,436 in tuition, $8,555 in donations, and $14,465 from fundraising events.
Food Ministry & Disaster Relief
Over 275 summer meals each week were shared with children, thanks to 26 dedicated volunteers. Our Crockpot Ministry team of 18 provided 96 meals to families in need, while 4 faithful volunteers prepared and delivered 20 family meals each month. More than 100 people made Winter Shelter possible, offering hospitality to our neighbors. And together we baked 162 dozen cookies for Kairos Prison Ministry, along with assembling 500 hygiene kits and 140 flood buckets for UMCOR. We put food on the tables of 2,240 families, serving 5,749 individuals total
Small Groups & Studies
133 adults grew in Sunday School, 61 people joined short-term studies, 54 people found encouragement in small groups, 39 people journeyed through the Pastors’ Bible Studies on Galatians, Psalms, and Ruth, and 11 people committed to a 24-week Covenant Bible Study. 27 women gathered for retreat, finding rest, renewal, and deeper connection with God and one another.
Family Ministries
12 little ones welcomed in our nursery. 176 gathering for Messy Church. Kids heard 47 stories in Godly Play, youth served by sorting 1,500 pounds of food, and together we celebrated milestones — from 4 Bibles presented to children, to 134 backpack tags blessed and sent into classrooms, to one senior awarded a scholarship. Families also stepped into service, collecting 180 new blankets, 35 bags of coats, **40+** bags of warm clothing, and $2,700 for Boone UMC after hurricane Helene — a project that united WUMC with neighborhoods and organizations across Williamsburg. Along the way, there were also 864 slices of pizza shared, and 2,500 Easter Eggs hidden (with 4 still being found months later!) — proof that joy multiplies, too. 302 Serve Team members helped 57 students with special needs have a night to remember!
Local Outreach
30,500 fliers were handed out around the neighborhood for local events
Missions
1 in 13 church people went on a short-term trip in 2018
This is a free form section where you can plug anything unique to your church! If you want to push users to a Mission Trip, link out to our snazzy Missions Layout (below). Or maybe you want to add a contact form here, so you can hear from members about which part of this annual report surprised them. You could simply add a thank you message, for everyone who served, and contributed to, your church's work in the last year.