Hope REC is a family-integrated Church. . This means that our church life is intentionally designed to gather rather than separate the family unit. We have one family Sunday School class where biblical life principles are taught to the whole family, making every effort to make them understandable for all ages. This is the time when visual aids, skits, and hands-on activities are especially utilized to help the younger grasp the deep truths of Scripture. During worship time at Hope R. E. Church families sit together in the service, pray together during prayer time and take communion as a family, led by the fathers (or the mother when he is not available). The sermons are designed to speak to every age and fathers are encouraged to be the pastors of their homes and lead their families in applying the sermon messages to their lives during the week. Having the infants and younger children in the service with us can make for a little more noise, but the benefits of having them with their parents and church family are of more value to us than a quieter atmosphere without them. Should the young ones need personal attention, ample areas of privacy are available to tend to them and still hear the worship activities; we also have a generous supply of those looking to assist in whatever way they can.

Do we ever have separate activities for specific groups for prayer, fellowship, etc.? Yes, there is a Saturday morning men’s prayer group, regular ladies’ prayer times and teas, and the occasional party for children in a specific age range for a specific purpose. Overall, however, we strive to be age-integrated rather than age-segregated in our church life.

The question often comes up: What about individuals who attend alone or single-parent families? We answer: “We are a church family made up of families and whether you are a family of one or ten you are welcome to join us. For either individuals or single-parent families, we believe that their inclusion into a family of two-parent families allows them to enjoy many of the benefits (house repairs, sons around father figures, daughters around mother figures, etc.) which they often cannot provide for themselves.

If family integration is a new idea to you here are some scriptures and further explanations to help you understand why we feel it is important.

Hope Reformed Evangelical Church is committed to strengthening families, so we keep them together as much as possible. This means that almost all home groups and Bible studies are geared for adults and children of all ages. We do have some meetings just for men and women, but overall we try to keep families and single parents together. This is obviously in contrast to the popular approach, which divides up families and intentionally segregates by ages and marital status. Our specific goal is quite the opposite -- to integrate all ages as much as possible. Age-group segregation is a modern day church phenomena and is utilized by most church programs. We and sister family-integrated churches conclude that a more biblical approach is to minister to the family as a whole. It is our goal at Hope REC to integrate the ages and avoid age segregation for the following reasons:

8 Reasons for family integration.

1. Age integration allows the younger to benefit from older more mature believers.

The Scriptures tell us that those older typically have more wisdom than those younger (Job 12:12; 32:7; 8:8; Prov. 16:31; 20:29; Lev 19:32).
Titus 2:4-5 teaches older women to train younger women.

2. It encourages the maturity of the younger by their increased involvement with adults.

We are peers of those we spend time with.
We become like our peers (Prov. 13:20; 2:20; 22:24; Ps 119:63; 1 Cor. 15:33).
Those older provide positive models for those younger.

3. It discourages a generation gap.

Children and teens are less likely to develop the idea that they have nothing in common with adults.

4. It gives children and teenagers a true view of the their identity in Christ.

It reinforces to children their "contributing member" identity rather than their "passive" identity (1 Cor 12:1-27).
It teaches kids not to see themselves as "outsiders" -- that the main service is for adults and not them.
It reinforces to young people a family identity rather than a "youth subculture" identity.
It communicates to the young that they can participate in, and learn from pulpit and small group teaching and refutes the popular notion that youth need to receive instruction that is bathed in entertainment and fun.

5. It avoids fostering a self-centered view of church life both in the older and the younger.

Catering to specific ages with age-tailored programs communicates to the participants that the programs exists to satisfy them and cultivates the perspective "What will this ministry do for me?". It helps produce Christians who are more concerned about being served than serving. They develop the vision that they are "tourists” to be catered to instead of the biblical model of citizenship, where each has a responsibility for the needs of others.
Maximizes the growth opportunities of being with those who do not share common values and convictions.

6. It does not limits the vision for outreach.

Segregating people by ages for the purpose of evangelizing the unbelievers who visit the church, is a modern church practice which we do not regard as the best one. For approximately the first 1900 years of church history, church gatherings were considered to be times for discipling and equipping believers for the work of evangelism in their homes and communities.
Those who depend upon the church to draw in and evangelize the unbelieving friends of their children, often miss the opportunities they have to do a more effective job at home.

7. It keeps families together and contributes to their strength.

Multiple activities for different ages mean family time is minimized.
Youth groups create gratifying relationships and friendship bonds which hamper family cohesiveness.
Youth ministers can take on the role of the father, and be seen as the authority.
Family priority weakens as outside social groups take on more importance and time allotment.
Families may come to believe the error that peer relationships are more important than the family relationship. Teens can begin to identify with the youth subculture more than parents and siblings; they choose friends over family. Family integration keeps the family bonds secure.


8. It fosters wholesome bonds between siblings and avoids artificial dividing lines that subtly foster competition and disharmony between ages rather than unity.

Many parents assume that the sibling rivalry in their homes is normal and to be expected, but are unaware that it is often nurtured by age segregation in church and society.

Please visit us and see if you would like to become part of our "family of families"