About Hope Now Bible Church
The idea for Hope Now Bible Church began in late 2004. After much prayer, the church was launched in February of 2005. We have been blessed to be able to use the facilities of First Presbyterian Church in Fresno.
Hope Now Bible Church is unique in that it reaches out to families of those who have been caught up in criminal and gang activity. We believe that God's Word is the balm that heals those who are hurting, therefore we teach through the Bible verse by verse. While we keep the message simple, we do not water down the Word of God. We strive to pull people up to a level of Biblical competency so that they might be able to chew on the meat of the Word and share it with others.
Our children's ministry is Biblically sound as well. We teach our children Bible stories and help them memorize God's Word so that they might take Scripture back to their homes and neighborhoods.
We believe in local missions work. We support Hope Now For Youth on a monthly basis. Hope Now For Youth is a Christian emergency rescue organization ministering to young gang members, ages 16 to 24 (www.hopenow.org).
Our leadership team consists of four co-pastors, all of whom have a love for those who are in need and a passion to teach the Word faithfully.
Leadership Team
Pastor John Raymond: John is a graduate of Pepperdine University. He has worked as a pastor in several large churches in California including North Long Beach Brethren Church and Lake Avenue Congregational Church. He ministered for 12 years on the staff of Hope Now For Youth and helped over one thousand gang members get first time jobs.
John is retired, yet still actively involved in the ministry of Hope Now For Youth as a volunteer. He performs pastoral care duties by visiting young men who have been incarcerated. Currently, John is on the board of directors of Hope Now For Youth and serves as vice-chairman.
John preaches several times throughout the year and teaches a Bible study for young couples. He has been married for over 47 years. John has a son, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
Pastor Vanna In: Vanna was born in Cambodia and came to the United States as a young child. He is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University. He is pursuing his Masters degree from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno.
Vanna is a former gang member and spent seven years in the California Youth Authority for a charge of accessory to murder. In CYA, Vanna became a believer in Jesus Christ. He was discipled by the Chaplain for several years and served the Lord faithfully upon his release in 2001.
Vanna preaches several Sunday's out of the month and leads a large group of youth in Bible study on Thursday evenings. Vanna has been married for over three years.
Pastor Bryce Naylor: Bryce is a graduate of Simpson University. He has served in various Christian ministries over the past several years including Forest Home Conference Center, located in the San Bernardino mountains.
Bryce has a unique gift for memorizing Scripture and has mastered the books of Jonah, part of Philippians, all of Colossians and James along with large portions of Psalms.
He leads music along with his wife and preaches several Sunday's throughout the year. He has been married for over three years. He and his wife are expecting their first child in June.
Pastor Roger Feenstra: Roger Feenstra is the Executive Director and CEO of Hope Now For Youth, a Christian emergency rescue organization that helps young gang members, ages 16 to 24, get out of the gang life and into a job. Hope Now accomplishes this goal by sharing the love of Jesus Christ with each young man who enters the program. Roger is co-pastor of Hope Now Bible Church in Fresno, California.
He attended Riverside Community College, Biola College, and Moody Bible Institute. Roger received his certificate in Strategic Planning and Management in Retailing from Babson College, and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a B.S. in Biblical Studies.
Roger was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 70's. In 1980 he began a 24-year career with Berean Christian Stores. In 2000 he became president of the company and served in that position for four years. He became Executive Director and CEO of Hope Now For Youth in 2004.
He has traveled extensively including such places as Antarctica, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Israel.
He has been married for over 32 years, has two married daughters, two grandsons, one grandaughter, and another grandchild on the way!
Location
We meet at 1540 M Street in the facilities of First Presbyterian Church, Fresno.
Our mailing address is:
Service Times
Sunday: 6:30 p.m. Worship service and Bible school for all ages.
Tuesday: 7:00 p.m. Couple's Bible Study with Pastor John.
Tuesday: 7:00 p.m. Hope Now Ministry Institute. Application and registration required for participation. See Pastor Roger for details.
Thursday: 5:15 p.m. Prayer time. 6:00 p.m. Church dinner. 6:30 p.m. Bible Study with Pastor Vanna and Pastor Roger for teenagers and adults. Youth meet upstairs in room 206. Adults meet downstairs in room 102. Sorry, no childcare available on Thursday evenings.
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