Hope Chapel Christian Church is a Gospel-centered congregation on Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, California, serving the South Bay and beyond. Since 1971, it has grown around a family identity, holding Saturday and Sunday worship gatherings where people sing, hear biblical teaching, and pursue discipleship together. Hope is also known for Hope in Action, its food pantry, which offers groceries, listening, prayer, and practical help to people facing food insecurity or homelessness.
From a Vacant Building to a Light on the Hill
Hope Chapel began in 1971 when Ralph Moore and his wife Ruby answered a call to take over a vacant church building in Manhattan Beach. The young congregation soon filled the building, and its growth created a need for a larger place. In 1976, the church took ownership of an abandoned bowling alley overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Pacific Coast Highway. The reclaimed building became what the church calls a light on the hill in Hermosa Beach and shaped its identity for decades.
Ralph was called in 1983 to begin another church in Hawaii, and Zac Nazarian succeeded him as senior pastor. Under Zac's leadership, thousands were pointed to Jesus and many churches were planted. Hope marked its 50th anniversary in 2021, celebrating 45 years in the reclaimed bowling alley and five decades of ministry.
That history still shapes the church rather than standing apart from it. Building on what began with Ralph and Ruby, Hope continues to emphasize biblical teaching, worship, shared discipleship, service to people in practical need, and the planting of churches. The former bowling alley remains a place where a large congregation gathers for the purposes stated in its mission: to win people to Christ, equip believers, and send them to make disciples.
Saturday and Sunday Gatherings
Hope Chapel's weekend rhythm has three worship gatherings:
- Saturday at 5:00 p.m. includes simultaneous Spanish translation.
- Sunday at 9:00 a.m. includes ASL interpretation.
- Sunday at 11:15 a.m. includes simultaneous Spanish translation.
A typical service lasts approximately 90 minutes. People sing together songs that glorify Christ, build up the church, and are based on Scripture. Biblical teaching comes directly from the Bible in clear, everyday language, with emphasis on sound theology and practical application. The pattern reflects Hope's desire to worship Jesus, shape lives through truth, and move people from learning into active discipleship.
Communion is celebrated regularly as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice, and all baptized believers in Jesus are welcome to participate. Weekly services can be joined through the livestream. Recent messages are also available in the sermon archive, and the church app carries sermons, event information, online giving, and group connections on a phone.
Parking, Children and the First Visit
Hope Chapel is at 2420 Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach. Its visitor information includes the service schedule, what to expect, translations, children's programs, and parking locations.
Parking Around the Church
Parking is available in several locations:
- Under the sanctuary
- Along Pacific Coast Highway
- In a secondary lot on the east side of Artesia Boulevard
- At the overflow lot at 2200 Pacific Coast Highway
- At the Chase parking lot at 700 S. Sepulveda Boulevard
A parking map identifies these locations.
What to Wear
Both casual wear and more dressed-up attire are welcome. The church cares more about people being present than what they are wearing, so personal comfort is the guiding principle.
Children at Hope
Hope has a safe, dedicated children's space where children are taught from the Bible, worship through song, and build friendships with other children. The Hope Kids ministry seeks to show Jesus to children and families, help them grow to be like him, and equip them to tell others about him.
Office and Bookstore
The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The church phone is (310) 374-4673, and its general email is info@hopechapel.org. A bookstore near the church offers Bibles, Christian books, study materials, and gifts before or after service.
Win, Equip and Send: The Heart of Hope
Hope's mission is to win people to Christ, equip them through the truth of God's Word, and send them out to make disciples who impact the South Bay and beyond. These three purposes guide its preaching, discipleship, service, and missionary work. The church calls itself the Family of Hope, with each member encouraged to learn truth, grow in faith, and honor God through life together.
Hope teaches that the Bible, with its thirty-nine Old Testament books and twenty-seven New Testament books, is God-inspired, contains no error, and is the only standard for faith and practice. It confesses one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully man, who died for sins, rose again on the third day, and will return. Salvation is God's gift rather than something people can earn, and it is received by turning to Jesus and trusting him.
Christian life at Hope includes baptism by immersion, regular Communion, gathering with other believers, joyful tithes, and sacrificial offerings. The church's Spirit-Filled Life teaching emphasizes that the Holy Spirit indwells believers, that New Testament spiritual gifts remain available, and that Jesus heals the sick in response to prayer given in faith. Hope also teaches that God creates each person as male or female, defines marriage as the covenant union of one man and one woman, and holds sexual activity outside that covenant and attempts to change one's biological sex to be sinful.
MiniChurch Makes Room for Smaller Communities
Hope's MiniChurch small groups meet weekly in homes as an addition to the weekend gatherings. They are intended to help a large church feel small by building genuine relationships through community, accountability, and discipleship. The groups provide opportunities for friendships, support, prayer, service, and deeper understanding of God's Word.
Other pathways for growth include Bible studies, Discovering Hope 101 classes, and classes through the Hope Chapel Ministry Institute. Prayer gatherings, marriage classes, premarital counseling, and ministry classes give congregants ways to learn and apply biblical truth in different parts of life.
A Place for Every Stage of Life
Hope Kids and Youth
Hope Kids wants children and families to know Jesus and become like him. The youth ministry teaches young people in the South Bay about Jesus Christ so their lives can be transformed, find meaning, and gain hope for the future.
Young Adults
The young adults ministry focuses on people ages 18 to 26 who are entering adulthood, navigating college classes, and making early career choices. Bi-monthly gatherings are intended to help them build an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ and his church.
Men of Hope and Women of Hope
Men of Hope builds relationships and fellowship environments where men can grow in discipleship through the teachings and life of Jesus. The ministry uses the image of iron sharpening iron to describe mutual strengthening in faith. Women of Hope welcomes women of all ages and levels of spiritual maturity, emphasizing prayer, biblical teaching, and discipleship that reaches into homes, workplaces, and the community.
Marriage, Parenting and Spanish Ministry
Marriage and Parenting supports engaged couples, newly married couples, and those with many years of marriage. Premarital counseling, marriage classes, and parenting support are offered to strengthen families and reflect Christ's love. The Spanish Ministry provides another avenue for connecting with the life of Hope, while simultaneous Spanish translation is offered at the Saturday service and the 11:15 a.m. Sunday service.
Prayer and Service: Hope in Action
Prayer Ministry
Prayer Ministry creates space to seek God's presence, intercede for others, and grow in the practice of prayer. Scheduled gatherings, prayer chains, and one-on-one support bring together the needs of the church, community, and world, with confidence in God's power to heal, guide, and transform lives.
Hope in Action Food Pantry
The food pantry is open every Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2420 Pacific Coast Highway. It provides groceries, a listening ear, prayer, and practical help to individuals and families facing difficult circumstances, including homelessness, food insecurity, addiction, or a need for encouragement. Hope in Action seeks to meet both physical and spiritual needs with dignity and grace.
Local food-retail partnerships and weekly volunteer teams support the pantry's work of sharing practical help throughout the South Bay. The ministry treats food assistance not as a separate act of charity, but as part of the church's wider calling to love people and share the hope of Christ.
Rooted Locally and Sending Hope Beyond Hermosa Beach
Local Outreach and Global Missions connects Hope with work beyond its own walls, both in Hermosa Beach and around the world. Partnerships, mission trips, and community outreach allow the church to share the hope of Christ, meet practical needs, and build relationships across cultures and borders. The church's commitment to church planting also continues, carrying its mission from the South Bay into new communities.
Mission involvement includes opportunities for short-term mission trips and support for local and global work. Online giving provides another way to support the same ministry, while the church app places sermons, event information, giving, and group connections on a phone.
Rooted in a reclaimed bowling alley and shaped by more than five decades of worship, teaching, service, and church planting, Hope Chapel remains centered on the same sequence: win people to Christ, equip believers in the Word of God, then send them to make disciples throughout the South Bay and beyond. The Family of Hope continues to gather on Pacific Coast Highway, grow through God's Word and community, and serve people with practical compassion from Hermosa Beach.