Hope United Church of Christ sits at the corner of Eichelberger and Tamm in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood, just across the street from Francis Park. The welcoming red doors mark a congregation that has carried the name Hope since June 25, 1944, when sixty-three people formally organized as Hope Evangelical and Reformed Church in a war-weary world looking for reasons to hope. Today the community is known as a proud Open and Affirming, Global Mission, and Creation Justice congregation of the United Church of Christ, where intergenerational members and friends worship with the support of a Harrison and Harrison pipe organ, a chancel choir that has sung here for decades, and a calendar of local mission work that reaches across the city of St. Louis.
A Church Born of Hope in 1944
The story of Hope begins as the Second World War drew to a close. A small group had been worshiping together for about six months, first in the home of one of its members and then in the portable buildings of Nottingham Public School. On August 29, 1948, ground was broken on the corner of Tamm and Eichelberger, and the building that still houses the congregation rose on that site. When the United Church of Christ denomination was formed in 1957, Hope Evangelical and Reformed Church officially became Hope United Church of Christ.
Hope's first pastor, the Rev. Norman Zulauf, served for twenty years, followed by co-pastors Rev. John Trnka and Rev. Donald Mayer. Subsequent pastors include Rev. Dennis Lindberg, Rev. Arthur Ellersick, Rev. Joan Dippel, Rev. Donald Henderson, Rev. Dr. David Mehl, Rev. Dr. Sarah Fredriksen McCann, and Rev. Ed Zumwinkel. Rev. Dr. Sarah Fredriksen McCann continues to serve as pastor, now in her nineteenth year with the congregation.
The church has long supported local mission work, including the former Deaconess Hospital, Unleashing Potential (formerly UCC Neighborhood Houses), Emmaus Homes, Eden Seminary, Habitat for Humanity, Isaiah 58, and the St. Louis Association of the U, among many others. Since 1971, the facilities at Hope have been home to HopeMark Pre-School. A handbell choir was started in the late 1990s under the direction of Jim Threlkeld, who remains the Director of Music Ministries to this day. In 2002, as part of a total reconfiguration of the sanctuary, the Rodgers organ was replaced by a pipe organ from Harrison and Harrison, shipped from Durham, England - the first of its kind in the St. Louis region. In 2010, Hope UCC became an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ.
An Open and Affirming, Global Mission, Creation Justice Congregation
Hope UCC is designated in three ways within the United Church of Christ, and each one shapes the rhythm of life here. As an Open and Affirming congregation, Hope welcomes every person regardless of race, economic background, marital status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, nationality, or faith history. The church's Open and Affirming ministry team works to advocate and educate both within the congregation and in the wider community. Hope participates each year in St. Louis' PrideFest Weekend and parades as part of the local UCC Gateway Open and Affirming ministry, which is comprised of all UCC churches in the area that carry this designation.
As a Global Mission Church, Hope completed a three-year process through the Outreach Ministry to receive this designation from the UCC. A Global Mission Church prays regularly for international partners, missionaries, and the world; educates its members about global issues from preschool age through adulthood; seeks justice for the least of these; receives the gifts of the global church; gives to the work of global mission; sends its members into the world; and grows in sharing the story of God's mission with others. Global Ministries is the common witness of the UCC's Wider Church Ministries and the Disciples' Division of Overseas Ministries, and Hope connects with both global and local partners to work for justice, reconciliation, and peace.
Hope also identifies as a Creation Justice congregation, extending care for God's creation into the life and witness of the church.
Sunday Morning at Hope
The Sunday rhythm begins at 8:30 a.m. with Contemplative Prayer in the Chapel, a brief, informal service of silence, song, and prayer. The chapel entrance is on Eichelberger Street, and worshippers are encouraged to check the online calendar for specific dates. At 9:00 a.m., the choir rehearses. The week's center is the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service in the Sanctuary, which follows an order of worship that includes prayer, organ music, congregational singing, a children's time, and a sermon from the pastor. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month, and the table is open to everyone regardless of church affiliation. After the service, coffee and donuts are served in the Sanctuary Narthex beginning at 11:45 a.m.
Children are always welcome in worship. Nursery care is provided every Sunday for infants through fifth grade from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the preschool room on the lower level. Two childcare workers are present in the room during those hours. After the Children's Message in the service, children preschool through fifth grade may leave for Sunday School, which meets in the Friendly Room on the lower level. Children in sixth grade and above have their own Middle and High School Sunday School, which runs from September through May and uses the Big Faith curriculum. A Confirmation class for grades seven and eight meets at the same time. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube, with bulletins posted online afterward.
A Music Ministry Built Around the Harrison and Harrison
Music is a deep tradition at Hope. The adult Chancel Choir sings each Sunday at the 10:30 service. The Communion Choir is a larger ensemble with a once-a-month commitment, singing on the first Sunday when the congregation celebrates the sacrament. The Youth Choir rehearses weekly at 10:00 a.m. and participates in worship several times a year. The Chancel Ringers Handbell Choir usually plays on the third Sunday of each month, and instrumentalists of all ages, including children, occasionally share their talents during services.
The instrument that anchors all of this is the Harrison and Harrison pipe organ from Durham, England, installed in the fall of 2002 as part of a full sanctuary reconfiguration. It was the first of its kind in the St. Louis region and continues to attract praise and admiration from the musical community far and wide. Jim Threlkeld directs the Adult Chancel Choir, the Chancel Handbell Choir, and serves as organist. Laren Loveless directs children's music, leading a fun and interactive music class on the first Sunday of each month that meets in the Chapel after the Children's Message.
Children, Youth, and Families
Sara Karcher, who has been a member of Hope since 2011 and serves as Coordinator of Youth and Children's Ministries, oversees a layered program that runs throughout the year. Childcare is offered every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On the second Sunday, after the 10:30 service, the Middle and High School Youth Group gathers for grades five through twelve. Youth take turns planning and leading each month, lunch is typically provided, and friends are always welcome. Vacation Bible School is part of Sara's work, along with Sunday school teaching. Children's Sunday School uses the Big Faith Curriculum, with teachers rotating each week.
HopeMark Pre-School, located in the church building since 1971, has been an intergenerational neighbor in this work for more than half a century.
Faith, Belief, and a Bible That Is Not Read Literally
Hope's statement of faith begins with a sentence that has become a kind of motto: "Our faith is 2,000 years old. Our thinking is not." The congregation believes that God is still speaking, and that hope begins in God through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Members walk together as disciples of Christ, learning from scripture and seeking to live as God's children in God's world. Quoting the twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth, Hope "takes the Bible too seriously to read it literally," exploring the deeper meaning of passages together. Each member is free to discern the nature of their own relationship with God and what God intends for their lives within the framework of God's extravagant love for every person. Hope believes that God's love neither requires nor tolerates qualifiers or exclusions.
Reaching Out: Local Partnerships and Global Mission
Hope supports a wide network of mission work financially and with hands-on service. Local partners include Isaiah 58, Habitat for Humanity, All Among Us, Lydia's House, Unleashing Potential, Emmaus Homes, and Operation Food Search. Hope partners with Epiphany UCC in St. Louis to run a Breakfast Ministry that serves meals to neighbors in need. The congregation walks together in the annual CROP Walk, and youth take part in mission trips. Hands-on service opportunities include Habitat for Humanity build days and the breakfast ministry partnership.
Through the United Church of Christ, Hope gives to five denomination-wide offerings: Our Church's Wider Mission, One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen the Church, Neighbors in Need, and The Christmas Fund. Global support continues through Our Christian World Mission, the Christmas Fund, the Heifer Project, Church World Service, and others, in keeping with the congregation's Global Mission Church designation.
Fellowship, Adult Education, and Pastoral Care
Fellowship is woven through the week. Sunday hospitality begins at 11:45 a.m. in the narthex, and a monthly Lunch Bunch gathers at a neighborhood restaurant. A Prayer Shawl Ministry, the HopeMates social group, and three sports teams (dartball, volleyball, and softball) bring members together across age and ability. Pastor Sarah leads Adult Bible Study classes that typically meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m., running for several months on a given topic. The One Body Ministry maintains personal connections with members and friends who are unable to attend worship and church events.
Visiting Hope
Visitors are welcome any Sunday, anonymous or announced. Those who let the church know they are coming will be given a nametag and matched with a member companion for the morning. Parking is available in a small lot behind the church off the alley that intersects Tamm Avenue, with additional street parking on Eichelberger and Tamm. Handicapped parking is available on the side of the church, accessible from the alley. People come in everything from dresses and ties to jeans and shorts. The Statement of Welcome puts it plainly: "No matter where you are on life's journey, you are invited to enter the big red doors of Hope United Church of Christ. Please come, for all things are ready."
Clergy, Staff, and Lay Leaders
Rev. Dr. Sarah Fredriksen McCann has served as pastor since May 2002. She is a graduate of Kenyon College, Eden Theological Seminary, and McCormick Theological Seminary, and was ordained as a United Church of Christ pastor in 1997. Sara Karcher is the Coordinator of Youth and Children's Ministries. Jim Threlkeld is the Director of Music and Organist. Laren Loveless is the Director of Children's Music. Amy Escobar is the Office Administrator and is in the office Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ethan Hale cares for the building and grounds throughout the week. The Church Council, chaired by President Autum Jennings with Vice President Andy Karcher, Treasurer Robbie Van Nest, Assistant Treasurer Lonny Davis, Secretary James Beal, Assistant Secretary Kristine Wentzien, and Members at Large Drew Florian, David Moss, DeeDee Yanczer, Paul Conner, and Tim Mees, coordinates the policy and programs of the church. Eight ministry teams carry out the work of the congregation, including Building and Property, Finance and Insurance, One Body, Outreach and Justice, Pastoral and Staff Relations, Stewardship and Community Engagement, Worship, and Youth and Children's Ministry.