Hope in Olney
When Anne and Paul McQueen moved to the area four years ago they had many things on their mind. What seemed to be most prominent though was helping bring people that didn’t know Christ to a relationship with Him. They had worked and helped at many different churches in the past, including The Mission in Abilene, Texas, where Paul says he really connected with the ministry. In November of 2019 they began leading an evening worship class for the residents at the House of Mercy. In the meantime, the Church of God on 910 West Main Street here in Olney had closed their doors. Paul and Anne then took initiative to contact them and try to acquire the building. While the process of actually purchasing the building is still a work in progress, that did not stop God from opening the doors to the community for any and all to come join in praising the LORD. When COVID-19 struck, HOPE Fellowship had to close for a short while, but it is now open again to the community.
The driving force that led them to start HOPE Fellowship is clearly seen reflected in the church’smission statement; To guide all people to a relationship with Jesus and to walk with him daily. Currently, Anne and Paul, are leading the ministry of the church as they pray for God to bring others to serve. “We’re trying to line up speakers that will come and do the preaching for us for now as we grow, and then we’ll see where it’s going to go in the future,” says Paul.
When asked about the church’s denomination Paul responded with, “I’m not sure if I would use the term non-denominational but basically, we’re a body of believers that have chosen to come together in unity, to fellowship and to stand beside one another. I believe that’s a lot like the way the New Testament Church was. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship communion and prayer.” Anne stated, “We want it to be a “Bible” scripture-based church but also open to serving the community alongside the other bodies of believers.”
Family worship is a way to make God an important part of everyday life. The McQueen family leads worship at the church. While everyone contributes their voice, Anne plays the keyboard, Paul plays acoustic guitar, their daughter Kristi plays bass, and down for the summer joining in with vocals is their oldest daughter, Kari. Chris Taylor, a graduate of the House of Mercy, plays the drums, as well as myself that does the media.
While discussing the church program, the McQueen’s stated, “We want to be a church body that is guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth, and we want to worship in Spirit and Truth. We want everyone to feel like they are able to participate in worship with some freedom and spontaneity as they draw close to God.
Everyone is invited to come visit HOPE Fellowship at 910 West Main Street, their doors open at 9 a.m. Sunday morning for coffee and fellowship and service begins at 10 a.m. Worship time on Wednesdays is 7 p.m.