Missions in VA

Hope Church supports several missions in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia Council of Churches

Hope Church is in community with the Virginia Council of Churches.

Mission

The Virginia churches in community believe that we are called by God through Christ to be one. We commit ourselves to manifesting more fully this unity in relationship and in action.

Relating to one another in Christ, Virginia churches in community will respect one another, rely on one another, care for one another, listen and learn together in order to discern the will of God, support one another’s identity and call, and, as we petition in the Lord’s Prayer, forgive one another.

Building Christian Unity

The Virginia Council of Curches sets an ecumenical table that draws the widest representation of Virginia churches. The Virginia Council of Churches is the oldest ecumenical body in the Commonwealth, representing thirty seven governing bodies of eighteen Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations. As we work together as Christian communions, we build Christian unity; as we work together with persons of other faiths, we build human community.

Community Inter-Faith Liaison

Hope Church is part of the Community Inter-Faith Liaison Office, which links Fairfax County with area faith communities.

The Community Interfaith Liaison Office:

• links the Fairfax County faith-based community to county human service program, project, and need information through community events, including training programs, forums, conferences, workshops, and joint faith, community, and County meetings.
• facilitates communication and working relationships between the faith-based community and Fairfax County.
• assists the faith-based community in accessing information about existing faith community cooperative and collaborative partnerships with community-based organizations and local governments.

People of Faith for Equality in Virginia

Hope Church is a member of People of Faith for Equality in Virginia. People of Faith is an interfaith organization of people who all share a deep commitment to our faith tradition, which kindles our deep commitment to social justice. As rabbis, ministers, priests, and lay people, we are all dedicated to working for equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Virginia. We recognize that LGBT citizens are not faceless and nameless, but are members of our religious communities and our families, friends, neighbors, and people with whom we do business. We also recognize that God loves and sustains all of creation and that we must act when any part of that creation is endangered — whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually — by misunderstanding, hatred, and discrimination.

• Through prayer, we ask for God’s care of all those who are without legal protections in our society.
• Through education, we provide resources for people of faith who approach issues of equality from unique theological perspectives.
• Through organization, we provide religious communities and individual believers with a statewide infrastructure that enables an effective response to any LGBT issue.
• Through letters and lobbying, we speak of our common vision to all candidates and legislators.