“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
A Lighthouse for the City
God has created Hope+Elim to be a lighthouse in the city now and for many years to come, not only in our physical structure with a cross that can be seen from miles away, but spiritually for the neighborhoods around us. Lighthouses serve many purposes, namely shining a light in the darkness and providing a safe place for harbor, all to allow ships to be sent back out to sea to do what they were created to do.
Read more about the vision of the Shining the Light Together Campaign by viewing the below information from our campaign information packet and watching the campaign video from our Pastors Jon Anenson and Brian Brown. We encourage you to catch the vision by reading this content, engaging in the prayer guide while seeking God during the upcoming weeks and attending worship to hear more about the vision we believe God has for Hope+Elim.
Campaign Booklet
Read more about the vision for the Shining the Light Together Campaign.
Watch Campaign Video
Engage in a video from the Hope+Elim Pastors as they share more about how we can be a light for the city of Des Moines.
Prayer Guide
Intentionally use this prayer guide as you seek God while learning more about the campaign.
Bible-Based Giving
We want to follow God in all we do and that includes our tithe, read more about what God says about giving
Q&A
Find an answer to your question with this Q&A guide.
Give Today
If you choose to give, we thank you for your generosity.
Shining the Light of Jesus Christ
Over the past three years, we’ve seen Hope+Elim become a lighthouse for the city, shining the light of Jesus Christ, and providing a place of worship, discipleship, care, and love to the city around us. Our facility is currently in use seven days a week on all five floors with ministry, as we we’ve truly become a destination place in the city. A few highlights include:
- Weekly worship continues to grow with attendance growth over 25 percent
- Hundreds of people baptized into new life in Christ!
- Our children and student ministries doubling in size over the past year
- Hundreds of adults being equipped in their faith through discipleship ministries
- Our food ministry serving thousands of meals to the community during community night dinner and Sunday morning breakfast
- Hosting multiple large-scale, community-wide events with hundreds of guests including the MLK Day celebration, Juneteenth, Racial Unity series, and more.
- Hosting and partnering with five building partners impacting the city, including Genesis Youth Foundation, Joshua Christian Academy, Change Course, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and The Well.
God is on the move, and you’re invited to join the mission through your time, talent and treasure in this campaign, “Shining the Light Together”. Hope+Elim, the best is yet to come, and you’re invited to be a part of it!
Pastor Jon Anenson & Pastor Brian Brown
Shining the Light Together
We believe God is calling us to care for that physical lighthouse as well as make it even more effective at shining the light of Jesus Christ. To accomplish these stated goals, we invite you to participate in our capital campaign titled “Shining the Light Together,” based on Matthew 5:14-16 to address the following key needs:
- Installation of central air conditioning on levels 3-5 and mezzanine, to allow year-round programming and use by our building partners and church ministries
- Kitchen upgrades for equipment to support over 600 meals being prepared for weekly ministry and hundreds more for community events.
- The purchase of two large vans or buses to support the growth of our transportation ministry.
- Production upgrades for sound, lighting, and video equipment to modernize the worship center and replace other decades-old equipment.
- Large-scale facility maintenance including boiler, elevator, and plumbing maintenance that have decades-old, deferred maintenance.
Larger than meeting financial goals, our ultimate vision is the continued discipleship of Hope+Elim in our understanding of biblical stewardship. Our church community growing as disciples of Jesus leads to changed hearts and radical generosity. We invite you to journey through the next few of years of Shining the Light Together.