Purpose:
It shall be the purpose of this church to glorify God by making disciples of all people groups and multiplying churches so that believers worship God, win unbelievers to Christ and become more like Christ.
Vision:
1. Exalt the Lord
2. Edify the body
3. Evangelize the lost
Values:
1. Empowering leadership
2. Gift-oriented ministry
3. Passionate spirituality
4. Functional structures
5. Inspiring worship
6. Holistic small groups
7. Need-oriented evangelism
8. Loving relationships
Statement of Faith:
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God's will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.
About Hope IBF
Fountain Avenue Baptist Church (a.k.a. Hope International Bible Fellowship) - HOPE - opened its doors in 1928. At that time, Hollywood was an affluent neighborhood. Movie stars attended. However, the neighborhood changed and the church almost closed its doors in 1994. Pastor Ed Carey was brought in to help the floundering church. The church was down 30 members and $280,000 in debt with a negative cash flow every month.
The time was right and Pastor Ed Carey was the right person. With his special gift for church renewals, a solid business background, and a strong compassion for the lost, HOPE was ready for a change. Today, Hope IBF is debt free and gives more than 10 percent of its income to local compassion ministries and global missions.
Hope IBF supports nine missionaries and church planters, (six from its own congregation), in California, New Mexico, India, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, the Philippines and Pakistan. This is no surprise when you consider that Hope's congregation is multi-ethnic. The church has hosted services in Armenian, Russian, Spanish, Korean and Filipino over the years.
Hope IBF is unique in that it looks inside the person and accepts you as you are. Everyone is welcome at Hope - the homeless - the affluent - the addicted - the lost - the seekers. At Hope IBF, everyone is family and Hope has enough love for everyone.
Monday night dinners are open to the congregation, neighborhood and the homeless. Dinner is followed by a Bible study focused on the Sunday sermon. Everyone gets a chance to ask questions about the sermon or the Bible.
The church also hosts large events. More than 300 children attended the Hope IBF annual gift distribution in 2004. The event was kicked off with a visit by a LA Fire Department Truck with lights flashing and sirens screaming. More than 20 nationalities were represented at the give-away. Translators in Spanish, Russian and Armenian helped the children make their choices. Every child went home with toys, clothes, books, games and candy.
Hope's plans for the future are to build a training center for junior and senior high students, college graduates and mission organizations. The church is also planning for a conference center to host coaching, leadership development, church health and church multiplication.