The Hope Learning Project
In 2004, we put together a four phased program, which was affirmed by studies that show four characteristics of successful at-risk school programs.  They are: 1) Dropouts are separated from other students; 2) The Programs have strong vocational components; 3) Out of classroom learning is utilized; 4) Programs tend to be intensive-small, individualized with low student-teacher ratios-and tend to offer more counseling than regular school curriculum.

The Hope Learning Project following four phases reflects these characteristics.  The first phase, the Hope Learning Academy, began in September 2004.   We work with parents and their student to implement a strategy for life change.  This strategy includes a rich mentoring environment (studies show that one of the most reliable predictors of whether a boy will succeed or fail in high school rests on a single question: does he have a man in his life to look up to?) that concentrates on building character and affecting thinking, a curriculum that many educators agree is more difficult than most of the public school systems curriculum, and a 10:1 student to teacher ratio that allows each student to progress at their own rate while receiving timely help.  This includes both classroom and Independent forms of study.  We assist the parents by giving them a practical and workable strategy to set and keep healthy boundaries.  We do this by using the Number 1 Court accepted parenting seminar in the nation, Parent Project®.

The second phase is the Hope Vocational Charter.  For the first time in 30 years, the number of male students going to college has shifted dramatically.  Today only 44% of incoming college freshman are males; yet males make up a disproportionate percentage of the students in at-risk school programs.  These males will do something with their lives, whether positive or negative.  Research shows that intervention of this nature must occur earlier than current programs accommodate.  The Charter is designed to provide an incentive to stay in school as well as to give real career skills and create job pipelines that lead students toward productive lives.  In accomplishing this phase it is our  desire to obtain a Vocational Charter through the Menifee School District that will allow us to offer 6 trades: construction lab (cabinetry and general construction skills including plumbing, electrical, carpentry, dry wall, and more), automotive lab (welding, car repair, tire balancing, lube and tune and body work), culinary arts lab (a full working/teaching kitchen, coffee shop), graphic arts lab (professional publishing, t-shirt, printing), industrial arts lab (CAD and metal fabrication), performing and audio/visual arts lab (video production, sound engineering).

The third phase, the Hope Learning Center, deals with preventing at-risk youth through after-school care.  The cost of housing in Riverside County, though lower than LA/Orange/SD counties, still is large enough to force both parents to work.  More than 1 million students with working parents do not have access to after school programs.  The Center is designed to address this vital need with not only supervised recreational activities, but effective mentoring and tutoring in a safe environment as well.

In our 20+ years of youth ministry experience, we have discovered that some students will not be able to initially turn their lives around without 24/7 intervention away from their home for a season. Our fourth phase, Hope Houses, will provide a safe environment free of distractions that can hinder certain teens from taking the significant positive steps necessary in order to return home and to become responsible adults.

We are a small church with a big vision.  Will you partner with us to re-duce the at-risk population in Riverside County and provide a model to help others duplicate what we are doing?

Training Pastors
Life in Southern California can be quite hectic – long work weeks due to extensive travel, careers that require you to work weekends.  This means being part of a support church family can be quite difficult, let alone getting to a service.  It is Pastor Chris’ vision to train future pastors here at New Hope, who will start Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night services of no more than 250 people that are geared toward different groups, while still being part of one family.  Each service will be handled by a different pastor who will shepherd that part of the flock by giving them the care of a small church while getting the benefits of a larger church.

Pastor Chris believes that we don’t need five more churches in this valley duplicating all that goes with a church – a men’s ministry, a women’s ministry, a youth ministry, missions, etc.  A more efficient use of Kingdom recourses would be to have each service plug into all those ministries.  Each service will go through the same section of scripture verse by verse, so if a person needed to go to another service as they will be out of town, they can still be a part of what is happening in the New Hope family.  These new congregations will be from the harvest to reach the harvest by starting from the ground up by focusing on seeing people set free through the new hope of Jesus.

Feel like the Lord is calling you to the ministry?  Come be trained to shepherd part of His flock!