ABOUT LIVING HOPE

Living Hope Community Church has been around for a number of years. It began in 1997 with small groups meeting in houses. It is a very special place in which to meet with God. The heartbeat of Living Hope is Jesus Christ and dependence, abiding in Him.
The words 'Our History' are shown in a flowing, orange, cursive-style font against a transparent background.

Living Hope Community Church has been around for a number of years. It began in 1997 with small groups meeting in houses. It is a very special place in which to meet with God. The heartbeat of Living Hope is Jesus Christ and dependence, abiding in Him.

Christ truly is the passion of Living Hope. We are excited to discover what it means for Christ to live in and through the church. We have met in various locations including a movie theatre and store fronts and are currently partnering with Halifax Christian Academy.

Through incredible circumstances God has brought Living Hope into deep dependence on Him. We authentically and experientially know that apart from Him we can do nothing.

We believe that God is seeking to bring together a family of God that depends on Him and that He can truly live/work through; that can be a lifesaver for those who have been beaten up by religion and churchianity.

Every ministry that you see that`s a part of Living Hope has been initiated by the Lord. We are learning how to wait on Him and to trust Him to make things clear.

We are a part of the Canadian National Baptist Convention, a diverse denomination which encourages the autonomy of the local church, missions and evangelism. We work together in co-operation realizing that we are stronger and can accomplish more together as one!

We are a part of the Canadian National Baptist Convention, a diverse denomination which encourages the autonomy of the local church, missions and evangelism. We work together in co-operation realizing that we are stronger and can accomplish more together as one!

Jesus said, "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17: 21 - 23

This is the prayer of our church family - that we will be one in Christ, take care of one another as Christ would, so the world will look at us and say, ``Hey, look at the way they care for one another, I want that for my life!`` And the world will see the reality of Christ in us, then come to know Christ in a personal way while experiencing His forgiveness and salvation.

We believe that is the church for today and it can only happen though knowing and experiencing what it means for the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, to live in and through us. As we come to the end of our self-effort and rest/depend on Him, His life, the only life,...really happens.

The phrase 'What we believe' written in an orange, slightly soft-edged script font on a transparent background.

We believe the hope we need is found in Jesus—not in our circumstances, our achievements, or ourselves. Through Christ, we discover grace, freedom, joy, and a life filled with purpose.

We believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16-17), and we understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired in that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture. We believe this to mean that, the whole of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts is inerrant.

We believe in one God (Mark 12:29) eternally existing (John 1:1-4) in three persons (II Corinthians 13:14, I John 5:7-8), namely Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:27-35), born of the Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18) and was truly the Son of Man (John 12:34) and the Son of God (Luke 1:35). He is the I Am (John 8:58)

(Romans 10:9-10) We believe in the literal resurrection of the crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:24-25), that He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10-11) and is presently in heaven acting on behalf of believers as their High Priest and Advocate (Hebrews 4:14-15).

We believe that man was created by and in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:3) and that man sinned, and in his natural state is lost, alienated from God and incapable of attaining salvation by any personal effort or merit (Romans 3:24-25).

We believe that Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins and that, because He shed His blood, the salvation of man is a free gift of God by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death for us (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

We believe that salvation is a free gift by God's grace through faith without works of any kind (Ephesians 2:8-9), that all who accept the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again by the Holy Spirit and become the children of God (John 1:12) THE HOLY SPIRIT.

We believe that the Christian life is impossible apart from the indwelling presence and enabling of the Holy Spirit. Simultaneous to our salvation we were ‘sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption’ (Ephesians 4:30), we were "baptized by One Spirit into one body" (I Corinthians 12:13), and we are to live each day in the fullness of the Holy Spirit by yielding all that we are to his control (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit equips us to live holy lives, producing the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5: 22-23), and giving Spiritual Gifts to enable us to serve God effectively by bringing blessing to others (I Corinthians 12:4-7). We are warned not to "grieve the Holy Spirit" by sinful activity (Ephesians 4:30) and therefore to confess our sin in the experience of a wholesome and effective relationship with God (1 John 1:9).

We believe that the Christian is called with a holy calling to live and identify with and serve through a local church to fulfill the great commission to go, teach, baptize and do the Lord's work until He returns.

We believe in the personal bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:9-11) to set up His kingdom (Titus 2:13).

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust (John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2), the everlasting blessing of the believer (the just) (Romans 8:23; I Corinthians 15) and the everlasting conscious punishment of the unbeliever (the unjust) (Psalm 90:3-4; Revelation 20:12-15; Matthew 25:31-46).

We believe that, until the return of Christ, it is the Christian's privilege, through Christ and as part of God’s Church family to make disciples the world (Matthew 28:18-10; Acts 1:8). Every part of Living Hope Community church must actively support the work of world evangelism (Acts 5:42).

<span style="color:#D07837"><span style="color:#FFFFFF"><span style="color:#D07837">Our Pastor</span></span></span>

Our Pastor

Pastor Ian MacFarlane

Pastor Ian was born in Moncton New Brunswick, when he was three his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Ian was raised there. Halifax is the only home he has ever known. Pastor Ian worked for a short time as a Data Engineer in the offshore oil industry, then God gave him the desire for Christian Education and eventually full-time Christian Ministry.

He has graduated from Trinity Bible College, and Southern Seminary and has his Masters of Divinity. Pastor Ian has also been a missionary in Australia, but part of Him has always had Halifax in his heart.

He is married to a wonderful woman whose name is Joy, and God has given them both a beautiful little girl named Nerida and a son William.

As a child of God, he is continuing to discover the abundant life of Christ and enjoying the life and activity of Christ in his life. He yearns to see Christ living through and for the Lord's Church.

CONTACT PASTOR IAN

Our Team

Meet the People Behind Living Hope

Our leaders and ministry team are here to serve our church family, create opportunities to connect, and help people discover the hope and life found in Christ.