Chicago Hope Church (CHC) – This has been another intense month of life and ministry here in Chicago. We have weathered the storms of gang violence in our neighborhood, the break-ins to our cars, the free flow of garbage, but the biggest challenge to us is the isolation. Despite the fact that there are churches on every street corner and despite having a partnership with a whole school, we have felt very much alone at times in this mission of reaching out to the families and community beyond Hope.
With Jen being called to work full time at Chicago Hope Academy, Jason is working the day to day mission by himself. As our missionary within Chicago Hope Academy, Jen is being used mightily by God each day to help the school run more effectively and efficiently, with a focus on Christian mission and intentionality. She’s trying to find Christian mental health agencies to come into the school under grant funding for the students. If students have extra counseling needs, they are more likely to engage if they don’t have to go elsewhere, or even count on their parents to help them get to appointments. Of course, getting counseling for free secures this process for our students.
The past four months have been an intense season of spiritual warfare and prayer. God is answering our prayers by bringing us teammates. As you know I have been praying for God to bless me with some people who would feel called to join me full-time in ministry here at CHC. After prayerful consideration, Marlon Washington (pictured above) our worship pastor and youth leader, has felt called to join our staff. Please pray as Marlon prayerfully sends out support letters to broaden our prayer and financial support base. The students have really connected with him, and he has blessed our church by leading us into the presence of God.We have had ten visitors this month who are prayerfully considering membership in our congregation. I have made several significant connections with other pastors in the area who are excited to encourage one another and discover where we might work together for Kingdom expansion. One of these groups is the Chicago Partnership which meets once a month for six hours for training, encouragement and networking.
Financially – Some of you, our supporters, have told us of your increased prayer efforts for us, and some of you have stepped up to help us raise what we need financially. We still have resources to raise. We are now half way to our goal of $140,000 by the end of the year. What an encouragement it is to be blessed by God through you. The checks always seem to come on a particularly difficult day of ministry, and God uses them to balance the sorrow with joy. Many of the students and parents that we minister to have grown a lot over the first two months of the school year. It is amazing to see God at work pushing back the kingdom of darkness and delivering people through the Gospel into His Kingdom of Light!
Please pray to God to see how He might move you to get involved in this vital mission.
Faithfully,
Jason and Jen Pankau
Outreach Initiatives
- We are working toward starting a Celebrate Recovery ministry this January.
- Youth Group – Our youth ministry continues to bear fruit with more students getting connected and engaged in spiritual conversations. We took our first trip as a youth group to the apple orchard. Many of these students have never been apple picking before!
- Coaching – One of the ways we connect with students and their families is through coaching. Members of our church are involved daily with coaching football, cross country, gym, baseball, and track.
- Neighborhood Bible Studies – As a preamble to bringing people to a worship service, these groups provide an opportunity to investigate God’s word.
- Hope Sports Fellowship – We are looking to launch this outreach through sports of various kinds this Spring.
- Hope Home – We have felt led by God to bring Hope students who need parenting and a safe place to grow up into our home. Right now we have two students and are praying about how God wants this ministry to expand into the future
Prayer Requests
- Healing for several people within our church who are struggling with serious health issues including cancer, heart issues, depression, debilitating psychological pain.
- Spiritual Transformation – Many of the people we encounter on a daily basis are either stuck in “religion” or openly hostile to the Gospel. Pray that God would give people eyes to see, ears to hear and the courage in their hearts to follow God.
- Celebrate Recovery and Hope Sports Fellowship – Please pray for our preparations to launch these vital ministries focused on creating prayer-filled relationships, beginning Spiritual conversations and sharing the Gospel with new people.
- Hope Homes – The two boys living with us this year and their journey with God while with our family.
- Safety and Peace – Please pray for the senseless violence and the distance that it creates between people in our community. We are striving to become a community of reconciliation and peace for people who are very disconnected from God and each other.
- Provisions – Please pray for us as we enter year three of this mission – that God would provide the $140,000 we need to raise by the end of the year. Please pray about what part God wants you to play.
Pankau Family Update
Jarod continues to train for discus and javelin at the Air Force Academy. Jaden and Chicago Hope Football have returned from playing in Santa Barbara, CA, St. Louis, MO and southern Illinois. The team is currently 6-1. Julia is back to dancing at Faubourg Ballet after being injured. And Josie continues to run cross country at Whitney Young Magnet School.
Be a Partner
We are always looking for partners in hope! Through your generosity, we have been able to proved:
- Scholarships for tuition
- School supplies & uniforms
- Thanksgiving baskets
- Christmas presents
- Clothes and shoes
- Food
- Medical care
- Transportation
- Beds and furniture
- Computers and technology
- Most importantly, the love and counsel of God to those who are in danger of losing hope
Visit chicagohopechurch.org/give
We are in the process of establishing Chicago Hope Church as a separate 501 C3 non-for-profit organization, which will enable us to provide tax deductible receipts for gifts given directly to and for Chicago Hope Church. Until then, a separate account is being kept for Chicago Hope Church under the Life Spring Network 501 C3. Your tax deductible receipts will come from Life Spring Network doing business as Chicago Hope Church.
