Hope Lutheran Church to Launch New Hope Worship Service Led by Pastors Gerald Sharon & Rick Bailard November 6

PALM DESERT, CA – Hope Lutheran Church has just completed construction of its Hope Center in Palm Desert, and the Hope Lutheran congregation is pleased to announce this new space will be the home to its New Hope Worship Service – a modern 11:00 a.m. service every Sunday led by well-known local pastors, Gerald Sharon and Rick Bailard. The new service will kick off this Sunday, Nov. 6.

“It is very exciting to be able to offer a new, more casual style of worship here at Hope Lutheran,” said Hope Lutheran’s Senior Pastor, Derek Fossey. “I’ve been praying about how God will best use our new Hope Center, and just felt a stirring in my soul that this space is yearning to be a place of worship to engage new people – because not everyone connects with the traditional, liturgical style of worship. We want to be a place that is inclusive for everyone, and will now have choices in styles of worship so each individual and family can find the service that is most comfortable for them.”

Gerald Sharon has been a pastor for 37 years – spending the past 4 years pastoring in the Coachella Valley. He was a pastor with the renowned Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, for a number of years prior to his arrival in the desert. Rick Bailard has been a teaching pastor in the Coachella Valley for the past 24 years, and has been very involved in leading ministries that have impacted teenagers and adults here in the community.

“We want everyone to feel welcome and wanted,” said Pastor Gerald. “We believe Jesus is central to everything we do, and we don’t have to agree on everything to be part of the same church family.”

The service will feature contemporary Christian music, a message from Pastor Gerald or Pastor Rick each week, and fellowship time in the Hope Center – which features a beautifully-designed open space with wooden beams, a prominent stage, a cross-shaped skylight and expansive kitchen. Hope Lutheran encourages anyone wanting to volunteer their time and talents to the New Hope Worship Service to contact them about helping to fulfill needs for musicians, greeters, ushers, Kids’ Ministry helpers, and more.

Hope Lutheran started in the Fairway Café in 1962, and has grown to a congregation of 1,200 members. It is located at 45900 Portola Avenue in Palm Desert. For more information, call (760) 346-1273 or go to www.hopechurchpd.com.

– Photo and story submitted for publication on behalf of Hope Lutheran.