The Story of Hope

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I grew up surrounded by church life. My father was a pastor, and my childhood was spent in Daingerfield, TX, before moving to the Tyler area as a teenager. Faith was always a constant—I don’t remember missing a single Sunday or Wednesday service. Despite being baptized and filled with His Spirit at the age of seven, my teenage years were marked by a cycle of fear and striving. I often found myself at the altar, praying for the same struggles over and over again. It wasn’t until my late teens that I began to truly understand who God was calling me to be and how His grace could transform my life.

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That journey deeply shaped my perspective. Many people I meet have had some exposure to God but often feel far from Him or crave something deeper in their spiritual walk. I know that feeling well, and I believe those people are who God has called me to reach. They’re searching for something real, something transformative—they’re searching for hope.

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I always knew I’d be in ministry, but pastoring a church wasn’t part of my original plan. I envisioned traveling as an evangelist, while my wife, Tabitha, pursued her calling in music ministry. But God began to shift our hearts. We felt Him leading us to plant a church, and at first, we were set on the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We even had the city picked out.

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Then, one night, while driving down Highway 110 in Whitehouse, something happened. Tabitha turned to me and said, “I’d be willing to start a church here if God wanted us to.” What she didn’t know was that I had just been thinking the exact same thing.

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Shortly after, during a meeting with our District Superintendent to finalize plans for DFW, he mentioned three East Texas towns for us to consider instead. When he said “Whitehouse,” it was as if a light switched on. Tabitha and I looked at each other, and we both knew—this was it.

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With no plan, no resources, and no clue what we were doing, we launched a church in Whitehouse. Four years in, however, we faced immense challenges, and in frustration, we stepped away, moving to North Texas to pastor an established church. Yet, our hearts were never far from Whitehouse.

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Over time, God began to stir our hearts again. Through a series of events, much prayer, and a few tearful conversations, we felt Him leading us back—not just to Whitehouse, but to start again. This time, we built a team, sought wise counsel, and embraced the vision God had placed in our hearts: to bring hope to a community in need.

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That’s why we named it Hope Church. It reflects everything we believe: there is hope for everyone, no matter their past, their struggles, or their doubts. Through Christ, there is a greater life waiting—a life of purpose, peace, and transformation.

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At Hope Church, our mission is simple:

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1. What do we do? We help people far from God experience hope.

2. How do we do it? By leading them to follow Christ and make Him known.

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We’re committed to loving God, loving people, and serving others. Hope Church is a place where the focus is clear, and people are free to seek God with passion. We invite you to see for yourself how a little hope can change everything.

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-Preston Proctor