Living Hope continues to build upon the strong foundation established throughout the past decades. As we grow and look toward the future, we have been working to develop an annual financial report. This will be our first year publishing an annual report, so we feel it is important to provide some background that will help frame the picture of this past year and our direction moving forward.

As a ministry, we hold a unique position. We are a local community church, yet we are also blessed to be connected with individuals, small groups, and churches throughout the United States and across the globe. Because of this widespread community, we receive financial support beyond what many community churches typically operate with. Through the years we have consistently operated below annual giving, allowing us to build reserves and maintain a healthy financial foundation. This has enabled us to fully support the needs of our local congregation while also responding to needs abroad. Over the past decade, we have been blessed with the ability to further support churches overseas in meaningful ways. This includes the construction of two church buildings, one in Kinshasa and one in Brazzaville, the purchase of ministry vehicles in Brazzaville, and assistance with the remodeling of the church in Manila. While these projects were supported through designated fundraising, much of the funding came from allocating portions of our reserves to make up the differences.

Three years ago, we entered a new phase of the ministry. What began with a meeting at Converge in 2019 eventually led to the launch of Compass Christian Church with Pastor Will Barlow in Louisville, KY. We partnered with Will and his team by supporting them in logistics and creating a financial support structure that allowed them to begin ministry with strength and stability. This past year we repeated this process with Pastor Zach Mayo in Cambridge, New Zealand. Looking ahead, we will also be supporting David Sowers as he plants a church in Tallahassee, FL in 2026. These partnerships are part of our growing vision for what we are calling the Living Hope Network. (More information about this initiative can be found in our article outlining the vision for the Network.) The financial support for this work comes through a combination of our annual giving and designated allocations from our savings. As the Living Hope Network continues to develop in the coming years, we anticipate that some of our funding will continue to come from savings, which is reflected in our spending being above our annual giving amount on the financial report.

For the reporting year of September 2024–August 2025, there were several larger expenses outside of our normal operations. These included the replacement of the church roof, travel expenses for ministry visits to the Philippines and New Zealand, and the purchase of a new vehicle for Rev. Armel Ngo in the Republic of Congo. Additionally, we established an investment account and allocated a portion of our savings for long-term investments. This helps us to continue building toward the future and also allows us to receive donations in the forms of stocks or bonds.

God continues to bless Living Hope, not only with opportunities to be instruments of His work, but also with the resources necessary to follow His leading. We recognize the great need for wisdom and discernment, especially in stewarding what God has entrusted to us. We deeply appreciate your prayers for God’s continued guidance and wisdom, as well as your trust in Living Hope through your faithful giving.

Network

Support of our affiliated ministries within the Living Hope Network. This includes churches and ministry partners in the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Philippines, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Compass (Louisville, KY).

Operating

Costs related to our buildings and offices, such as cleaning services, office technology and computer expenses, repairs and maintenance, utilities, and other facility-related needs.