Hope Church Celebrates 15 Years
- Illinois Conference Communications
- Jul 1
- 2 min read
Matthew Lucio
ILC Assistant to the President for Communication
Hope Church celebrated its fifteenth anniversary on June 7 with a special service that brought 200 people together to honor God's faithfulness through unprecedented times.
THE STORY
Hope Church was born out of a need for spiritual fellowship among immigrants from Ukraine, Russia, and other former Soviet territories. While several of these families initially attended various churches across Chicagoland, the language barrier—many were not yet fluent in English—made it difficult to feel truly at home.
The idea emerged to gather Russian-speaking believers in hopes of forming their own congregation. “Out of that need, vision, and deep sense of community, Hope Church was born,” says Pastor Ruslan Drumi. “It was planted to be a place where people from across the former Soviet Union could worship, grow in faith, and support one another as they built new lives in America.”
CELEBRATING GOD'S FAITHFULNESS
The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, sent shockwaves through the Hope Church community. Refugees fleeing the conflict arrived with a desire to worship in Ukrainian. In response, some existing members left—taking up to half of the children and youth group—to form a distinctly Ukrainian fellowship.
For a time, the future of Hope Church seemed uncertain. But the 15th anniversary service proved God's faithfulness, showing a church that is not only surviving, but thriving despite the challenges.
NEXT STEPS
Over the past fifteen years, between 200 and 300 people have called Hope Church home. While many have moved away in pursuit of new opportunities, the church continues to serve as a refuge in the city—a place of healing, connection, and growth.
Pastor Ruslan shares the church’s vision: “We want to serve people both offline—in our local community—and online, where our reach has extended far beyond America’s borders.”
Hope Church is also committed to discipling second- and third-generation members—to help them embrace their heritage, their identity, and, above all, their God.
📸 View more photos (Facebook link)
Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.
