EXPLORE

Visiting Hopewell

Come, join the celebration of God’s mighty, unconditional love.  Wherever you are on your faith journey, you are welcome to travel the path with the people who worship at Hopewell Church.  Together, let’s seek God’s truth that can only be known when one knows Jesus.

Our building is wheelchair accessible, and we welcome service dogs.

Parking  -  You will find specially designated parking spaces for visitors in the lot adjacent to the main building.

Children  -  All children, regardless of age, are welcome to worship with parents, but Sunday school, junior church, and nursery care are available.

Attire  -  Dress comfortably!  You will find a wide variety of attire in worship services at Hopewell, from jeans and t-shirts to dresses and suits. It is far more important that you are able to worship God in a way that is most comfortable for you. 

Current Options for Worship

Join us for traditional worship in the Bower Chapel on Sundays at 8:00 AM. Collaborative worship is in the Sanctuary on Sundays at 9:30 AM. Contemporary worship is in the Sanctuary at 11:00 AM with masks optional in all services. 

Alternatively, our live stream will premier on Sundays at 9:30 AM as well as on YouTube and Facebook.

About

For over 200 years Hopewell United Methodist Church has been rooted in the community of Chester County, PA.  Beginning in 1783 as a small log chapel built on a hilltop, Hopewell is a caring congregation that seeks to know and serve God.  Committed to its mission of “helping Christians grow and helping grow Christians,” today Hopewell is the home church to more than 1300 members.  Hopewell is known for its extensive involvement in missions, its presence in and outreach into the community, and its focus on developing principled leaders for the future of the Church and the world.  We believe we grow as disciples in Christ through routine participation in worship, Bible study, prayer, fellowship with one another, and other spiritual disciplines.

Read the introduction to our new visioning strategy here.

Pastors

 

Lead Pastor Amy Banka is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, having graduated from Palmer Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree, Pastor Amy was invited to join the Hopewell staff in June 2014, as the Pastor of Young Adults and Leadership Development.  She became Associate Pastor in 2016, and Lead Pastor in June 2018. Not having grown up in the Church, Amy came to faith in Jesus Christ as a young adult. Upon hearing the gospel and feeling the presence of Christ in her heart and life, she sought a church home where she could learn and grow as a Christian. She stumbled into Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, where the pastor had been praying for God to send her young people to mentor. There she learned about God's amazing heart for the broken and about Christ's willingness and power to save, heal, and transform.  A few years later, Pastor Amy heard God call her to pastoral ministry. Amy is married to Mike, and they have two beautiful daughters, Grace and Emily. Amy enjoys drinking coffee, reading, creative writing, playing board games, and visiting Longwood Gardens (red roses, jasmine, and lilacs smell the best!).

 

 

Associate Pastor Eddie Cameron grew up in a small town just south of Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to Lancaster, PA in 1999 after graduating from Campbell University with a BA in Religion and minor in Environmental Sciences. For five years Eddie served a small church in the Strasburg area while working full time at Sight and Sound Theaters and the Fulton Theatre in the box office and ticketing department. In 2006, Eddie matriculated into Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC where he graduated with a Masters in Biblical Studies in 2009. Eddie joined Hopewell UMC in June 2018 after serving First UMC in Lancaster. Eddie is married to Lisa, and they have a son, James. Eddie enjoys playing tennis and golf, as well as keeping up-to-date on all things Apple.  Eddie and family love traveling together and exploring new cities around the world.

 

 

Pastor Vicki has been a member of the Hopewell staff since June 2001.  She is a United Methodist Licensed Local Pastor (Wesley Theological Seminary), and a certified Spiritual Director.  Her passion in ministry is to creatively raise awareness and offer opportunities for folks to draw closer to the Lord through spiritual practices.  Vicki is a graduate of the University of Delaware, having majored in Physical Education.  She later obtained an elementary education certification from Immaculata University and taught kindergarten in the Downingtown Area School District for 15 years prior to her call to formal ministry. Vicki and her husband, Dick, have lived in Downingtown for 37 years and raised their three daughters within the life of this congregation.  They feel blessed beyond measure to have their daughters, sons-in-law and nine grandchildren living in the immediate area and worshiping here at Hopewell!

 

 

Pastor Keith joined the Hopewell staff in November 2016.  His primary responsibilities include leadership of The Well, Hopewell’s urban ministry initiative in the borough of Downingtown, and preaching, teaching and the leading of worship.  Keith also serves as the executive director of Coatesville Kids to College, a ministry he founded in 2013 to serve children and youth. Following graduation from Boston University, he served as a campus minister, a youth pastor, and a high school English teacher in Boston.  Keith received his M.Div. from Palmer Theological Seminary.  He was ordained in a non-denominational church in 2008, and is currently working towards licensure and ordination within the United Methodist Church. Keith and his wife, Ali, have a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Christian.

 

 

Pastor Dan was appointed to Hopewell Church in 2008, after serving for two years as part time pastor at Glenmoore United Methodist Church. He is a United Methodist Local Pastor.  His areas of ministry include preaching and worship leadership, teaching and adult education, new member ministry and discipleship. Dan is a graduate of West Chester University, having majored in Criminal Justice. Dan has studied at the Evangelical School of Theology in their Masters of Divinity program. Prior to his calling to ministry, Dan worked in law enforcement, and continues his career in the insurance business. Dan and his wife Donna have lived in Downingtown since 1985, and have been members of Hopewell UMC since 1986. Dan and Donna are the parents of four daughters, all raised in Hopewell's congregation.