Welcome to Hope City Church in Providence, RI
There are two sides to every story, and Hope City's origin story is no exception.
Pastor Holly moved to Providence in 2009 as a student at Brown University. Before she ever stepped foot on campus, God spoke to her about reaching it. After graduation, He allowed her to keep serving there as a campus missionary, and somewhere in that season, her vision grew beyond one campus to the whole city.
Pastor Josh first visited Providence in 2016 and was blown away. The diversity was extraordinary. But what struck him even more was something harder to name: an almost tangible sense of hopelessness in the people around him, set against the backdrop of historic buildings that were supposed to symbolize hope and freedom. A burden to reach this city started to stir inside him.
They got married, and life took them elsewhere for a few years. But Providence had a way of coming back up. In quiet moments, in prayer, in conversations that kept circling back to the same city. At some point they stopped treating it like a someday dream and started treating it like a calling.
In February 2020, they found themselves in a car, somewhere in Arkansas, and the conversation turned to Providence. What it could look like. What the city needed. What they felt God stirring in them. A few weeks later, COVID turned the world upside down. God used that season to lead them back to Providence in the fall of 2021.
In March 2023, they started holding weekly worship gatherings in their home. In March 2024, Hope City Church officially launched. And in that first year, they watched God start to bring the vision He had given them to life, confirming His call to this region with miracles, signs, and wonders.
A church for this city
Providence is one of the most culturally rich, linguistically diverse cities in the country. Over 100 nationalities call it home. It's a city full of people from everywhere, with stories from everywhere, looking for somewhere to belong.
Hope City exists for that city.
We gather every Sunday at 5 pm at 372 Wayland Avenue in Providence, inside Community Church of Providence. Our services are fully bilingual in English and Spanish. One congregation, worshipping together, because we believe families should be able to encounter God regardless of the language spoken at home. We also minister as part of an interdenominational Chinese fellowship on Friday nights, and we're eager to see more languages find a home among us as we grow.
Our mission is to be an authentic community where everyone can find refuge and hope from a lost and broken world, be renewed by the power of God, and be equipped to share the Gospel with the world.
That shapes everything about how we do church.
Where we're headed
We're building toward being a church that is genuinely multicultural, multilingual, multigenerational, and multisited. Providence has geographic challenges and neighborhood-level diversity that a single campus can't fully reach. Our vision is to grow into every corner of this city through home groups and multiple campuses, so that no matter where you are, there's a community close to you.
We're just getting started. And we believe the best is ahead.
Come get to know us
The easiest first step is to schedule a personal conversation. Pastors Josh and Holly would love to grab coffee with you.
Find a time that works for you
Or save your seat and we'll make sure your first Sunday is taken care of.
Pastor Holly moved to Providence in 2009 as a student at Brown University. Before she ever stepped foot on campus, God spoke to her about reaching it. After graduation, He allowed her to keep serving there as a campus missionary, and somewhere in that season, her vision grew beyond one campus to the whole city.
Pastor Josh first visited Providence in 2016 and was blown away. The diversity was extraordinary. But what struck him even more was something harder to name: an almost tangible sense of hopelessness in the people around him, set against the backdrop of historic buildings that were supposed to symbolize hope and freedom. A burden to reach this city started to stir inside him.
They got married, and life took them elsewhere for a few years. But Providence had a way of coming back up. In quiet moments, in prayer, in conversations that kept circling back to the same city. At some point they stopped treating it like a someday dream and started treating it like a calling.
In February 2020, they found themselves in a car, somewhere in Arkansas, and the conversation turned to Providence. What it could look like. What the city needed. What they felt God stirring in them. A few weeks later, COVID turned the world upside down. God used that season to lead them back to Providence in the fall of 2021.
In March 2023, they started holding weekly worship gatherings in their home. In March 2024, Hope City Church officially launched. And in that first year, they watched God start to bring the vision He had given them to life, confirming His call to this region with miracles, signs, and wonders.
A church for this city
Providence is one of the most culturally rich, linguistically diverse cities in the country. Over 100 nationalities call it home. It's a city full of people from everywhere, with stories from everywhere, looking for somewhere to belong.
Hope City exists for that city.
We gather every Sunday at 5 pm at 372 Wayland Avenue in Providence, inside Community Church of Providence. Our services are fully bilingual in English and Spanish. One congregation, worshipping together, because we believe families should be able to encounter God regardless of the language spoken at home. We also minister as part of an interdenominational Chinese fellowship on Friday nights, and we're eager to see more languages find a home among us as we grow.
Our mission is to be an authentic community where everyone can find refuge and hope from a lost and broken world, be renewed by the power of God, and be equipped to share the Gospel with the world.
That shapes everything about how we do church.
Where we're headed
We're building toward being a church that is genuinely multicultural, multilingual, multigenerational, and multisited. Providence has geographic challenges and neighborhood-level diversity that a single campus can't fully reach. Our vision is to grow into every corner of this city through home groups and multiple campuses, so that no matter where you are, there's a community close to you.
We're just getting started. And we believe the best is ahead.
Come get to know us
The easiest first step is to schedule a personal conversation. Pastors Josh and Holly would love to grab coffee with you.
Find a time that works for you
Or save your seat and we'll make sure your first Sunday is taken care of.
Posted in Christian church, Christian Living, Church near me, Providence
Posted in providence ri, rhode island, church in providence, providence rhode island
Posted in providence ri, rhode island, church in providence, providence rhode island