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Family Groups

One of the mistakes many people make is to believe that Christianity or faith in Christ is between a person and his/her God. That is completely contrary to the teaching of the Bible. It is not a path that we must travel alone, or should travel alone. Jesus teaches that we were created to love God and our neighbors. We were created in the image of God who lives relationally, and thus we are called to experience the fullness of life in and through the relationships in our lives.

Striving to live a faithful life alone is bound to be a long, fruitless and joyless process. Thus, we at Hope believe there is an abounding yet seldom tapped source of joy and encouragement in our lives – in the brothers and sisters around us. As a result, the primary way we build community in our ministry is through our Family Groups.

In Family Groups, you gather in safe environments built on trust, make friends, find support, grow spiritually, learn about the Bible, pray together, and serve one another. Through open discussions, fellowship activities and prayer, you find yourself not only growing with God but forging strong bonds that are not easily replicated elsewhere. Your fellow Family Group members become the people you call when you need help or when you have great news to share.
As our Family Groups have gathered in the name of Jesus, we’ve seen God showering numerous blessings on each of the groups.

Joining the Family group was by far the best thing I did. The people I met are truly amazing and I can honestly say they are my second family. It’s great to know that I have brothers and sisters in Christ who I can always rely and depend on to keep me accountable. I heart my family group”

- Brenda Youn

Family Group has been a truly amazing experience…I feel at ‘home’ like when you find rest and excitement. Not only do we know how to eat spiritual food, we devour and satisfy our physical hunger as well! It COMPLETES my joy, Emmanuel!”
-Young Ko

Friends you can count on are hard to come by but family group gives you an opportunity to find a community of believers that you can trust and confide in.”
-Mark Huh

I love family groups! It’s really nice to spend time with fellow Christians. Simply talking about Christ and about our lives in the context of God is therapeutic.”
– Louis Lee

If you’re looking for this type of support or source of encouragement for your spiritual life, please contact one of the family group leaders for more information.

Our Family Groups

Married with Children

Group Leader: Charles Choy
When: Approximately two Wednesdays per month at 7:30pm
Where: Charles and June’s House (Wyckoff, NJ)
Email: marriedwithchildren@hpcem.org

First of all, you don’t have to be married or with children to be in our group. But because many of us have children and are married, our schedules can be fairly hectic. We try to provide a safe haven for our children and their frazzled parents and anyone else who don’t mind the kids running around while we do bible study. We have lots of room to grow and hope people will try hanging out on Wednesdays with us. Some recurring themes in our discussions are family, kid care and juggling (life).

Thursday Triggers

Group Leader: Timothy Yang
When: Thursdays at 7:30pm
Where: Brenda’s House (Palisades Park, NJ)
Email: yang_tim@hotmail.com

The Thursday Triggers are made up of brothers and sisters who are in their mid twenties to early thirties. Most of us are working professionals who are single. These two things, jobs and potential spouse are some of the main topics that we discuss besides J.C. (Jesus Christ) in our small group. We are a group that promotes, encourages, challenges and support our love for Jesus and how we can have more of him each day. We would encourage anyone, in whatever stages of their walk with Christ to join us. Most of us are fluent in both Korean/English, so Twinkies and Fobs, you are all welcome!

25 & Under

Group Leaders: Jana Lee and Dave Kim
When: Saturdays at 6pm
Where: Hope Presbyterian Church (Teaneck, NJ)
Email: 25andunder@hpcem.org

25 and Under is a misnomer and we actually are comprised more of a group that ‘feels’ 25 and under. Despite our name, we do not discriminate by age. We have recently realized that groups with names that acknowledge brokenness (i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous) are a LOT more effective as opposed to groups with names that acknowledge an ideal (i.e. Purity Groups). So, if we had to choose another name we decided it would involve something on the lines of “We Suck.” We are completely laid-back and full of humor. Our 2 vision goals that we have stated from the start is to (1) come as you are and (2) help everyone breathe a little easier. We have an easy time being laid-back and cracking jokes, but we also embrace the difficulty of being transparent and honest as broken people.

Burning Bright

Group Leader: Hera Yang and Justin Song
When: Fridays at 7:30pm
Where: Hera’s House (New Milford, NJ)
Email: llj2kll@gmail.com

Burning Bright is all about glorifying God by enjoying Him together. We believe that being in a small group is incomparable when the goal is to enjoy and experience God on a supremely intimate level. Our vision is to be a group of friends that edifies, loves, and serves one another. We admit that we’re all broken, but through our relationship with Jesus Christ, we strive to be healed and grow in character to be a better lamp that God’s light can burn through and transform those around us. Most of all, Burning Bright is place where you will feel comfortable sharing your life and have friends who will love you and brothers and sisters you can confide in.

The Daily Grind

Group Leader: Jeewon Lee and Ed Choi
When: Thursdays at 8:30pm
Where: (Fort Lee, NJ)
Email: jchoi20@gmail.com

We get so wrapped up in our busy lives that it’s difficult to see God in all our daily tasks and routines. How would our lives change if we’re able to see purpose and meaning in all that we do? How would the success of our careers and relationships change if we gave it our very best- not because we had to but because we want to.

We call our group ‘The Daily Grind’ because the daily grind is the focus. It’s all about living out the Gospel on a daily basis. This is a place where we apply God’s Word to our everyday lives.

Friday’s Word

Group Leader: John Kim
When: Fridays at 7pm
Where: Mark’s House (Edgewater, NJ)
Email: fridaysword@hpcem.org

Friday’s Word is a group that takes your time seriously. We are a group that is serious about having fun as well as experiencing God. Some may think that those are completely different things/objectives but we have come to see that God is serious about having fun as well – “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We are ordinary people who love eat, explore God’s word, watch movies, and journey through life together. In the end, we are people that are broken and truely desire a family we can trust and love.