Hope City Church Year 8 Annual Report

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Y

e r a C e w HOPE

T I C

ANNUAL REPORT HOPE CITY CHURCH

RC H U H

JAN - DEC 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome

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Numbers

06

Legacy

22

Finances

34

Building Home

38

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IN HIS POWER & PRESENCE! As we close out year seven and begin year eight, I can’t help but think about the significance of numbers in the Bible.

God created the earth in seven days, and on the seventh day, he rested because His work had been completed. In no way do I believe the work of Hope City is done, but I do believe that year seven marks a significant turning point in our journey as a church. In some ways, it denotes a maturing of what God is establishing in our foundation as a spiritual family. While the framework and foundation for who we are has been set, I understand that we will spend our lifetime building on that foundation. By faith and work, we will, with God’s help, build a house for our children and our children’s children to inherit. A house marked by the power and presence of God’s spirit, a house for those looking for hope and healing, a house whose purpose and focus is Jesus, a house for all of God’s children to call home.

This past year, we celebrated our eighth birthday as a church. If seven is the number that marks completion, then eight is the number that carries with it new beginnings.

Angela, the staff team, and I are incredibly excited about what God will do this year. With the completion of our Broadcast campus, the relaunch of our High St campus, the full programming of our Dream Center, and the renovation of our Student Center, our faith is high, our hands are on the plow, and we are ready for the good work that God has marked out for our church. We believe that year eight will be a year of increase increase.. We understand that with greater opportunity comes greater responsibility, not just for us as pastors and staff but for us as a family. Angela and I have continued to be amazed at the love, unity, warmth, and dedication you all exhibit. We still believe that the local church mobilized is the hope of the world.

As you read through these numbers and read these stories of real people whose lives have been changed by Jesus because of your service, generosity, and love, we pray that your heart will be impacted, your resolve strengthened, and your passion stoked. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, I will build My Church,” and through your hands, that is exactly what He has been doing! May this annual report cause you to rejoice, weep, and ready yourself for what God will do through you in 2024 and next year; together, as a church family, we will thank God for how He uses our ordinary lives to do extraordinary things.

Love, Pastors Quovadis & Angela Marshall

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14 May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children. 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 115:14-15 ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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NUM ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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MBERS EVERY NUMBER HAS A NAME, EVERY NAME HAS A STORY, AND EVERY STORY MATTERS TO GOD.

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KNOW GOD THROUGH WEEKEND SERVICES

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886

Average Weekly in-person attendance WEEKLY DIGITAL ATTENDANCE

6,774 16,958 YOUTUBE

314K

HOPE CITY TV

12,974

FACEBOOK

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7,806 CHURCH ONLINE

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Katherine Holbrook HOUSTON, MN

A few years ago, the internet allowed me to reconnect with my best friend from the past. Sadly, he was incarcerated in a dangerous prison due to battles with addiction, which took a toll on his life. Over the next five years, I supported him in his journey to survive imprisonment, gain sobriety, and achieve rehabilitation.

This experience led me to learn about prison reform and advocacy, particularly the Prison Fellowship Program.

As I sought God’s love and forgiveness, I discovered the transformative work of the Prison Fellowship Program and became intrigued by its impact on those seeking redemption.

Through newsletters, I came across Pastor Quovadis Marshall’s testimony, inspiring me to drive from my home in Houston, MN to attend INPERSON to Hope City Church in Waterloo, IA. My son, Shane, also felt a spiritual calling after attending Easter service, leading to his baptism. We became involved in supporting the Hope City community, giving back through volunteering and participating in events like the Fall Festival.

Despite my social anxiety and PTSD, I found joy in serving at the festival, guided by my newfound connection with God. Now, we watch live services, seeking ways to grow spiritually. Hope City Church has become a pivotal place for my family’s spiritual journey, providing warmth and encouragement. As my friend strives for a new life post-prison, I step aside, letting God work in his life while seeking my own healing through a relationship with God. Ministries like Hope City, Angel Tree, and Prison Fellowship are crucial in this journey, guiding me toward the healing and love inherent in God’s work. Embracing the path of Jesus Christ, a poignant quote from Pastor Q resonates: “Do not underestimate your value. You are so valuable the devil and God want you!” I am grateful for the opportunity to share this story.

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Most Viewed Message Series!

Watch it here!

HOPE CITY APP

5,266

1,716

MEDIA PLAYS

App Downloads

38,093

298,419

App Launches

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App Impressions

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GROW TEAMERS People serving on Grow Teams

319

*Outreach GTs not included

MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES People in MCs (small groups)

640

GROWTH TRACK People who participated in a class

268

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Joe Bondy Testimony

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“Thank you Hope City Church for existing, Without this family, I would still be lost. They loved me when I didn’t love myself. They seen something in me I didn’t see in myself. Most importantly they helped me grow in my faith in Jesus. They taught me so much. I will be forever grateful.” - Carrie Bender, Kids City Grow Teamer

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BAPTISMS

150 459 Total Decisions for Jesus

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RAISED TO LIFE Bye Bye, Old Life Hello, New Life!

“This being my first year of living a GODLY life, I have way too many blessings to list but to sum up my year, he (Pastor Q) has showed me life with JESUS CHRIST is beautiful and loving and I’m absolutely never alone. ” - Robby Decker ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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PENNY DEIN’S STOR ORY “I’m involved in Kid City and Future, and both have been amazing experiences.”

Hi, I’m Penny Dein, and I’m a middle school girl in the Future Student Ministry. I’ve been attending Hope City for almost 3 years. My family and I discovered Hope City while searching for a new church. We initially started watching online from our old house in New Jersey, and once we moved to Iowa, we began attending in person. Staying connected to the church is honestly my favorite part of the week.

I’m involved in Kid City and Future, and both have been amazing experiences. In Future, I’ve had some incredible opportunities. One of my first memories was attending the Awake Conference in Ottumwa, Iowa. Later on, I decided to get baptized.

In addition, I have led my own Serve the City outreach and attended the Motion Conference where I realized my dream was to be a youth pastor. My most favorite memory was preaching in front of the entire FUTURE group.

There are also some amazing things that have happened in Kid City. I primarily serve the kindergarten and first grade classrooms, and the kids are just so sweet. God is working in them in some amazing ways. I also had the opportunity to preach in Kid City. Hope City has provided me and my family with amazing opportunities, and I’m so happy to be a part of this family.

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NEW FAMILIES

85

AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE

108

CHILD DEDICATIONS

17

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STUDENT WEEKLY AVERAGE ATTENDANCE

85

FIRST-TIME STUDENTS

128

YOUTH BAPTIZED

40

MEALS SERVED

3,756

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ANNA WERNING’S STOR ORY Growing up in a Catholic household and attending Don Bosco, my early years were centered around tradition. I got baptized at 7, but honestly, I didn’t really understand the whole deal. After transferring to Waterloo Schools, my family kind of drifted away from the church scene. Then, in 2022, my younger sister expressed an interest in going back to church, leading us to Hope City Church.

While my mom and sister eventually stopped going, I continued attending Sunday services.

Pastor Q’s messages were engaging, but forming a deep connection with God remained a challenge.

Things took a turn one August night when I joined the youth group at Hope City Future.

The topic was forgiveness, and it struck a chord with me. During an activity where we wrote down our sins on index cards, crumpled them up, and let them go, I felt a sense of gratitude. Out of the blue, a girl named Hannah Smith, whom I had never met before, asked if she could pray for me. That moment marked a significant change, and I found myself having a heartfelt conversation with God. From that night on, I decided to wholeheartedly pursue my faith journey, even if it meant going to Sunday mornings alone and not having a religious family around. I made friends in the youth group and now attend with a friend, sitting in the front row, excited for the message and worship.

The church community, including Pastor Q, Pastor Mason, and friends like Abby and Margaret, has become like a second family to me. The youth group played a crucial role, leading me to share my testimony and get baptized in 2023 with a deeper understanding of my commitment to God. My involvement in Hope City goes beyond Sunday mornings. I participate in Future on Wednesday nights, volunteer in Kid City, and contribute to events like Fall Fest. Serving on the worship team and undergoing vocal coaching with Infuse have added meaningful layers to my spiritual journey.

Working with the kids in Kid City brings me joy, and witnessing their growth in their faith journey is incredibly rewarding. I’m truly grateful for the support and warmth of the Hope City Church family that has embraced me. It’s more than just a place of worship; it’s a home filled with love, growth, and authentic connections.

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LEAVI

LEGA THAT L ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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95 Sign Ups | First Ever Men’s Retreat

ING A

ACY LASTS ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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Our heart is LOCAL

524 12,000 112

GROW TEAMERS SERVED OVER

PEOPLE THROUGH OUTREACHES

Community Meals Served

5,231

LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS These are some of the agencies and organizations we partnered with throughout the Cedar Valley.

Center of Attention, East High School, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club, One City, Cedar Valley Angels, Hospitality House, Royal Legacy Christian Academy, Love Inc, House of Hope, Alternatives Pregnancy Center, Habitat for Humanity

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JENNIFER T. THOMPSON’S STOR ORY

I began attending Hope City in October 2022. I had watched services on TV a few times on Sunday mornings and I was in the process of making big changes in my life...better choices and a huge part of that working was to grow in my faith and in my relationship with God. The first day I attended was with my mom and my 2 granddaughters who we took to Kids City.

Ages 7 and 8 at the time. I’ll never forget that day as they were asking to come back even before we made it to the car. One of them said, “Grandma, did you know God is my Father?” She had this glow in her eyes because she learned that on her first day of coming to Hope City... something we assumed she already knew!!!

“It’s never too late, they are watching you grandma.”

So we came back. Week after week, everything from the music, the people, the atmosphere, all of it, felt different. The message Pastor Q would give felt like it was meant just for me but that’s impossible in a room full of so many people, right? I found myself reading the bible in the morning before work, praying more, and just feeling better about life. I was BELIEVING MORE! I heard about Growth Track and I knew I wanted yet more out of my faith journey so in March 2023 I went and soon after I signed up to get baptized. On March 26, 2023, I was baptized. It was absolutely the BEST DAY! I can say from my heart that I truly felt reborn. My old life was over and this new life and new love and walk with Jesus is happening.

I publicly chose Jesus that day and I have continued to do so everyday since. I’m loving God, loving people and trying to be a good example to my granddaughters.

When I got baptized my granddaughters were next to me watching and Pastor Q told me in my ear, “it’s never too late, they are watching you grandma.” I took that to heart. After that day, I began serving. I serve every Sunday and at the Community Meal every month with one of my granddaughters. It brings me joy and strenghtens my closeness with both God and my church family. I love it. I’m finding my purpose......FINALLY.

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SERVE T

PEOPLE WH

44

OUTREACHE

44 ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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THE CITY

HO SERVED

48

ES IN 1 DAY

4 “...Making a difference in Jesus name! From painting, to yard work, to food bank, to animal shelter to so much more. Through love, our community was impacted today.” - Dustin Cox, Executive Pastor 27 ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Legacy Team members, David and Beth Delegadelle story

OUR REACH IS GLOBAL Through your generosity, prayers and time, we are reaching people across the world with the message, truth, and compassion of Jesus

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS HaTivka Project (Israel), Jake and Vanessa Johnson Missionaries in Botswana, Ignite Europe, Making Jesus Known, Missionaries to Mexico, Vapor Ministries

Haiti

Ukrain

Mazatlan Mexico Switzerland

e

Israel

Botswana K enya

Kenya Botswan

a

Israel Ukraine

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La Vina | Mazatlan, MX “Our team has had an amazing week! We painted an entire school in one day, served over 500 meals, taught over 100 kiddos, gave testimonies, and two of our team decided to get baptized in the ocean!” - Tracy Cayton, Operations Director

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NATIONAL PARTNERS Association of Related Churches, Highlands College

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Year In Review

40

Churches Launched in 22 states

7

13,518

Total Launch Day Attendance unch Day Attendance

Through your giving more than $7 Million was invested into church planting in 2023.

We saw more than

8,000

leaders connect relationally through events like ARC Conference and Gather.

ARC Global Launches in Canada, Columbia, Northern Ireland, France, Romania, South Africa and New Zealand.

One Thousand and Ninety-Seven Churches launched through ARC since 2000.

More than

400

Church planters and pastors were equipped through ARC Launch training events.

There is no us without you.

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RAISING UP LEADERS

SUMMER INTERNS

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JASMINE MCCORMICK’S STOR ORY Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I never considered a place in ministry. I got a firsthand look at everything that my parents went through. All the tears, hurt, late nights, times we weren’t sure how we were going to make it financially. I made an early decision that life in ministry just was not for me. I ran from the call of God on my life. I walked away from my family and the Church.

After many sleepless nights I realized that my life was lacking peace, my spirit was greatly disturbed, I was becoming anxious and depressed. After a powerful moment with God I decided it was time to reconnect with my family and go back to church.

At the time I was already in college, pursuing a degree that was super unfulfilling, but was sure to make me money. I graduated college and had no direction for my life. Around that same time my parents had come back from the Grow Conference at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham Alabama. They began to share with my sister, Alexis, about their ministry training school, Highlands College, and she was not interested. Then they started sharing with me. I was hesitant because I knew everything that my parents had gone through, but the Holy Spirit would not leave me alone about it, so I looked into Highlands College. My dad said, “If you want to apply I’ll pay your application fee.” I thought to myself, “hey, free application. Why not?” I applied and next thing I knew I was in Birmingham training for ministry.

Moving to Birmingham presented its own set of challenges, but God was with me every step of the way. In my third semester of Highlands College they began doing an event called Leadership Encounter Day (LED). Students would spend the day with pastors from all over and just learn. Pastor Q was doing a session and I signed up for it. After the session I had the opportunity to meet PQ and ask him some questions. It was a great conversation that resulted in me following PQ and Hope City Church on social media. The following semester we had another LED and I signed up for PQ’s session again. We reconnected and he told me to apply for the Hope City Church internship. I applied and within a couple of weeks I was in Waterloo Iowa. The summer was incredible! I learned so much and made many incredible relational connections. At the end of the summer I was offered an opportunity to join the Hope City staff team as the High Street Worship Director and the Events coordinator. After much prayer I decided God was leading me here as my next step in ministry.

I wanted to take a moment to give a huge thank you to the Legacy team for making it possible for me to come out to intern. Thank you to Rick and Maggie for hosting me. Thank you to the staff team for being so welcoming. Thank you to PQ and Ang for opening up your home to me and allowing me to come back. Thank you to my friends, family, and significant other for supporting me. And lastly, a huge thank you to God for establishing each and every step I take.

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FINAN

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NCIALS It is more blessed to give than to receive and it is impossible to out-give God.

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OPERATIONAL BUDGET Ministry Operations

$695,051

40.03%

Capital Reserves, Savings, Administration, Accounting, Children Ministry, Student Ministry, Marketing & Communications, Events, Leadership Development, Growth Track, Missional Communities, Weekend Worship Experience (Print Materials), Worship & Production

Staffing

$762,366

43.91%

PT/FT Salaries + Benefits for Pastoral and Non-Pastoral Staff

Facilities

$74,594

4.30%

Facilities Upkeep and Maintenance, Debt Payoff on Equipment, Mortgage, Utilities

Legacy

$204,206

11.76%

Local, National & Global Outreach, Strategic Partnership, Benevolence & Care Ministry, Global Missions Team, Missionary Support, Leadership Training & Interns, Church Planting (ARC), Growth and Expansion and Projects

National Average of Staffing expenses is 40%-50%

Hope City Church operates with an open book policy of financial integrity.

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TOTAL REVENUE BREAKDOWN 2023

$972,499 PROJECTS

LEGACY

$2,708,716

$323,575

$1,412,642

GENERAL REVENUE

The year over year percentage growth is a 7.9% increase.

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ONE F A new chapter begins The dream of Hope City Church started 18 years ago with a prayer. Our pastors, Quovadis and Angela Marshall, had a desire to build a church in their hometown with the hope of city transformation through the gospel. From worship services in their basement ( or what Angela sweetly calls, the lower level), to their garage, their driveway, rented space in a building, and then finally, through the generosity of another church and God’s favor, we found a permanent location in a 100 year old Lutheran church in Waterloo, IA. We are greatly honored that God has entrusted us with the mission of helping EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE know God, find community, discover their purpose and make a difference. That’s why we embark on this new journey as we open another location to make room at the table.

We are excited for Pastor Drew Doland and Jordan Doland as they lead the Waterloo Campus as the Waterloo Campus Pastor and Kids City Director. They will continue to see the mission and vision of Hope City Church through. We are ONE CHURCH, ONE FAMILY.

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FAMILY Pastor Q shares the journey of Hope City Church and the closing of the “Building Home” chapter.

Our vision and mission to reach the Cedar Valley has not and will not change. Our current ministry that targets the Waterloo community will continue and expand through the launching of the DREAM CENTER! The Cedar Valley is comprised of over 100,000 people and through Hope City TV we are reaching far beyond that. We have thousands of faithful church members watching from Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Decorah and beyond. Our Cedar Heights location will position us with the much needed technology, internet and space to strategically reach those that call Hope City their church home both near and far.

CATIONS ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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Angela and I continue to be amazed at the love, unity, warmth, and dedication you all exhibit. We still believe that the local church mobilized is the hope of the world. - Pastor Q ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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@hopecitychurchiowa

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www.myhopecity.net