Our mission and vision
OUR MISSION
To equip east-of-Bayshore youth to grow spiritually, gain life skills and develop as leaders so that they have hope and a future.
OUR VISION
Alumni who are active Christ followers with hope, purpose, and marketable skills who give back to their communities.
Our Approach
WHOLISTIC
The essence of the Gospel message is wholistic. Jesus not only proclaimed the Kingdom of God was at hand, but also healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and fed the thousands. Jesus met the felt needs of many of those to whom he also preached the Good News. We seek to imitate this dual nature of Jesus' ministry, meeting not just spiritual needs, but also felt needs of the youth in our community.
RELATIONAL
Since our founding in 1984, we have sought to develop a deep and abiding presence with the youth of EPA, along with their families. Following the Biblical model of relational ministry, we hope that God would use us to reveal the Gospel and transform lives. Our staff remain faithful to that model to this day as they not only manage programs, but also mentor youth, becoming involved in their lives and walking alongside them through both struggles and celebrations.
Collaborative
Working toward our mission of equipping youth so they have hope and a future, we have found many partners along the way - volunteers, prayer warriors, donors, churches and other organizations. Whenever possible, we accomplish our mission by collaborating. In the past 3 years, Hope Horizon EPA has partnered with over 25 churches and numerous local organizations.
Our Values
Teachable Attitude
We approach our environment ready to learn, grow and change. We are open to new ideas, relationships and knowledge. We approach our mission with a willingness to adapt in order to better serve our community.
Relationships
With students, their families, our community, our volunteers, our staff, our supporters, our partners and ultimately with God. We invest time cultivating and nurturing the relationships that connect us as the Hope Horizon family.
Diversity
We enjoy and celebrate the variety of cultures, backgrounds, families and churches within our community. We engage with topics related to diversity and know that our varied experiences create a more vibrant organization, reflective of the diversity in God's Kingdom.
Active Faith
Our faith is not just agreeing to a certain set of principles, but something that is lived out day-to-day through our words and choices as well as through worship, prayer and scripture. Our faith causes us to engage with the world around us and share the good news of Christ.
Statement of Faith
Just as the original founders did, we believe in:
The only true God, the almighty Creator of all things,
existing eternally in three persons
– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – full of love and glory.
The unique divine inspiration of the Bible
and its trustworthiness and authority
In all matters of belief and practice.
The value and dignity of all people:
Created in God’s image to live in love and holiness,
But alienated from God and each other because of our sin and guilt,
And justly subject to God’s wrath.
Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, fully human and fully divine,
Who lived as a perfect example,Who assumed the judgment due sinners by dying in our place,
And who was raised bodily from the dead and ascended as Savior and Lord.
Justification by God's grace to all who repent
And put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
The indwelling presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit,
Who gives to all believers a new life and a new calling to obedient service.
The unity of all believers in Jesus Christ,
Manifest in worshiping and witnessing churches,
Making disciples throughout the world.
The victorious reign and future personal return of Jesus Christ,
Who will judge all people with justice and mercy,
Giving over the unrepentant to eternal condemnation
But receiving the redeemed into eternal life.