Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc.
The LGBTQISA2ss+ Pride Activities, and Social Events Center of Elmira, NY.
The only Church in Central New York founded and fostered by the GLBTQSIA2ss+ community for 39 years. October 31, 2022 - 39th Anniversary now in our 40th year in Ministry.
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Black History pg.1
Black History pg.2

 

2017 PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE

This page has been updated on April 10, 1019. and will be updated frequently. Return here often to keep up with the developments.

 

Ray Of Hope Church is looking for willing laborers in the church to serve the Body Of Christ in the Biblical ministries of Apostles (Overseer, Bishop, District Ministry), Prophets, Deacons, Deaconesses, Evangelists, Teachers, Nuns, Sisters, Monks, Brothers, Missionaries, and Pastors.

This list of potential ordained ministries is just a partial starting

place.  We are open to any and every sort of ministry the Holy Spirit

designs and calls people to. 

 

This is the church of potential and possibilities.

 

We are ready for you. 

 

If you have been Ordained previously this is not a hindrance, denominational affiliations are not a hindrance, race, financial status, age, location, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender are not hindrances. 

 

ONE THING is a hindrance, the willingness to step up and offer yourself  in service to the Gospel the way countless others have since the time of the original apostles and disciples.

 

We are waiting for you.

As declared on the Home page:

 

We never held a vote to decide if we would be an INCLUSIVE church for you.

We are not an OPEN AND AFFIRMING church for you.

We are not a RECONCILING CHURCH or

RECONCILING  CONGREGATION for you.

We are not an OPEN MINDED or ACCEPTING or WELCOMING

 church where you can attend as long as you blend in quietly and discretely.

WE  ARE  YOU!

THIS is the church where YOU belong.

Ray Of Hope Church is the church

by us, for us, and made by You.



We believe God calls each and every person to active ministry, service, and prayer.  We also believe God provides all the support, the skills, and the desire to be successful at whatever ministry God calls each person to through the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit.  There is no limit to the number of opportunities and possibilities for ministry in this dispensation of the church, the Age of the Holy Spirit.  It is our desire to be a church of potential, possibility, and opportunity for ministry as God calls and uses each one of us.  We will do all we can to help a person prepare for and carry out the ministries God calls them to.

 

The classic and traditional ministries of the church are described in the  Letter to the Ephesians and the Book of Acts.  Jesus gives "some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11,12)

We also are open to the ministry of Deacon, Deaconess, as started in the Book of Acts, as well as any other traditional ministry that has developed in the story of the church since the Apostolic age, and new contemporary ministries.  As you page through this section of our web site you will see in the side sub navigation bar links to some of the various ministries we are prepared to utilize at this time.  The absence of a description of a ministry you are interested in or looking for does NOT mean we do not welcome it.  Please be sure to share all of your ministry ideas with us.

 

Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc. is an independent congregation.  We spend very little time telling people what we cannot do because of denominational traditions.  Instead, we tell people we can do all of everything the Holy Spirit has revealed to the Christian people in various times and places.  We can enjoy all of it from Chant to Black Gospel, monastic Morning Prayer to tent Revivals to Contemporary Music worship with large screens and praise bands, a traditional choir and a praise band, and a Gospel Choir.  We can hold Worship at a LGBT Pride Event, inside a popular bar / dance hall, or in the middle of a street protest for social justice. We can enjoy devotionals, Eucharistic Adoration, silent prayer, rosaries and chaplets, healing services, charismatic prayer meeting, retreats, all manner and every kind of worship in spirit and in truth.

 

People of all sexual orientations and gender expressions are given equal opportunity to enter any of our ministries.  Financial status will never hinder or manipulate an opportunity to study, grow, discern, and develop a ministerial gift at this church.

 

The following is a quotation from our

Prologue to our Statement Of Faith

6-30-1996

 

PRO 3 WE MEET IN THE NAME OF JESUS: NO DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION

 

Ray of Hope Church is not an organization, but it is a living organism, the Body Of Christ, or it does not exist.  Ray Of Hope Church is Christ-centered in all of its teachings, and therefore does not ascribe to the dogmas, teachings, or practices of any singular contemporary denomination, or para-church organization of the Christian Church.  Rather, we maintain an autonomous freedom to draw from the two millennia of immense riches known in all denominations of Christianity.  The Holy Spirit has bestowed unique charisms to individuals and groups of reformers throughout the story of the Church.  Experience has shown that often entire denominations have developed around a new gift from the Holy Spirit that was intended for the entire Body Of Christ, the Church Universal.  Often, when these new charisms became locked into a denominational system, they were never shared or made available to the rest of the Church.  Ray Of Hope Church actively studies the entire story of the Church seeking to draw out these gifts and bring them together into our experience of Christianity.  Our goal is to "hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all" [St. Vincent of Lerins, Fifth Century]. 

 

Ray Of Hope is an "independent" local Church.  This does not mean we stand alone, as though in pride or arrogance, rather we seek to share interdependence with other assemblies and fellowships of believers who are also centered on Christ Jesus and who endeavor equally as hard as we do to bring the Gospel to all people.

 

PRO 5 WE PARTICIPATE IN THE ONE, HOLY, APOSTOLIC, UNIVERSAL/CATHOLIC, BIBLE-BASED, CHRISTIAN CHURCH

 

Our Doctrine, practice, and teaching is firmly grounded in the one and only true Church, the universal Body Of Christ that Jesus personally established for this age.  Our teaching goal is to unapologetically set forth in an undisguised way the apostolic testimony to Christ in its classic consensual form.  The experience, and recorded story of the church has suggested that much of what has endured as "sound teaching, " was revealed, understood, and set down in writing by the fifth century.  This period from 33-400 AD is known as the "early Church."  Therefore, we look to the historical early Church documents for guidance on how to be a simple, Christ-centered Assembly of Believers, In His Name.  We agree with Thomas C. Oden when he says: "the further one 'progresses' from ancient apostolic testimony to God's word the more hopeless becomes the human condition." (Handbook of Evangelical Theologians, W. A. Elwell, pg. 404)

 

(from PRO 6 section) Some will recognize this method of theological study as the Vincentian Method, which is the defining of theology by searching for ancient ecumenical consensus.  This method was first clearly formulated as a method by Vincent of Lerins in the fifth century.  His famous statement has become a guidepost in this method: "quod simper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditum sum" ("what has been believed always, everywhere, and by all").

 

*** As you can read above, our Prologue is a very rich document that beautifully describes the precious gift of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc., God's gift to the LGBTQIS community, indeed to all people.  Look for the entire text of the Prologue to be added to our web site soon.  You may request a print copy at any time.

 

 

Please click on the link in the sub Navigation bar to the left to learn about  the Ray Of Hope Church Vocational Ministry Training Program.  It is an individualized program that is tailored specifically to each person's ministry gifts.  We believe it is one of the finest ministry opportunities in the world at this time.  Be sure to see pages 4 and 5 to review our library of materials we draw our professional ministerial training from. 
_______________________________________________________

 

 

The Members, Friends, Council, and Pastor of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc. stand in solidarity and give full support to the organization; Women's March On Washington, and the work of its National Committee (https://www.womensmarch.com/team/).  We stand in solidarity with their stated Mission & Vision, the Unity Principles including but not limited to women's rights are human rights, ending violence, reproductive rights, LGBTQIAS rights, worker's rights, civil rights, persons with multiple abilities rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and religious freedom.  We support their agenda for "10 Actions for the first 100 Days" as outlined on their web site (https://www.womensmarch.com/100 ).  We find all points made thus far by this organization to be completely in line with our Statement Of Purpose found by clicking here on the Purpose link in this web site.  A more developed page of support will be forthcoming. Right Click Here.
Page updated
3/4/21
7:48 p.m.
For easy instructions on how to use Skype to participate in our activities click here.
The Friends, Members, and Attendees of Ray Of Hope Church give our full support to the March For Our Lives movement and promise to do our  part for change.  This is consistent with our Statement Of Purpose. Right Click Here.
June 19 is Juneteenth. Two and one half years after the Emancipation Proclamation became law on January 1, 1863 there were still African - American slaves in the United States.  They were set free on June 19, 1865.  Read more about this here:  click here.
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