We’re glad you found us.
Here at Hope, we’re more than just a gathering of individuals; we are a vibrant community united by our faith in Jesus Christ.
Located in South Dayton, our reach extends far beyond our immediate community, as we work together to make disciples both locally and globally.
Our heartbeat is to be gospel-centered and mission-driven in all things, but especially in our Sunday gathering. We believe that the message of Jesus Christ is our hope and it’s our passion to share this hope with the world.
What can you expect from Hope?
Passionate worship
We believe in worshiping God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Through knowing, adoring, and obeying God, we enter into authentic and transformative worship experiences (Psalm 95).
Extravagant love
Following the example of Jesus Christ, we demonstrate love through actions that are unconditional, practical, and personal (Luke 10:25-37).
Bold witness
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we boldly proclaim the gospel, reaching out to others with a message of hope that is grounded in scripture, relational in approach, and diverse in expression (Matthew 28:19-20).
Hope Church is part of the Global Methodist Church.
This newly formed denomination is committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.
Methodism can be described by a set of essential beliefs and practices as described here. You can read more about the doctrine of Global Methodists or the mission of the GMC church by visiting globalmethodist.org.
Who we are today…
At Hope Church, everyone is welcome, no matter where you are—or where you’ve been—in your faith journey.
We are an authentic community of Jesus-followers, without pretense or presentation. We have connection points for individuals and families, and we exist to see lives transformed by the gospel. Our preaching is Biblical, understandable, and relatable, offering practical insights that you can apply to real-life situations.
If you’re looking for a church home where you can connect and grow, learn and serve, disciple and be discipled, we’ve got a seat saved for you.
Our Values
Changed lives, changing lives.
Hospitality
At Hope we want everyone to feel like our church is their church. We are the family of Christ so our home is your home.
Matthew 27:31-46
Outreach
We see church as an opportunity to prepare ourselves to live selfless for the glory of God that will lead other to want to know Jesus.
Matthew 28:19-20
Passionate Worship & Prayer
We know who God is and recognize how great He is so we respond with hearts full of love and praise back to Him.
John 4
Exposition
We preach the Scriptures by reading them verse by verse and explaining them and what they mean for us today.
Nehemiah 8:8
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We believe that the Scriptures, consisting of both Old and New Testaments, are the inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts. They are the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and are the divine and final authority for all matters of Christian faith and life.
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We believe that there is one God, the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, co-equally and co-eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for believers as a High Priest and Advocate.
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We believe that the Holy Spirit presently glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ by convicting people of sin, regenerating believing sinners, and indwelling, leading and empowering believers for godly life and service.
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We believe that man was created in the image of God, but sinned and therefore is now lost. Only through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit and the atoning sacrifice of Christ can salvation be attained.
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We believe that the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and His bodily resurrection from the dead are the only provision of salvation for all who believe; all and only those who receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and become children of God by grace through faith alone.
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We believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus and this has a vital bearing upon the conduct and service of the believer.
We believe in an end time, bodily resurrection of all the dead; of the believer to everlasting joy and blessedness in the presence of the Lord, and of the unbeliever to an everlasting and conscious punishment.
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Hope Church is a Global Methodist Church. Hope Church’s bylaws are available for review in the church office Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. Please call the church office to arrange a time.
What we believe
How we got here…
Hope Church has a diverse history dating back to 1841.
Through just short of two centuries, Hope Church has seen the foundations of a city, the innovation of flight, and the richness of God’s love. Year after year, Hope’s congregation has faithfully sought after God, taught the Scripture, and served its community.
Hope began as a Sunday School organized and taught by Absalom Shafer, a circuit rider. With Methodist origins, Hope Church was influenced greatly by leaders such as John Wesley, Francis Asbury, Phillip Otterbein, Martin Boehm, and Jacob Albright.
Hope Church grew from two East Dayton churches—Wayne Avenue and High Street
1884
1946
1960
1962
The Wayne Avenue congregation bravely switched from a German-speaking church to one that spoke English.
The Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren Church to become the EUB church.
A fire destroyed the High Street church
The High Street Church relocated to its current Wilmington Pike location and became Christ Church.
The EUB and Methodist Church merged to become the United Methodist Church.
Finally, in 1968, Christ EUB became Hope UMC.
In 1971, the Wayne Avenue Church relocated and merged with Hope UMC.
And most recently, in 2022, Hope Church ended affiliation with the United Methodist Church and joined the Global Methodist Church.
1968
1968
1971
2022
Despite the many changes, Hope Church, in all of its iterations, has honored and fulfilled this Wesleyan tradition and has upheld the Wesleyan beliefs and values.
Our Statement of Faith still honors this tradition and will remain the foundation of Hope Church.
Indeed, Hope Church has experienced a lot: the foundation of a city, the innovation of flight, a mighty flood, and the providence of God’s love. Year after year, Hope’s congregation has faithfully sought God, taught the Scripture, and served its community.
And Hope Church is still making an impact on the world:
Our annual Christmas With A Cause campaign has built a birthing center in Zambia,
helped a school mission in the Philippines rebuild after an earthquake,
helped with the founding of Brigid’s Path, and helped support an Eastern European cultural center where the Good News is shared.
While our rich heritage has brought together faithful believers in their pursuit of God, we sincerely believe that through Hope, our best days are yet to come.
Meet our Team
Lead Pastor
Jason Bunger is the Lead Pastor at Hope Church. A former public school teacher, Jason’s passion is to reconcile people to God and to one another by experiencing the word of God in accurate, passionate and understandable ways.
JASON BUNGER
Family & Student Ministry Director
Sara Humphrey is the children and student ministries leader at Hope Church. As a former middle school teacher, she has a heart for working with students and watching their relationship with God develop. She is an advocate for students developing their interests and using their gifts to serve the church and their communities.
SARA HUMPHREY
Music Worship Leader
Carrie Witt is the Worship Leader at Hope Church. Carrie is passionate about authentic and genuine worship that reflects, embraces, and celebrates the diversity of God's Kingdom. Carrie has a deep desire to create Holy Spirit-led worship services where people may intimately experience the transformational power and love of God.
CARRIE WITT
Missions Ministry Director
Vicki Thompson is the Missions Coordinator at Hope Church. With a passion for "to the ends of the earth," she loves connecting with people of all cultures, seeking to see what God is doing, and helping to facilitate synergistic work for the Kingdom of God through relationship and support from the local congregation with missions partners.
VICKI THOMPSON
Director of Operations
Dawn Lynn Redenbaugh is the Director of Operations at Hope Church. Dawn Lynn has worked in various social and administrative service for the last 20 years, supporting her family's multi-generational military service. She is passionate about handling church business, allowing others to fulfill Hope's mission and purpose.
DAWN REDENBAUGH
Doug is responsible for worship technology at Hope Church. His driving passion is to facilitate relevant, engaging worship environments which create space for all who gather to progress on their faith journeys.
DOUG CARSON
Worship Technology Director
Hope Congregational Care Team
Karen Ward leads our Hope Congregational Care Team. Karen has always had a heart for the hurting and a desire to comfort them. As a Stephen Minister/Leader she recognizes that we can all be the hands and feet of Christ. She says, “We can all pray for others if we are unable to do anything else.”
Karen Ward
Pastor Vic
Vic Toney is a retired minister with 45 years’ experience as a pastor, Air Force chaplain and Veteran Affairs chaplain. His passion is to encourage Christians in their life journey through biblical counseling, bible-centered preaching, and practical, life application teaching. He especially serves with unique veteran issues and the elderly.
Vic Toney
Director of Small Group Ministries
Larry Stroble is the Director of Small Group Ministries at Hope. He has a passion to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and to help people to learn how to pray, how to study the Bible, and how to build strong relationships with other believers.
Larry Stroble