Our Story & Vision

We have met under the name of Wood Hath Hope for over ten years. We always had the goal of preaching the gospel faithful to its world-changing character, a gospel which does not conform to the untruthfulness and violence built in to culture. This of course is very hard to do--in practical terms we all have to live within culture. But it is possible to lose the more evident forms of co-option: for example we don’t have to have the standard sacred building on a street corner, the template which appears (at least on the surface) to go along with the violent world order. And we don't provide a social club with breakfasts and fundraisers which never reflects on the challenge of the bible to the way our world works.

So Wood Hath Hope resolved to meet in places that didn't look like churches, that had no visible form that would tell people there was something "Christian" going on there. It also set itself continually to examine the bible for the way its core narrative is an ongoing meditation and resistance against violence and death.

This meant meeting regularly--at least once a week--to study together. And "together" of course means a community, a group of people who are going to commit themselves to this way. Wood Hath Hope has always been such a group, a basic unit of people prepared to come together at many levels to search and understand the pathway given us by the God of the bible.

We have never been a large group--perhaps as few as half-a-dozen committed people. But the cumulative numbers are in the hundreds, and our message--with the progressive awareness and understanding it brings in the larger community--is out of proportion to our week-by-week attendance. We have moved frequently, from venue to venue--church halls and rooms, an old convent, a store front, a women's center, someone's home--always seeking that in-between space where suddenly the old story can be heard in an entirely new way. And we know this must have happened because so many of our "alumni" have felt inspired to go off to form their own de-centered gatherings, websites and, amazingly, in a couple of instances, even get ordained! Almost by definition a non-institutional group will disseminate in this way. We are at the crossroads between a fading past and a future yet to come and will never claim to have formed the "one true church".

And at all events (and that is almost the literal case) we remember with love and joy every single person that sat down with us to study or share a meal. Some have had babies, some have retired, some are going to college, all the stuff of people's lives. We rejoice at this rich texture, while holding on perhaps to some key personal threads the Lord has given us.

                                                                                                                                              





The fabric of relationships remains and continues to grow in the non-formal non-traditional way we hope to see and do things. What keeps us all coming back one way or another is the willingness to be on this unconventional beautiful road.