Downtown Hope

He is Risen!

On Palm Sunday, the crowds shouted “Hosanna!” as Jesus enters Jerusalem—but within days, the crowd would be shouting “Crucify him!" In Mark 11, Jesus uses a fig tree and a disrupted temple to reveal a deeper truth: outward appearance isn’t enough. God desires real faith.

Two men encounter Jesus in Mark 10. One walks away. One throws everything aside and follows. The difference isn’t intelligence or sincerity, it’s what they’re holding onto. In this episode, we’ll look at Bartimaeus and the question his story leaves us with, what are you still gripping that Jesus is asking you to release?

There is a devastating disfiguration of the world- whether bombarded buildings, diseased bodies, impoverished communities, broken relationships or toxic churches- the shape or figure of the world, our city, even our lives, is not what they ought to be.  In this episode, Joey walks us through Mark 9:2-8, where Jesus offers his disciples a dramaturgy of an ancient event that both reveals his identit...

In this episode, we’ll look at a turning point in Mark’s Gospel. Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah, but quickly discovers he doesn’t fully understand what that means. Jesus reveals that you cannot see Him clearly until the cross comes into focus. Join us as we explore what it really means to see Jesus clearly—and what it means to follow Him.

Join us for this episode , where Jesus opens a man’s deaf ears and frees his tongue. It’s a powerful picture of what happens when the King restores what’s been shut down. The question is simple, what might He want to open in us?

When Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven,” He was giving us a vision. A vision of heaven breaking into real life, real homes, real neighborhoods. In this episode, we’ll explore what it means for heaven to overlap with Annapolis, and how that overlap happens through formed disciples. Join us this Sunday as we ask: What would it look like for Annapolis to look a...

In the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 (Mark 6), we see the compassion of the Good Shepherd. Jesus not only sees the needs of the crowd—He invites His disciples to help meet them: “You feed them.” In this episode, we’ll explore what it means to look to Jesus, trust His provision, and participate in what God is doing around us. Join us as we learn how Christ meets our needs and calls us to be His...

We all have the tendency to adopt ideologies we believe will give us an ultimate sense of security in the chaos of the world (entrusting ourselves to a lower god or spirit).  Join us as Joey walks us through Mark 5.1-20, where Jesus encounters a man with a lower spirit, and we discover the severity of the mercy Jesus offers as the Son of the God who is the Most High.

Jesus invites His listeners to hear a story before offering an explanation. The seed is the same. The response is not. And a simple but unsettling question sits beneath it all: why doesn’t it work for everyone? Join us as we discover the answer to this question.

We all want to belong. But what if belonging isn’t about who you sit next to—it’s about who you walk with? In this episode we’ll be in Mark 3:31–35, where Jesus redefines family and invites us into a community shaped by obedience, grace, and shared life. Come explore what it means to not just show up, but to be formed together as God’s family.

Have you ever read a story in the Bible and thought, “Man, I wish I could have been there to see that”? Using a technique called Biblical Imagination, we are going to try and do this as we examine the well-known story of Jesus healing a paralytic brought to Him by some very caring and even more determined friends. We will also learn some valuable lessons from the five major characters in this dram...

Join us as we begin a new sermon series through Mark’s Gospel, exploring the competing gospels that shape our lives and hearing Jesus’ simple, costly invitation: Repent. Believe. Follow Me.

In Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus,  “Teach us to pray.” This week we explore how Jesus forms His followers through prayer, and what it means for us to become a church that prays first.

In this episode, we’ll look at Matthew 2 and the wise men who would follow a star and ultimately fall down in worship at the feet of the newborn King. What does it mean to seek the King, encounter Him, and truly worship Him—not just during Advent, but every day? Come be reminded that the Kingdom is here, the invitation still stands, and worship is the only fitting response. Join us as we behold ou...

In a moment of fear and political uncertainty, God makes a surprising move; He comes near, even when His people hesitate to trust Him. This passage invites us to see not only our fear but also the kind of God who meets us there. Let's discover what it means to worship a God who stays, and how the promise of Immanuel, God with us reshapes how we live, wait, and trust.

As we continue Advent with a message from Isaiah 35, which spoke to a tired, anxious people who needed to hear that their God had not forgotten them. Isaiah says, “Your God will come,” and when He does, joy rises, and anxious hearts find strength again. If you’ve been running hard or feeling worn down, come and discover what happens when God brings His light into darkness.

Join us as Joey walks us through  Isaiah 11.1-10  to discover how God has, is, and will render peace to His world and has the potential to restore peace to the broken and off-kilter areas of our personal relationships and community.

The night had been long for Israel. Generations had waited in silence. Centuries of promises with no voice, no prophet, no visible light. Then, into the cold stillness of that darkness, a child’s cry broke through. The first light of a new day had come.

As we close our  Potter’s Clay  series, we’re excited to have  Quay San  teaching this week. He is the artist behind the art installation at 255 West Street that has been shaping our imagination throughout the series. We’ll be in  2 Timothy 2:20–21 , where Paul gives us a picture of what it means to be a vessel for honorable use. Together we’ll explore how God shapes us, fills us with a good depos...

We live in a world that celebrates strong starts but forgets what it means to finish well. In his final words to Timothy, the apostle Paul reminds us that faith isn’t measured by applause or achievement, but by perseverance.

What if the Bible isn’t just ink and paper, but alive with the very breath of God? That when God speaks, life begins? Paul unlocks a truth that shapes how we can live in what he calls the last days: “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Learn more about Downtown Hope + get connected by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠ our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠ or filling out ⁠⁠⁠⁠ our online connect card ⁠⁠⁠⁠ .

The very first command God gives to humanity is to be fruitful and multiply (Gen.1.28).  God’s design from the beginning is to fill His creation with His glory through people reproducing.  It is no wonder Jesus final command is to go into the world and make disciples- to be fruitful and multiply His new creation in the world.  Learn more about Downtown Hope + get connected by visiting ⁠⁠⁠ our webs...

Join us this Sunday as we continue our series, The Potter’s Clay, from 2 Timothy 1:3-8. Paul writes to a young leader struggling with fear and reminds him to rekindle the flame of faith and rely on the Spirit’s power, love, and self-control. Together, we’ll discover what it looks like to be formed by the Potter into people who live unashamed of Jesus in a world that often misunderstands Him. Learn...

Join us this Sunday as we continue our series in 1 + 2 Timothy: The Potter's Clay. Paul reminds us that real life isn’t found in what we keep but in the God who gives. We’ll see how the gospel shapes us into people who trust the Giver, share His generosity, and take hold of what is truly life. Learn more about Downtown Hope + get connected by visiting ⁠⁠ our website ⁠⁠ or filling out ⁠⁠ our on...