About

We Are Hope City Church

A church in the city and for the city: rooted in Jesus, built for belonging.

AUTHENTI•CITY | DIVER•SITY | GENERO•SITY |
AUTHENTI•CITY | DIVER•SITY | GENERO•SITY |
AUTHENTI•CITY | DIVER•SITY | GENERO•SITY |
AUTHENTI•CITY | DIVER•SITY | GENERO•SITY |

Mission

Hope in the Heart of Frederick

At Hope City Church, our mission is simple: We exist to help every neighbor experience life through Jesus, right here in our city. We believe this happens through what we call the Tri•City:

AUTHENTI•CITY

We believe that true hope is experienced through an authentic relationship with Jesus. We exist to reach the lost and to help people follow Jesus fully.

DIVER•SITY

We believe that the hope of Jesus is what brings people together no matter their background. We exist to disciple the found by helping people find community in God's diverse family.

GENERO•SITY

We believe that we are created to be an expression of God's hope by extending His generosity. We exist to multiply to change the world by giving our time, our resources, and our lives so that all may know the hope that is found in Jesus.

Jay and Margaret Retco, Lead Pastors

The Story of Hope City Church

Born out of over 20 years of combined ministry experience, our pastors, Jay and Margaret Recto, felt a calling to start a church that would be real, relational, and rooted deeply in community. Jay and Margaret have been married since 2008 and have three amazing children: Sean, Emma, and Ellie. Together, they have led in youth ministry, worship ministry, community outreach, discipleship, and served in executive and campus pastoral roles. They have lived in Frederick since 2021, and it's been home ever since.

After years of faithfully serving in a variety of church contexts, they began to sense God stirring something new—a vision for a diverse, Spirit-led church in Frederick, Maryland that would reach people who felt far from God or disconnected from church altogether.



Hope City was born from that dream: a place where every neighbor is seen and welcomed, where faith is lived out authentically, and where the hope of Jesus is at the center of it all. Jay and Margaret are passionate about creating a church culture that feels like family, raises up leaders, and impacts the city for generations to come.


Values

Our Core Values

We love Jesus with everything we have.

Jesus is our first love and highest priority. Our love for Jesus shapes everything we do.

We love people like family.

We care deeply, support fully, and walk through life together.

We love our city like it’s ours to change.

Our city is our mission field. We show up, give back, and work to see it transformed.

We believe big.

We trust God for the impossible.

We’re shaped by Scripture.

Every decision and direction begins with God's word.

We serve like Jesus served.

Serving others is how we show the heart of Jesus.

We give like it all belongs to God.

We give our all because God gave His all.

We raise up world changers.

We equip and empower people to live out their God-given purpose.

BELIEFS

Our Beliefs

Explore our beliefs below and join us in living out your faith in everyday life.

  • God

    We believe in One God who eternally exists in three persons: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal, which is the Trinity.

    Genesis 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 1:17

  • Humanity

    We believe humans were created in the image of God and placed in a sinless paradise to have fellowship with Him. But, because of disobedience to God’s Word, sin entered the world and fellowship with God was broken and relationship between humans became strained. Humans through their own efforts cannot restore this brokenness.

    Genesis 1:26-27, 31; 3:1-8; 11:1-9; Romans 3:9-10, 23; 5:12-14; Ephesians 2:1-3

  • The Gospel

    We believe in the Gospel: that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. That He was crucified on a cross for our sins and raised from the dead three days later.

    Matthew 16:16; Mark 10:45; Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 20; Galatians 1:4; Colossians 1:15; 2:13-14; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 1:5

  • Salvation

    We believe that all who believe the Gospel are born again by the Holy Spirit and become children of God and heirs of eternal life. Thus, eternal life is totally a work of grace, a gift of God and not a result of any good works or human efforts on our part.

    John 3:3, 5, 16; Romans 3:23-28; 5:1; 6:23; Galatians 2:16; 4:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5

  • The Word of God

    We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining how followers of Jesus should live their lives.

    Matthew 5:17-18; Psalm 119:9, 11; John 10:35; 17:17; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 3:15-16

  • Holy Spirit

    The Holy Spirit is active in the church and in the lives of mankind today. The baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to bring power and encouragement to every believer. 

    John 7:37-39, John 16:5-14, Acts 2:1-13, I Corinthians 12:4-11

  • Jesus

    We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the central figure of Christianity, the Word of God made flesh. Jesus was sent by God to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we could enjoy an eternal life with Him. Jesus’ teachings on love, forgiveness, humility, and repentance are at the core of our beliefs. We also believe in Jesus’ resurrection, that it was proof of His deity and the promise of eternal life for all those who believe. We are called to follow Jesus, to live lives of holiness, and to share the good news of the gospel. As we learn to love and serve others, we are reminded of Jesus’ example of love and sacrifice.

  • The Church

    The church is the Body of Christ, a local community of baptized believers, unified through faith in Christ Jesus. It is committed to the teachings of Christ and obeying all of His commands. The church also seeks to bring the Gospel to the world. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. (Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-20; John 17:11, 20-23; Acts 2:41-47; 5:11-14; 13:1-3; 14:23; 16:5; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; 3:10-12; 5:22-32; Hebrews 12:23).

  • Marriage

    Biblical Marriage has only one meaning and is clearly defined in scripture as a covenant, a sacred bond uniting one man (born a man) and one woman (born a woman) in a single, exclusive union for life, instituted by and publicly entered into before God (Matthew 19:4-6), and that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (I Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). The covenant is with God and should not be taken lightly or altered to fit personal preferences.

    Genesis 2:22-24; Ephesians 5:22-33; Mark 10:6-9; Galatians 5:24-25

  • The Christian Life

    We believe in the ongoing process of spiritual growth of the Christian through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Each person is to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and in developing and employing their spiritual gifts through the Church, so others may come to know Christ and the Church be built up into maturity.

    John 8:31-32; 14:16-17; 16:13; 17:17; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 5:11-14

  • Water Baptism & Communion

    Sacraments are things given by God to the local church as signs and seals for the follower of Jesus

contact

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