To: Roy Hange, overseer of Harrisonburg District of Virginia Mennonite Conference
From: Harvey Yoder, pastor of Family of Hope Mennonite House Church
It is with sadness and regret that we are disbanding as a Harrisonburg-based house church fellowship as of the end of September, 2025, due to my resigning my ministerial role after 60 years of ministry and due to dwindling numbers because of recent deaths and moves elsewhere by participants. Family of Hope has been an alternative to traditional forms of congregational life since 1988, first as a committed Bible study and fellowship group and then as an officially recognized VMC congregation. Our mission has been to see that every person attending is cared for and ministered to at every meeting and where, with unsalaried leadership and no real estate expenses, the church's giving can be devoted entirely to supporting mission and relief outreach and for any needed mutual aid or other occasional expenses. We would love to see other house churches form in our conference based on New Testament precedent and as self supporting church planting efforts, but after having been a beloved church family serving a total of several hundred persons over 37 years and, like many other congregations, still not growing in number, we believe it is time for others to take up this mission.
Harvey Yoder, pastor
