Our History
Hope International Church is a young church, planted in 2023.
Here is a bit of our story.
The journey of Hope International Church began simply in February 2023, when a small group of people met in a Brussels living room. These early gatherings, hosted by Julian Bacon and Daniel Brink, were focused on a shared hope: to see a new community in the city rooted in the Reformed Protestant tradition. Through prayer and conversation, it became clear that there was a genuine need for this kind of fellowship in Brussels.
By March 2023, we were grateful to be formally recognized as a church plant of the International Presbyterian Church (IPC). Our first public worship service followed shortly after on March 5th at Le Petit Chapeau Rond Rouge.
What started as a small project began to take root. By June 2023, we transitioned to "mission church" status—a step that allowed us to welcome our first official members and participate in the sacraments. We remember with much joy the first celebration of the Lord’s Supper that June and our first baptism in July.
As the months passed, we were encouraged to see the community fill out. Leadership roles began to stabilize, and small fellowships for youth, women, and men were formed to help us better care for one another. By early 2025, we were able to expand our community groups and introduce a "Discipleship Hour," simply seeking to help our members grow deeper in their faith.
In January 2025, after nearly two years of meeting together, we moved our Sunday morning services to the Église Protestant Evangélique de Bruxelles-Woluwe. This season was also one of strengthening our local leadership, as we were blessed by the ordinations of Jeremy Elias and Luis McRea as elders.
The IPC officially recognized Hope as a fully established church in June 2025. Looking back on our path from those first living room meetings to where we are today, we are mindful that this growth is not our own doing. Our desire remains the same as it was at the start: to be a faithful Christian witness and a welcoming home for all in the heart of Brussels.