In order to fully understand Living Hope Fellowship, it may be helpful to know a little bit about our story...
Sherwood Baptist Church
The small group of men and women who met and formed the “Sher-moor Prayer Group” on the evening of August 21, 1967, could not have envisioned what God had in store for them and the community here in Sherwood Forest. For the first nine months this group met weekly for prayer and Bible Study. Then on May 5th , 1968, Rev. Wayne Guffey led a worship service at Audubon Elementary School where 59 people, most of whom were part of the Sher-moor Prayer Group, committed themselves to a new work that would be named Sherwood Baptist Church. Two weeks later, on May 19th, seventy people signed the church charter, officially launching the church, and on the same day voted to purchase property on Flannery Road. Over the next 5 decades, God blessed the efforts of His people, growing the church family and loving the surrounding community in tangible ways.
From the beginning, unbeknownst to them, Sherwood Baptist was on a trajectory that would one day have them join together with another group of believers in Baton Rouge, united for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Living Hope Fellowship
Living Hope Fellowship first began in 1998 as a college-based worship service called “The Ring,” meeting on Sunday nights at Parkview Baptist Church. As the ministry grew, it became clear that God was doing something unique with this group of young people. After several years of prayer, study of the word, and ministry to college students, The Ring Community Church became a mission of Parkview Baptist in February of 2006.
The first ten years as a church brought us through some of the best and worst parts of life, morphing us into a family as the grace of Jesus empowered each and every step. In 2016, the name of the church was changed to Living Hope Fellowship, hoping to more effectively communicate to the people of Baton Rouge exactly who we are and why we exist. As a fellowship of God’s children, we work together to bring the only hope of the world into the lives of those we engage each day. This hope is more than just wishful thinking or a positive attitude, but is real and tangible because our hope is a person: Jesus Christ. He is alive, so hope is alive, no matter what life may throw your way.
Living Hope Fellowship in Sherwood
In August of 2016, Baton Rouge experienced the worst flood in its history, impacting 135,000 homes in the region, including the facilities at Sherwood Baptist. Upon rebuilding, the church found that the majority of the displaced church members were relocating to other areas and would not return. Facing an uncertain future, the leaders began to pray for direction. At the same time, the members of Living Hope were searching for a permanent location. God knew that each group had what the other needed and, through a series of prayerful conversations, led the groups to take a major step of faith, together. On February 24th, 2018, the pathways of Sherwood Baptist Church and Living Hope Fellowship united together, forming one church family, Living Hope Fellowship in Sherwood.
Today, the people that make up Living Hope are still learning and growing. God has blessed this church beyond belief. Everyone involved is committed to continue seeking God’s vision for this church, and looking for ways to lead people to a more intimate relationship with God, for His glory.