Hope House
PENN TWP — A Google search for “Hope House” will garner a whopping 34.8 million results. Bing found 157 million, so when Sue Protzman visited the bank to set up a checking account for a lay ministry, she was at a loss as to how to make this ministry different, at least in name.
“Adonai means lord and master. He is the lord and master of the ministry,” she said.
Hope House Ministries of Adonai was born in the fall of 2002. It began with a church prayer class that began also to meet outside the church for prayer and fellowship.
The first year focused on prayer and allowing the ministry to evolve according to God's plan, Protzman said, noting a women's retreat was among the ministry's first organized events.
Now, almost a decade later, steady growth has allowed Hope House Ministries of Adonai to offer interdenominational prayer groups designed for men, women, teens or couples. The groups focus on faith and fellowship, highlighting the similarities between religious persuasions, not the differences, Protzman said.
More than 75 people attend the study groups offered throughout the year.
“We sit around the table and we have all different versions of the Bible. We read out of all different versions. The word of God is the teacher. That is what we believe. This is God's ministry. It's not ours,” said Protzman's husband, Dennis.
“We are not a church. This is just a place to come and study God's word,” he added.
There are no ordained pastors participating in the ministry, although Sue is quick to note they would be welcomed. Instead, study groups are led by those who have taught Bible studies or Sunday school classes in their own churches, or have served as lay ministers.
The ministry members and leaders remain active in participating in and financially supporting their individual churches.
“We encourage all people to make their own churches their first priority over this ministry. God has been faithful and provides everything that Hope House needs,” Sue said.
The Protzmans estimate 14 or 15 churches are represented in the ministry, with five denominations represented on the board.According to Gloria Hollock of Penn Township, the welcoming of all denominations was a driving factor when Sue invited her to attend a study group.“Sue invited me. She taught our boys' piano lessons and we got to be friends,” Hollock said.Hollock's concerns about being from a different denomination were quickly dispelled as she began to include the Tuesday morning group in her routine.“Everyone's heart is so open and loving. We have such a deep bond and it keeps growing. You can say anything you want to say ever and it would never go anywhere. The girls will automatically pick up a Kleenex box because they know where it is going. There's a beautiful friendship and love,” she said.Hollock's husband, Jack, also is a ministry member and has been attending the Monday night men's group since its inception. The group, Jack says, was literally the answer to his prayer.“It's funny. I said a little prayer one time: ‘I want to get a little closer to you God. Show me how.' Less than three days later I got a call that they were starting a Bible study,” Jack said.In addition to the groups attended by the Hollocks, the ministry offers a course specifically geared toward helping teen girls navigate through the tough world of middle and high school. A couple's group and a church service at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center are also part of the ministry's offerings.As the ministry grew, it expanded into Sue's vacant childhood home on Criswell Road. When her mother passed away and the house became too much for her father, Sue's siblings suggested the property be used as the home for the ministry.The house now welcomes its extended family of ministry members and is solely supported by donations and the ministry's one fundraiser, a rabies clinic held twice each year.Though members often reimburse the ministry for study materials, there are no dues and no paid staff.For more information, call the Protzmans at 724-712-1233.
