Hope City Church opened its Baldwin campus in 2020 amidst the challenges of a global pandemic. Despite the unexpected circumstances, the church’s vision—to develop disciples who develop disciples to change the world—remained unchanged.
When Hope City Church arrived in Baldwin at 685 Brooklyn Ave., the goal was to make a meaningful impact through its unique worship style and commitment to discipleship. Five years later, the church reflects.
“When we first arrived in 2020, our primary goal was to impact the Baldwin community through our unique worship style and commitment to discipleship,” Senior Pastor Tyrone Stevenson said. “The pandemic changed our timeline but never our goals. Five years later, our goals remain the same.”
The decision to open a campus in Baldwin wasn’t part of a strategic plan—it was a natural progression.
“It was more like Baldwin chose us,” Stevenson said.
He explained that the original plan was to combine with the Brooklyn campus, but many of the church’s families began relocating to Baldwin and nearby Valley Stream, prompting the move to create a physical campus in Baldwin.
Since opening, Hope City Church has made strides to impact Baldwin positively. One of their first priorities was renovating the Baldwin campus with a focus on supporting the local community.
“In renovating our Baldwin campus, we looked to people in the Baldwin community to employ them to do the work—just as we did with our Brooklyn campus,” Stevenson said.
The church worked with local businesses like Baldwin Brothers, Inc., ensuring that their efforts benefited the Baldwin community. Beyond renovations, Hope City Church focused on connecting with local residents to identify and address their needs.
The pandemic was a significant challenge, especially for churches in the northeast, which faced longer shutdowns than other parts of the country. During the shutdown, Hope City transformed its Baldwin campus into a studio for livestream services, reaching people beyond the local community.
“We faced the reality of paying off a building and completing renovations but no physical services for over a year,” Stevenson recalled. “What we did that year was nothing short of God ‘making room.’”
As the Baldwin campus continues to grow, Minister Richard Maitland, the Baldwin campus director, shared some of the church’s long-term goals.
“Some of our long-term goals to impact the community is by supporting and partnering with current community initiatives like Baldwin Chamber, The Grand Baldwin Festival, and Baldwin Little League,” Maitland said. “In addition to these partnerships, we are focusing on bringing our large-scale Brooklyn campus community events and outreach, like Harvest Fest, Hope Market, and educational scholarships, to Baldwin to invest in our local youth and young adults.”
As the church looks ahead, they are focused on remaining a meaningful part of Baldwin for years to come. One way they plan to achieve this is by bringing their popular Brooklyn event, Harvest Festival, to Baldwin this fall. The event offers families a fun, safe alternative to Halloween with bounce houses, game trucks, and food.
Additionally, the church plans to launch Hope Market in Baldwin later this year, providing free, fresh produce to address food insecurity in the community.
“We remain committed to our church’s vision and mission, and we remain committed to the local Baldwin community,” Stevenson emphasized. “As Hope City Church celebrates five years in Baldwin, its commitment to service, community, and growth is stronger than ever.”
