Empowering Communities Together
Experience meaningful connections and spiritual growth at Faith Hope Church Church.
ABOUT OUR PASTOR
Reverend Lavelle M. Gates, Sr.
La Velle Maurice Gates, Sr. was one-of-six children born to Reverend Bobby and Georgia Gates, at the St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, Illinois August 16, 1966. La Velle was the fifth born to his parents. La Velle was a good child and always obeyed his parents… LOL!
He is the proud father of three awesome daughters (Kara, Kellie, and Danielle), and two handsome sons (David and LaVelle Jr.).
He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at 12 years of age at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Centralia, Illinois, under the leadership of his father, and later was called to the ministry at the age of 19 while serving at the Southern Missionary Baptist Church (now known as Southern St. Paul Church), under the leadership of the then Senior Pastor, Dr. Joe Gates, Sr. He was ordained as a minister of the Gospel on September 8, 1986.
Pastor Gates loves his brothers and sisters as some are included in the photo: David (brother-in-law), Tracey, Richard, Robert, Pastor, Diane, and Cornell.
In 1989, Reverend Gates was called to serve as Pastor of Providence Baptist Church where he served the people for (5) five years until the Reverend Paul Jones and
Faith in God Baptist Church (FIGBC) unanimously called Reverend Gates as their new pastor in 1994. Reverend Gates served Faith in God for 16 years.
In 2010, Reverend Gates was led by the Holy Spirit to accept a call as the Senior Pastor of the Hope Reformed Church of Los Angeles (HRCLA). Upon his acceptance, the Reformed Church in America Classis of California allowed Pastor Gates to change the name from the Hope Reformed Community Church to the Faith & Hope Community Church, as it reflected the merge between FIGBC and HRCLA.
Pastor Gates earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a certification in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix. He has completed required courses as set forth by the Reformed Church in America at the Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and will soon graduate with his Master of Divinity at Azusa Pacific University.
Pastor Gates currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Harbor Regional Center assisting them with crafting policies that improve the system of care for persons with developmental disabilities in the Southeast portion of Los Angeles County. He also serves as Chair of Harbor’s Audit Committee advising them on spending efforts on services provided in the Harbor, Torrance, Long Beach, Carson, Bellflower, and Lakewood health areas.
Professionally, Pastor Gates has served the County of Los Angeles for 30 years and is currently a Contract Program Auditor with the Department of Public Health Substance Prevention and Control.
About Faith Hope Church
Our Mission
This membership is called by God to bring every person into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and to promote its members to:
Demonstrate a love for God with their heart, soul, mind, and strength by the way we treat people;
Support the leadership of this church and the purposes of ministries to reflect unity in the body of Christ;
Commit to this church in virtual and/or physical attendance and the giving of our tithes, free-will offerings, and grace;
Make worship services and events inclusive for those with disabilities;
Expand our knowledge of Jesus Christ with the use of our spiritual gift(s) and through the teaching and preaching of the Gospel;
Serve and tidy communities filled with misfortune through acts of mercy;
Put God first, last, and always in our lives.
SCRIPTURE. We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men inspired by God who is its author. The scripture is without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God will judge us and is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. (2 Timothy 3:16,
THE TRUE GOD. We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God reflected in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the
great work of redemption. (St. John 10:30 and St. John 15:26)
THE FALL OF MAN. We believe that Man was created in holiness, under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgressions fell from that holy and happy state and as a result we are inclined to evil; and therefore, eternally ruin without a defense or excuse. (Romans 5:19)
THE WAY OF SALVATION. We believe that the mediatorial office of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) freely took upon him our nature and by His death made a full atonement for our sins; and having risen from the dead is now enthroned in
heaven making intercession for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their all-sufficient Lord and Savior. (St. John 3:16)
JUSTIFICATION. We believe that our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (His birth, His death, and His resurrection) justifies us and thereby pardons our sin
and secures our eternal life in heaven. (Acts 13:39)
FREENESS Of SALVATION. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that nothing prevents one from being saved other than his own rejection of the Gospel. (Revelation 22:17)
REGENERATION. We believe that a person that accepts Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior is “born again.” This means that our minds have been convicted with a divine truth through the work of the Holy Ghost that moves us
to the fruits of repentance and faith in the newness of life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
REPENTENCE AND FAITH. We believe that repentance and faith are the duties of every believer whereby we are convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness until we as Christians turn to God for mercy. (Romans 10:9)
PURPOSE OF GRACE. We believe that grace, for every Christian, is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness that promotes in us humility, love, prayer, praise, and a desire to trust the plan God has for us. (2 Timothy 1:8, 9)
SANCTIFICATION. We believe this is based on the progressive work of the Holy Ghost in the heart of the believer as the Word of God grooms believers to be
more and more like Jesus Christ. (Philippians 2:12, 13)
PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS. We believe that “endurance until the end” is the hallmark of every true believer and distinguishes them from mire professors of Christ. (Romans 8:28)
HARMONY OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. We believe that the Law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government and our world’s failure to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their love to sin, and to deliver
them from which requires our obedience to the holy Law. (Romans 8:7, 8)
THE CHURCH. We believe that the visible church is the congregation of baptized believer associated with the vision statement, observing the Lord’s Supper and baptism, governed by the Word of God that identifies spiritual gifts, rights, privileges, and offices including bishops, pastors, and deacons whose qualifications and duties are defined in the book of Timothy and Titus.
(1 Corinthians 12:14)
BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer as done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Being fully immersed in water is to reflect Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection. We believe the Lord’s Supper presents two elements used to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Both are observed as significant events in the life of the church. (St. Matthew 28:19 and St. Matthew 26:26-29)
CHRISTIAN SABBATH. We believe that the 1st day of the week is the Lord’s Day or Christian Sabbath making every effort to abstain from all secular labor and
sinful recreation to mirror the action of God as “...as had rested from all his work...” (Genesis 2:3)
CIVIL GOVERNMENT. We believe that such is divinely appointed by the Will of God for human society, and such should be prayed for, recognized, and obeyed
except when it opposes the Lord of our conscience: Jesus Christ.
(St. Matthew 22:21)
THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED. We believe there is a difference between the two. The righteous are such through justification, regeneration, and sanctification through the precious blood of Jesus Christ while the wicked continue in impenitence and reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior until their physical death. (Proverbs 14:32)
THE WORLD TO COME. We believe the end is approaching and on that last day,
Christ will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise
followed by a number of events that will separate the wicked to an endless punishment called hell and the righteous to an endless joy called heaven. (St. Matthew 25:31-34, 41)
Our History
In 1920, while attending the General Synod meeting in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Reverend Martin Flipse, Pastor, Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan, made a suggestion that the Board of Domestic Missions call a missionary pastor to visit the West Coast in attempts to begin Reformed Churches. A number of ministers were approached with little interest for the mission. Disturbed by the lack of interest and his desire to broaden the Reformed Church’s
movement, Reverend Flipse volunteered for this mission.
In 1921, two letters were sent to Reverend Flipse expressing interest for a Reformed Church. One of the letters was sent by Mrs. Otis (Fanney) Kelder, who loved the Reformed Church of America of which she was a member while living in Chicago, Illinois, and the other was sent from families living in San Francisco, California.
During a meeting on August 1, 1922, Reverend Flipse provided a summary of his mission and recommended organizing a Reformed Church in Ripon. However, after meeting with several families, Reverend Flipse decided to continue on to the Los Angeles area. There, he met with approximately 75 people, 40 of which signed a petition asking for a Reformed Church.
On March 23, 1923, Reverend Flipse returned to the Cascades Classis recommending Los Angeles as the area to begin a Reformed Church. Classis agreed and voted to ask a seminary student to join Reverend Flipse in Los Angeles for the summer. Harry Hager accepted the assignment and after visiting Los Angeles on August 17, 1923, sent an encouraging report to the Church Expansion Committee of the Cascades Classis. The report indicated that more than 50 persons were ready to be organized as a church. He also reported that a second church could be started in the City of Clearwater (now Paramount).
On October 24, 1923, Reverend Flipse met with 65 persons (consisting of 25 families) at the YMCA Building on Hope Street and organized the first Reformed Church in the State of California. Consistory members were chosen including two elders and two deacons. Assisting the organization on that historic evening was Reverend Lawrence Dykstra. Reverend Dykstra gave a brief talk
concerning the Reformed Church of America. The name of the church was called Hope Reformed Church because the YMCA was located on Hope Street.
In June 1924, the church asked the Board of Domestic Missions for $25,000 to purchase land and build a church facility. Initially, the request was denied, until the members of the Hope Church persuaded Dr. W. S. H. Demarest, Secretary and Board of Domestic Missions, to visit Los Angeles and view the potential growth at the Hope Community Church. In December 1924, Dr. Demarest recommended the Board commit to paying the interest on the first mortgage if property was purchased. Reverend Flipse and Deacon W. Knoll found the site for the Hope Reformed Church located at 344 West Florence Avenue.
In 2008, the Reformed Church in America Classis of California exercised its authority to superseded the Consistory at the Hope Community Church as it was unable to fulfill the functions of a local church including: inability to provide adequate ministerial services; lack of a governing body; danger of loss of property; neglect of the physical condition of the church properties; insufficiency of confessing membership to fulfill the purposes and responsibilities of an organized church; and rapid decline in membership.
In 2009, the Reverend La Velle Gates became the Acting Pastor of Hope. Reverend Gates’ term as the Acting Pastor was one of the most unique movements in the Reformed Church, as Reverend Gates, who at this point was also serving as the Senior Pastor of the Faith In God Baptist Church, joined the Reformed Church along with approximately 130 of his members. In November 2009, the Classis of California approved Reverend Gates’ proposal to change the name of the church from the Hope Community Reformed Church to the Faith & Hope Community Church (FHCC).
In 2010, the Reverend Ned Beadle installed the Reverend La Velle Gates as Senior Pastor of FHCC and encouraged him to select members of his Consistory. Pastor Gates selected seven members including Judy Hart, Shonte Henderson, Ola Thomas, Ross Bennett, Devin Foremen, and Sandy Pitman.
The Classis of California asked the Reverend Dr. Richard Horton, Senior Pastor, Park Hills Reformed Church to install these members as the first Consistory of the new church.
From 2012 to 2019, FHCC under-went mass remodeling and renovation as the church facility required upgrades to its electricity, plumbing, and roof. Modifications were made to doorways, sanctuary stage, and church entrances to accommodate the elderly and disabled.
But no leadership was more noted than during the challenges due to COVID-19. Our church transitioned from the traditional brick and mortar model to virtual dynamic. Faith & Hope implemented platforms such as YouTube, Facebook/LIVE, Instagram, and online giving. Our success was bar to none as evident by the growing number of individuals that “follow” or “view” sermons and bible study teachings. This has been exciting as FHCC reached beyond the walls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 2022, the Classis of California in conjunction with the Reformed Church in America unanimously voted to grant Pastor’s request to release him, the Faith & Hope Community Church (also known as Hope Reformed Church), all properties under our church name, and all resources from their denomination in order to allow Pastor Gates and the Faith & Hope family to operate independently. As reflected in a Baptist denomination, leadership stems from the Pastor and is shared with the congregation.
2023 gave FHCC an opportunity to engage our virtual members into the flow of activities and ministries; increased the number of in-person worship attenders and candidates for baptism; and plans to establish a new virtual platform through Subsplash to reach a broader audience with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
FHCC remodeled the kitchen area, added a ramp entrance to the sanctuary, and reached an agreement with Crown Castle to rebuild the church steeple and ensure FHCC is compliant with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) regulations.
The goal for 2024 is to spiritually and biblical develop our membership to become the presence of Jesus Christ in their families and community they live. We anticipate a great outcome this year!
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