New Hope Timeline

  • Late 1960s
    Olive Freeman, member of Oakland First Covenant Church and fourth-grade teacher at Lazear Elementary School in the Jingletown neighborhood of Oakland, reaches out to needy families among her students
  • 1971-2
    Olive starts Harbor House ministries using a donated house at 2728 E.10th St.; HH eventually becomes sponsored by the East Bay National Association of Evangelicals
  • 1980s
    Harbor House develops into a multi-service community development organization; Bill Squires, Barbara Franzen, Dan Schmitz, and others get involved leading the Good News Club children’s ministry including many new refugee families arriving from Southeast Asia and settling in central Oakland
  • 1988
    InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) starts its OaklandUP program; Celia Yeh (Pascual), Scott Loo, and Albert Hong are early participants
  • 1989
    Dan Schmitz moves into Oak Park Apartments
  • 1990
    Further IVCF alums arrive and move to/around Harbor House, including Nic Bekaert, Josh Horner, Yung Ouyang, and Brian Campbell
  • 1992
    Russell Jeung, Suzy Kim (Tran), Helen Shor, Rob Swift, Scott Loo, and Sharon Lane get involved with Harbor House and some move to the Oak Park neighborhood
  • 1994
    Others continue to get involved and some also move to the neighborhood; “Oaks” ministry starts (1/18/94?) led by Nic Bekaert, Brian Campbell, Helen Shor, and Scott Loo; there are later explorations into starting a church to disciple Harbor House youth by Olive Freeman, Bill & Cathy Squires, Barbara Franzen, Maria Crane, Pastor Gloria Solomon, Yung Ouyang, and Nic Bekaert
  • 1995
    Josh (Kaufman) Horner joins the church planting group and becomes its leader
  • 1996
    “New Hope East Oakland Fellowship” (NH) organized, originally with Vineyard Christian Fellowship connections; first public gathering Feb. 25; first baptisms take place (Sarah Squires, Viet Tran, Ky Luu, at Alameda Beach)
  • 1997
    Bill & Cathy become the first NH homeowners in the neighborhood; first NH wedding takes place (Nic and Maurine [Hart] Bekaert)
  • 1998
    NH incorporates; Dan Schmitz and Bill Squires succeed Josh Horner as NH pastors; Oak Park Apartment lawsuit initiated
  • 1999
    NH affiliates with the Evangelical Covenant denomination; continues to follow a “cell church” strategy of mostly meeting as small groups in individual homes and all coming together once a month for a Celebration worship service
  • 2000
    Oak Park apartment lawsuit won
  • 2003
    Purchase, renovation, and expansion of 2626 E. 16th property completed, funded in part by individuals’ proceeds from the lawsuit and donations from Mustard Seed Preschool/Berkeley Covenant Church and others; Little Sprouts Preschool starts
  • 2004
    Easter Sunday: Ten baptisms, all of Southeast Asian Americans with roots in the NH community
  • 2005
    Youth basketball ministry started & led by Lou Kim Tran and Pin Chou
  • 2006
    Weekly Sunday worship at Youth Employment Partnership (YEP) starts; explored Southeast Asian American expressions of worship via the “New Urban Voices” grant project
  • 2009
    Explored hip hop music and culture via Young Urban Voices grant project, including teaching visit from Asylumz and Art Nites
  • 2011
    Neighborhood Tutoring ministry starts with Servant Partner interns; exploration of responses to human trafficking, commercially sexually exploited minors, and prostitution on International Blvd
  • 2013
    Youth Minister José Durante fatally injured in a hit-and-run accident outside a NH gathering Sept. 20; several longtime NH members depart over differences over strategy and leadership
  • 2014
    First annual church retreat at Little Basin site (former NH retreat sites: Quaker Center, Redwood Glen, Mission Springs); Black Lives Matter spreads nationally and many NHers get involved
  • 2016
    Debates at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship affect numerous IVCF-affiliated NHers; national elections polarize communities and affect many NHers; initial NH-YEP program partnership effort starts
  • 2017
    NH office moved to YEP; new connections made to nearby Volunteers of American re-entry facility; growing homelessness crisis spreads near YEP and across Oakland
  • 2018
    New monthly shower ministry for unhoused neighbors
  • 2019
    Food service ministry to Turning Point transitional emergency housing; “True Home” worship renewal Calvin Grant Project begins exploring embodiment and postcolonial spirituality; sister church relationship with 23rd Ave. Church of God develops into periodic joint Sunday worship services and community outreach projects
  • 2020
    COVID-19 leads to weekly Sunday Zoom worship starting in the spring; church office moves to 23rd Ave. Church of God