Hope International

P.O. Box 220, Knoxville, IL 61448
568 Knox Hwy. 26, Galesburg, IL 61401
Office: 309-343-1844 • Fax: 309-343-3721
Hope for Health: 309-343-5853
Bookstore: 1-800-468-7884

www.hopeint.org • office@hopeint.org

Hope International is a lay ministry founded, supported and operated by Seventh-day Adventists to assist the Seventh-day Adventist church in the proclamation of the Everlasting Gospel in every way that is consistent with the principles of God as revealed in scripture and inspiration to place our audiences on a firm foundation in the midst of this troubled world.

Hope International is the publisher of Our Firm Foundation, a monthly magazine that presents Christ and His Truth.

Through our magazines, newsletters, DVD's, cassettes, bookstore, church services, and evangelistic endeavors, we present the message of Isaiah 58:1 to our beloved church and the world: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression...”

We here at Hope International love the Seventh-day Adventist church, of which we are a part. That is the reason we do what we do here. Our love for God’s church and all of His people is what constrains us to preach the truth, whether they will hear or forbear.

The church is not Babylon any more than we are. There is apostasy, there is sin, there is iniquity, and it is against that that we cry out, as all God’s faithful people should do.

God’s church is the apple of His eye and as we see the day approaching, we know not what form or shape it will take, but we do know God’s faithful will be a part of it. It is to warn, exhort, encourage and call all those who will listen, and Hope International will, by God’s grace, be a part of that group of
people, God’s church.

In summary, our focus needs to be on Christ. The church is not the enemy, Hope International is not the enemy, Satan and sin are our enemies! Our desire here, at Hope International, is that we will work together through the power of Jesus Christ to defeat our common enemy and be bound together in the love of Christ unto good works.

Hope International is located in west-central Illinois near the towns of Galesburg and Knoxville. Our campus is in a rural setting of 83 acres graced with woods, a large meadow, and a beautiful pond.

We are minutes from Interstate 74 and are easily accessible by automobile, rail or air. The Peoria airport and Moline International airport are less than an hour away. The Amtrak station in Galesburg is only minutes away from Hope International. We are a three-hour drive from the metropolitan areas of Chicago, St. Louis and Des Moines.

Directions: Take exit 54 from I-74, turn right, and go 2/10 mile to Hwy 150. Turn right and go into the town of Knoxville. Turn left on Broad Street (across the road from the Mobil gas station), which becomes Hwy 8. Go 2.3 miles and turn right onto Hwy 26. Proceed 2.7 miles, and Hope International is on the left.

Many have been asking questions about Hope International. How and when did it begin? What exactly is Hope? What are its objectives? and what relationship does it have to the Seventh-day Adventist Church? What all does Hope do? A book could be written about Hope International, but as one of Hope’s founders I will answer these questions as briefly as possible.
Hope was organized and incorporated in the State of Washington in the United States in July 1964, with Dr. Lloyd H. Silver as chairman and founder. The board consisted of four men (a medical doctor, two engineers, and a building contractor) and their wives. Among these were my husband, Vernon Jennings, and I. All were lay leaders in local Seventh-day Adventist Churches in the Seattle area of Washington State.

What brought these people together? It was their common interest in finishing God’s work in the world and in following as closely as possible the Spirit of Prophecy counsels on true medical missionary work, true educational work, and in other areas as well. We encountered difficulty in carrying out these instructions in the local churches because of lack of interest and knowledge on the part of most members and pastors. Of particular concern to the charter members of Hope were the doctrinal aberrations brought into the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a result of the Martin-Barnhouse doctrinal discussions with some of the leaders of the General Conference, and the printing of the book Questions on Doctrine in 1957.

A beautiful 165-acre ranch on the south end of Ohop Lake near Eatonville, Washington, was purchased to be the home base of operations. Next, a comprehensive charter and bylaws were drawn up and registered with the state government and the Internal Revenue Service. This document gave Hope a wide range of possible activities. The following is quoted from Article II of the constitution and bylaws of Hope International:

To establish a religious, educational association to further a knowledge, acceptance, and practice of divinely inspired doctrinal writings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, namely, the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.
To give special religious, health and healing instructions.
To teach and practice the laws of health and the laws of God.
To carry on a program of benevolent charity to those in need.
To accumulate, compile, publish, and distribute information, statistics and other data of helpful interest to public and individual health.
To establish, own, maintain, conduct and operate such institutions, schools, lecture halls, sanitaria, clinics, industries, facilities, publications and other media of education such as magazines, newspapers, radio and television as may be lawful, necessary or convenient for the accumulation and dissemination of information relating to physical, mental, and spiritual health.
To conduct research and develop projects in the areas of interest to the Corporation.

In summary, our purpose is to support the divinely ordained mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to bring the gospel to all the world. Our mission is not to tear down or destroy the work of the church, but to uphold it and help build it up along the lines that God has directed. Mercifully, God hid the future from us, or we would have been considerably more afraid than we were to proceed with our mission.

God has in the past years miraculously preserved Hope through difficult times. We will mention only a few. One such occasion occurred while Vernon and I still lived in Federal Way, about 35 miles north of Eatonville. It was supposed to be payday, but there was almost no money in the Hope bank account. What were we to do?

As Hope’s treasurer I wrote the payroll checks and handed them to Vernon, saying, “Take these checks out to Hope and give them to the workers.” However, he looked shocked and protested, “But you said there was no money in Hope’s bank account.”

I replied, “Yes, that is right. But there will be money for these checks when they take them to the bank, for we are going to kneel down right now and pray that the Lord will supply the money needed for His work.”

About one hour later, when Vernon walked into the Hope office, the secretaries at the front desk were rejoicing and praising God for a large donation that had just arrived in the mail.

Was it enough to cover the payroll checks? Yes, and much more! It came as great news to me, too, for I knew nothing about this donation in advance. God had come through for Hope again.

During the severe economic recession of the early 1970s, Hope had great difficulty trying to survive. Donations were down while the mortgage payments increased sharply, owing to greatly increased real estate taxes and insurance, both of which were included in the monthly mortgage payments. Even though we were contributing thousands of dollars of our own money to Hope, many times mortgage payments were missed owing to a lack of available funds. The laws of the State of Washington allowed foreclosure proceedings to begin after three months of default in payments. However, each time it looked as if foreclosure would begin, suddenly funds came in to save the place. One such experience occurred when a man sent us $10,000, the exact amount needed at the time. No one had asked him for the money.

Another time, I, as the Hope accountant, saw that the three-month grace period had almost run out without a payment made. The mortgage holder was ready to file foreclosure. Alone and in tears I knelt down and prayed, “O Lord, this place was dedicated to You and Your poor people. Now the rich bankers are about ready to take it over. O God, don’t let them take this ranch away from us. It seems as if every time in the past when we were in trouble we have seen Your invisible hand saving this place. Was it You, God—You all along saving the property from foreclosure? I believe it was, Lord. Please, help us now! Please impress some rich man—like my brother in California—to send us money. I know my brother has warned some of our relatives not to give anything to Hope, so I can’t ask him for help. But You ask him, Lord. You ask him. I’m leaving this problem completely in Your hands, Lord. May Your will be done. Amen.”

I told no one about this private prayer—not even my husband. Only God and the angels witnessed and heard it. However, in about two or three days when I went to the mailbox I found a letter from my brother. It was brief and to the point: “Dear Sis, I have been impressed by the Holy Spirit that you need money. I am sending $1,000.00 now, and I will be sending more money in the future. Love Bob.”

I explained to Vernon how I had prayed to God for help. We were both thrilled and astonished at such a wonderful response. We thanked God and rejoiced together for this marvelous answer to my prayer.

On Friday evening of that same week, I received a phone call from my brother. He was very excited and told me that he had had the most wonderful experience of his entire life. He said, “It was marvelous! The Holy Spirit came to me in a strong way and impressed me that you needed money. I sent $1,000.00 and I will be sending more later. Maybe some day you can have an experience like this. Oh, it was wonderful—wonderful!” My brother continued to send money until the entire mortgage was paid off.

As I received the money and recorded it in the deposit book, which I still have, I thought many times about how God had initiated this source of funds like someone turning on a water faucet. No human hand or voice did the job. Praise the Lord! This experience did a great deal for us all—but especially for my brother. He had a tremendous spiritual revival in his own life. God is great. He knows just what we need. Heaven has a wonderful communication system.

From this point on we knew that God was saving Hope for a particular purpose. Different programs came and went over the years, but nothing seemed to be a great success, though we continued activities such as helping the poor, distributing literature, conducting Five-day Stop Smoking Clinics, conducting church school, and treating the sick. Nothing took deep root at Hope. Surely God had something more in mind, or why would He miraculously preserve the ranch? With great personal sacrifice, tears, prayers, and by the grace of God, we and our associates hung on.

Eventually, however, the Hope Board of Directors decided to put the property up for sale. It was listed with a local real estate office with a multiple-listing service for six months. However, there was no response, and in due time the listing ran out. We then tried to sell it on our own. Again, no response. Then one Sunday evening the Hope board decided that it was not God’s will that the ranch be sold, and we voted unanimously to withdraw it from the market. The next morning cash buyers appeared at our gate. We were offered $330,000 cash with hints of more money if necessary. Pastor Rolf Lindfors told them, “No, it is not for sale at any price. You are one day too late.” When I later told a local real estate agent about this fantastic offer he was totally shocked. He could not believe that we would turn down such a good offer. It was clear to us that God had held off the buyers until a vote was taken to withdraw the ranch from the market. Only then were buyers permitted by God to come forward. Truly, the Hope Ranch dedication was accepted by God. It still belongs to God for His final work in this world.

For years we had been impressed that God would send someone special to head up the work at Hope. In the spring of 1984, I received a call from a friend living to the south of us. She asked if Elder Ron Spear could hold a series of revival meetings at Hope. “Oh,” I responded. “Ron Spear? I remember him years ago at camp meeting when the Conference was sending him to Africa as a missionary. Are you sure you can’t find anywhere else for him?” She assured me that she could not. She also assured me that he was straight on his theology. Then she offered to come and help clean up the barn hayloft for the meetings. That task involved, among other things, sweeping, mopping, and setting up chairs. Surely, she was determined.

He held his meetings in the hayloft of the barn; we could not help being reminded of the pioneers of the early Advent movement—how they met in barns. And, too, the message we heard that day rang true as a bell. We were thrilled! Many in the audience felt the strong presence of the Holy Spirit in that humble place. Elder Spear’s theology was as straight as an arrow. He preached present truth with a sense of urgency. However, only three of the Hope board members were present to hear him preach. As I sat there and listened, God strongly impressed me that this was the man we had been waiting for all these years.

On Elder Spear’s next swing around the Pacific Northwest, I urged him to come again to Hope with his message so that the other board members could hear him. He did, and they also were thrilled with his outstanding, urgent message. As I listened to Elder Spear with his riveting “prepare ye the way of the Lord” message, I knew in my heart why God had saved Hope through all those years. Elder Spear had memorized vast numbers of Bible and Spirit of Prophecy statements and was well qualified to help carry out the number-one purpose of our charter.

Elder Rolf Lindfors, a key part of Hope from 1979–1986, and chairman of the board at the time, took Elder Spear on a tour of the property, showing him the land and the buildings. Now and then, comment was made that Hope might serve well as headquarters for his work. As Elder Spear toured the property making suggestions, gradually his use of pronouns changed from “you” to “we” when describing what could be done with the property.

Ron Spear found at Hope the property, the facilities, the atmosphere, the support group, and the tax-exempt corporation that he needed to do the work God had sent him to do. His great burden from the Lord was to publish a magazine for Seventh-day Adventists that would help give the trumpet a certain sound. At Hope he could fulfill his God-given commission.

Somehow the name “Hope International” seems very appropriate for our work. What is our mission? To start a grassroots revival in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. To train people to give the loud-cry message. To follow God’s blueprint exactly in all we do. To spread hope

around this entire troubled world.

The stressful years of struggle during the past fade into insignificance as we see today what God is doing with this corporation. In the fall of 1985, the Lord led Hope to begin publishing a monthly magazine, Our Firm Foundation, designed to be a spiritual blessing to Seventh-day Adventist laity, pastors and leaders. Since its inception millions of copies of this periodical have been published and distributed around the world. It is presently being published in ten different languages.

The heartfelt letters of gratitude we at Hope receive daily from church members of different levels of church organization, who have been spiritually revived, are most gratifying. Many who have strayed from the fold are returning to the church because their hope and confidence in its mission have been restored. Hope International is providing worldwide seminars on revival, reformation, and health. In addition, we produce books, magazines, cassette tapes, video tapes, tracts, memory verse cards, and more, that God is using to help raise up an army of dedicated men and women to finish His work in this perishing world.

Today our hearts are thrilled as we see a strong outreach ministry developing from Hope International. To date we have printed millions of copies of our magazines, which are being circulated all over the world. We have also translated several of them into Spanish for the benefit of the Hispanic people. These activities are all directed toward reaching the unsaved of this world. For all of them we give God the glory.

Our literature and tapes are priced low so that we can get them into the hands of those who need them so very much. To those who cannot afford to pay we give them out as freely as we are able.

When we contemplate all that has been done and is being done, we give God the glory for it all. It is only because of His great love that this work has been made possible. Praise the Lord! We thank all those who in the past have had any part in establishing and preserving Hope for this great hour. Thanks also to those who currently are supporting this ministry. Many of you write and tell us that the Holy Spirit impressed you to make donations to Hope. Thank you for listening to that beautiful voice. Hope does not have an excess of funds. Each month we pray that God will give us enough to pay our bills. Each month He provides. Our banker cannot understand the way we do business. It is contrary to the ways of commerce. Our most heartfelt thanks and love we give to God who makes it all possible. Without Him we could do nothing.

The divine forecast as prophesied in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy of a great revival and reformatory movement led by the laymen of the church for the finishing of the work in the world is now beginning to take place. Read Joel 2. From the pen of Ellen White comes the following:

“The Lord will use in the accomplishment of His work means that we do not now see. He will raise up from among the common people, men and women to do His work, even as of old He called fishermen to be His disciples. There will soon be an awakening that will surprise many. Those who do not realize the necessity of what is to be done, will be passed by, and the heavenly messengers will work with those who are called the common people, fitting them to carry the truth to many places. Now is the time for us to awake and do what we can.” Loma Linda Messages, 83.

“In visions of the night, representations passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God’s people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles were wrought. A spirit of intercession was seen, even as was manifested before the great Day of Pentecost. Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families and opening before them the Word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side doors were thrown open to the proclamation of the truth. The world seemed to be lightened with the heavenly influence. Great blessings were received by the true and humble people of God. I heard voices of thanksgiving and praise, and there seemed to be a reformation such as we witnessed in 1844.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 126.

In this article I have given you a brief history of Hope as accurately as I possibly could. It is clear that a supernatural power has attended the work of this corporation. The question remaining which all of us must answer is, Which supernatural power? Has Jesus been that mighty power that has led and intervened all along in the affairs of Hope International? What is the “acid test” that must be applied to Hope and to every other religious operation? We find that test in Isaiah 8:20. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. ” As an associate editor and a copy editor for Hope I very carefully and to the best of my ability apply this test daily to all the material I read. All that Hope publishes must meet this “acid test.”

I believe God is using Hope International and other supporting ministries to help bring about the final glorious effort to save the lost. We have been promised that the work will end in a blaze of glory. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.” Zechariah 4:6. It is only by the mighty power of God that this great reformatory movement will be successful and end in the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven.

It is our prayer that each one who reads this article will have a part in giving the loud-cry message, that final glorious effort in which human beings, angels, and the Holy Spirit combine their efforts in the greatest display of love and power that the world has ever experienced. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen