Our Story

In 2015, we founded a brand new church in the heart of Benson. We came to Benson because it was experiencing a cultural renaissance with artists and young professionals flocking to the area and it was perfectly situated in one of the most diverse areas of the city, tucked between Dundee and North Omaha. We also found Benson had the highest population of refugees in the city.

Since we started, we’ve seen over 75 people baptized. Not only are new people getting baptized, but people who have been in the pew for years are experiencing a renewed love for Christ. As people have begun to love God more and more, they’ve also begun to grow their love for our neighbors – like Rose Hill Elementary across the street. We’ve adopted every classroom and teacher. In addition, we’ve been able to bless Benson High School. Back in 2017, we started a partnership with a College Prep program called Upward Bound to help low-income high school students be the very first in their families to go to college. Citylight Benson had become a church doing wonderful things but realized we had not yet become the diverse church we had set out to be.

In 2018, Pastor Tyler met Pastor Jamison who was planting a multiethnic church called Forward Church. They felt led to bring their leadership teams together to pray, fellowship, and ask if God desired to join the two churches together into one unified diverse church. The answer was a resounding YES and since 2019, we have been going further and faster together as one church.

After much prayer and discussion, and also acknowledging a new chapter in the church's history, in 2022 we changed the church's name to One Hope Family. God has been writing an incredible story of diverse people growing in community together and loving Jesus more deeply. That’s why we believe the name One Hope represents what we are called to be.