Along the section of Rockaway Blvd closest to JFK airport, you will see numerous warehouse type buildings lining the street. Because of the proximity to the airport, many are used for cargo and shipping purposes, however, one particular warehouse has a unique purpose. HopeNYC Church occupies a building that once housed auto parts. It takes vision to see this building as something other than an industrial space. That vision comes from Senior Pastor and Founder,
Sharo Ramkhelawan. The building currently houses the HopeNYC sanctuary,
Compass Café, and
Ark Academy. Compass Café proudly offers our neighborhood excellent coffee, dreamy desserts, and freshly made breakfast and lunch entrees. All the proceeds from the café go right back into mission work around the world. Ark Academy is a one of a kind Christian school aiming to raise up the next generation of leaders.
HopeNYC’s mission is to be a home to the disenfranchised, dislocated, and the displaced sons and daughters of God. This mission leads us to host several outreach and missions projects. In the first week of December, you’ll find the
Parade on Rockaway, a true hidden NYC gem. This annual Christmas parade attracts crowds of thousands yearly. Huge floats make their way down Rockaway Blvd marshalled by colorfully bedecked volunteers. The floats are then stored in the warehouse part of our building until they’re needed for next year. We host an annual Easter Egg Hunt with thousands of candy filled eggs catering to the children of our community. HopeNYC in partnership with the Midwest Food Bank serves as a distribution hub to give hundreds of pallets of food to local churches and organizations. The funds for all these outreach projects come from donations within the HopeNYC congregation. However, you have the opportunity to partner with us in giving towards any of our community work here.
As HopeNYC continues to grow, we are expanding and renovating our building. What was once a warehouse, will become a campus hub. Nothing like it exists on Rockaway Blvd. It will serve as a home for young, pregnant women without any resources. It will house elementary through high school grades along with an accredited college. The 1000-person sanctuary will also be host to magnificent theater productions. God is working through HopeNYC to reach beyond our warehouse walls to make a lasting impact in our neighborhood.
