True Hope – Church Surpasses 160 Years of Service 

One of the buildings that housed True Hope Church over its 161-year history is the church shown here. The photo was taken in the 1980s and features the church’s tall steeple at the time. (Photo courtesy of True Hope Church) 

By Gaye Bunderson 

Abraham Lincoln’s reelection. The Red Cross’s founding in Geneva. Nevada named America’s 36th state. Boise declared incorporated, with roughly 500 to 1,600 citizens, depending on the source. That was the world, the U.S., and Idaho in 1864. And a church originally called Missionary Baptist Church was founded the same year. 

A man named Hiram Hamilton was the church’s founder. He’d come west to start churches and bring the gospel to Indian tribes. His first church was in Idaho City, at the time a flourishing ‘gold rush’ community. He then turned his sights to Boise, where he planted a church in the town courthouse. Boise, at the time, was said to be full of “rough-looking and bearded miners and mule drivers.” Rev. Hamilton called them all into his church. 

On September 11, 1864, the reverend led the first worship service of the Missionary Baptist Church. Later, he raised funds for the construction of its first building. (The information in the two paragraphs above was compiled by Bruce Young.) 

The church was established in downtown Boise, and it remains in the city’s core to this day, albeit in another building. Last year marked its 75th year in its current structure at 607 N. 13th Ave. That building is its third one and the house of faith now bears the name True Hope Church – also its third name in its 161-year history. After its birth as Missionary Baptist Church, it became First Baptist Church in 2014. The name change to True Hope came in 2018. Its long-time pastor, Bruce Young, now retired after 30 years, said of the name switch: “People are looking for hope, not Baptists.” 

He continued: “The name change was driven by the culture and the definition of what church is. Not so long ago, people thought churches were bad. Now, people have seen the falling apart of society, of our foundation and morals, and are thinking, ‘Things are falling apart, and we don’t know why, but maybe we can figure it out [by a return to church]’.” 

The original church shared its space with other churches, including Presbyterian and Methodist denominations. It was also used as a school. 

Its leadership started out, even in the late 1800s, seeking to create a Christian site that welcomed all. Information from a booklet detailing the institution’s “160 Year Legacy,” reads: “Membership grew to 1,200 and served their community with Bethel African Mission Sunday School, Women’s Mission Circles, a Japanese Sunday School, and the Blazing Arrow Trail Boy Scout Troop (whose history included being one of the oldest Boy Scout troops ‘west of the Mississippi’).” 

The church is still a welcoming one, as well as a growing one. Said Young: “We have three campuses and are planning a fourth.” 

The campuses sit in sites around Treasure Valley. “Our vision is helping other churches – planting churches and revitalizing current churches. We want churches that preach the Bible. Recently, in the last 10 or 15 years, we got back to our roots, the mission of the church. This church has helped dozens of churches – like the older church helping the younger ones. 

“We’re not a big church; we want intentional reproduction. Very few churches are still having babies. We are following the mandate to ‘go make disciples’. We’re taking the Great Commission and applying it to churches. Healthy churches can help churches that help the community.” 

“God is working,” he continued. “Churches are Christ’s main vehicle to reach the world and transform society. As the church goes, so goes the town.” 

Boise’s vitality and positive population hint that the church has made a valuable contribution in its lengthy history. 

There are 470 people who presently attend True Hope Church in the so-called City of Trees. 

“When people come here, they have a deep sense of a calling that isn’t just a flash in the pan,” said Young. 

Dena Myers, operations and missions pastor at the church, stated, “We’re not just one slice of the pie; we have people of all ages, all walks of life. It’s like Boise itself in that way.” 

Gone are the days of rough and scruffy miners and mule drivers. But, without a doubt, were those men to walk through the doors of today’s church, they would be greeted with warmth and encouragement, just as they were at the church’s inception. 

Young said that many churches focus primarily on one demographic, such as the older population, the young marrieds, etc. Both Young and Myers agreed that True Hope is cross-generational, with children and grandparents – and they don’t mean that as a biological connection but rather, though they are biologically unconnected, they are nonetheless related in the family of believers. 

Myers said that not being limited congregationally “is such a benefit; it’s just a beautiful thing, the kids and the older people together.” 

Socioeconomic factors play a big part in the look of the congregation as well. 

“We’re downtown,” Young stated. He explained that 10 to 15 percent of the people who attend True Hope are homeless and poor. For instance, City Light, a program of Boise Rescue Mission Ministries, is just one of the buildings and programs that is in the downtown core, and True Hope is eager to welcome its residents. 

“These are people on the edge of survival, but they are enriching the church. They integrate and they take on ministries. They’re engaged in the congregation, and until they engage with” – he searched for words and came up with – “regular sinners, they’re locked into addiction. In church they realize they’re not the only people with problems, and that some people with money, and lots of it, have their own serious issues.” 

What about believers who look down on people in the so-called down-and-out category? “They aren’t here,” Young said, without remorse for their absence. “Pruning is good,” said Myers. “Some people come here and say, ‘This is not for me’, and they leave our church and the pruning is good.” 

 Young continued, “We’ve always been involved with the Mission, but it’s progressed. It used to be ‘them’ and ‘us’. Now we’re all just ‘us’. It’s astounding the disparity between the rich – even the very rich – and the poor. And yet they sit together and talk.” 

It sounds like the kind of church that the Rev. Hamilton would be proud of – the same man who encouraged the mixing of many through the lessons of the gospel he came west to preach. His influence appears to be continuing to flow down into a new era. 

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(Editor’s note: A local church that True Hope originally started with also celebrated its anniversary last year. Also, the interview with Bruce Young took place late in 2024. He retired late in January of this year and is being replaced by a new leader, who is starting in his position in April.)