About Us

Learn about One Ancient Hope.

The Gospel Story

Iowa City is an International City of Literature. That means, we know 'story'! But in our post-modern, post-Christian society, we have disconnected story and meaning, and, as a result, are left with the huge task of providing our own meaning and value to our lives. But that reality is not so new. As Ecclesiastes famously states,

"There is nothing new under the sun." Perhaps.

During an exchange in 'the greatest story ever told', in the midst of the interrogation of Jesus by Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, the following occurred,

Jesus said, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."

Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" And so it goes.

At One Ancient Hope, we believe that one of the reasons that Iowa City loves story is that God loves story, because as people created in his image we are created to be creative creatures.

We believe that we are all a part of God's unfolding gospel story of his process of redeeming his creation and of renewing all things. Our story includes our rebellion against God that flows out of our desire to replace God with ourselves. Our story includes God's continued seeking after each of us to bring us into a relationship with him: a relationship for which we were made, a relationship that is not one of drudgery but of joy, a relationship that does not stifle our existence or creativity, but gives it meaning and encourages it to flourish.

Rather than list some 4-step process on "how to come to Jesus" we would encourage you to examine what it means to be a part of God's story by joining us at One Ancient Hope. It is a place where seekers and skeptics are welcome, and where they can bring your doubts and questions and wrestle though them in the midst of people who have done and are doing the same.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

"That they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for,

" 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, " 'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man."

God's story is a wonderful story, because it is primarily about his love for us!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life."

We would welcome an opportunity to talk about story and meaning with you!

Our Beliefs

We are a member church of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which is a confessional, reformed denomination.

We hold fast to the great Christian tradition by confessing the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chalcedonian Creed. We hold fast to the Presbyterian tradition by confessing the Westminster Standards (the Westminster Confession, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism).

To summarize our core commitments, we believe:

  • There is one, only living and true God who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
  • There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
  • God has revealed himself in both creation and scripture; yet only in scripture, the infallible and inerrant word of God, do we find the revelation necessary for salvation.
  • God is the creator of everyone and everything; God created the world, and he made all things very good.
  • God created humans with an ultimate end, a purpose, a Telos is the purpose, end or goal of a thing. For example, the telos of an acorn is an oak tree.: to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
  • As summarized in the law of God, to be fully human is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
  • Humanity was created good, but unperfected (like an acorn that must grow into an oak tree). When God created humanity, he intended us to mature into the fullness of human perfection and flourishing (the human version of the oak tree) by following God's law of love.
  • In Adam, humanity sinned by rejecting God and his good purposes, leaving us in a state of original sin whereby we bear sin's guilt and corruption.
  • After the fall of humanity, God provided a way of salvation through Jesus Christ, who is God-the-Son-become-human, both in human body and soul.
  • In our place, Christ lived the perfect human life before God and neighbor (according to God's perfect law); then, on the cross, Christ died the death that we deserve for our sin.
  • Christ rose again from the dead, and, in his resurrection, Christ was raised to the fully perfected, wholly flourishing, and incorruptible humanity that God intended for us when we were created (our human Telos is the purpose, end or goal of a thing. For example, the telos of an acorn is an oak tree.).
  • Having fallen in Adam, we believe that it is Christ's obedience, and not our own, that restores us to our human Telos is the purpose, end or goal of a thing. For example, the telos of an acorn is an oak tree. (to the human version of the oak tree), as the grace of Christ purges our sin and perfects our nature.
  • When we place our faith in Christ, the Spirit unites us to Christ, making us partakers of all the benefits of Christ's salvation; these benefits include justification, which heals the guilt of sin by covering us with Christ's righteousness, and sanctification, which heals the corruption of sin by conforming us to Christ's righteousness.
  • Christ is the head of the church, and it is through the church, the bride of Christ, that we receive Christ and rejoice in him; we do this by way of Christ's word, his sacraments, and the discipleship of his covenant community whereby he conforms us to himself.
  • Upon the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, Christ will raise his church into the fullness of human flourishing, as we glorify and enjoy God forever, as we love our neighbor as ourselves, and as we steward a restored and perfected creation.

Our Values

We are a gospel-centered people seeking Christ’s formation in us and the flourishing of our neighbor.

Gospel-centered

We are a people who center their lives around the gospel of Jesus Christ as described in ancient creeds like the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. This means we strive for the gospel to work itself out in every area of our lives. We are motivated by the unconditional love of God because we know we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. It also means we seek to be a diverse people who share a common faith in Christ and allow our differences to show the beauty of Christ. We believe the gospel, revealed in the Holy Scriptures, promises that Jesus Christ is bringing in the Kingdom of God "on earth as it is in heaven." We live for and long for that day.

"Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing - as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth..."

Formation

We are a people who desire to seek first Jesus Christ in our lives. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit in us to become more like Jesus every day. We want our faith to shape us holistically so that we can love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as we would love ourselves. We seek to die to the ways we hurt God and others, and grow in ways that bring joy to God and life to others. Our whole-life worship is informed by a Reformed liturgical tradition that brings gospel rhythms to our lives. We believe that as we explore our own stories that the gospel story will form us more and more.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Flourishing

We are a people who seek the flourishing of our neighbor. This means we seek the well-being of all people around us and in our city. We love others because Christ first loved us. We love others by seeking the flourishing of their lives, their work, their families, and their communities. We love others by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them through our words and our actions. For us, living out the gospel means connecting our faith to our vocations and caring for the broken and the vulnerable. We believe that God has been at work from the beginning to bring about the flourishing of this world. The hope of this flourishing is grounded in the biblical truth that God created all things good, that sin and brokenness entered into this world, that sin and death were defeated through Christ's death and resurrection, and that the Triune God is redeeming and re-creating this world.

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

Our Staff and Elders

Will Bankston

Will Bankston
Pastor

Will was called by One Ancient Hope to pastor the congregation in April of 2021. He is originally from Indianapolis, and he became a Christian during his freshman year at Purdue University. He holds a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and he previously ministered in both Vietnam and the Chicago area. He is married to Kristin, and they have five kids (from oldest to youngest): Ezra, Oren, Maxwell, Lucy, and Margot. The whole family loves living in Iowa City and participating in the local culture and community. Will enjoys reading, running, camping, Cubs baseball, and gathering friends and family around a good book, meal, or cup of coffee.

Matthew Penning

Matthew Penning
Director of Worship Arts and Discipleship

Matthew Penning is a Minnesota native and grew up in the Lutheran church where his faith began to be formed. He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in church music from Luther College (Decorah, IA) and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN). Since high school, he has served churches in Minnesota, Oregon, and Iowa. Matthew and his wife, Tamera, came to Iowa City in 2001 when he was called to serve as Director of Music Ministries at St. Andrew Presbyterian to work with all ages, equipping and discipling people through music and worship. Matthew and Tamera have two daughters, Margaret and Helen, who were born in Iowa City.

Matthew became involved with One Ancient Hope in 2009 while on a sabbatical leave. Since then he has served in multiple capacities, mainly behind-the-scenes. He is excited to devote his full-time attention to the people and ministries of One Ancient Hope and to continue to love and serve the Iowa City community.

Our Elders

One Ancient Hope is an elder led congregation (we call that group a "session"). In addition to our pastoral staff (known as teaching elders), our ruling elders are nominated and elected by the congregation to shepherd and lead our community.

Josh Super

Josh and his wife, Rachel, live in North Liberty with their two daughters. Josh serves as a Supported Community Living (SCL) Director at Systems Unlimited, a local nonprofit that partners with individuals with disabilities and mental health needs. Rachel is the Director of Learning at Heritage Christian School in North Liberty. As a family, the Supers love opening their home to others, sharing meals, playing games, and enjoying the hobbies that bring them joy: gardening, baking, making music, dancing, and working on household projects.

Chris Sutton

Chris and his wife March live in Solon with their children (3 are at home and 1 is in college). March is the district librarian for the Solon Community School District. Chris is a software developer. He grew up in Brazil and enjoys planting, soccer, stories, hiking, hunting and snowshoeing.

Scott Whitmore

Scott and his wife Laura live in Iowa City with their four children. Scott works for the University of Iowa as a researcher.

Our City

Iowa City is often named one of the best places to live, and with good reason. A community of just over 100,000 people, this strategic Midwestern city has a lot to boast about. Best in the nation schools, excellent health care, and plenty of high paying jobs are just the start. Lots of owner-operated restaurants and shops populate the downtown area. Each summer brings the Iowa Summer of the Arts: featuring the Shakespeare Festival, an Arts Festival, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Landlocked International Film Festival, and Uptown Movie and Music nights.

The University of Iowa also affects the culture of the town in many ways. It includes top tier business, law, medical, and dental schools. The Iowa Writers' Workshop is considered to be the best writing program in the country, and one of the best in the world! Iowa City has been designated by the United Nations Council on Education, Science, and Culture as one of a select number "Creative Cities of Literature". It is also home to the Iowa Hawkeyes, and their first class sports programs.

In short, Iowa City is a great place to live!

In Iowa City, post-Christian thought and progressive ideology meet "American apple-pie" values. Iowa City is a center for progressive thinking and politics that prides itself on its "open and affirming" stance on a variety of social issues. Iowa City is one of the most educated cities in the United States with over 47% of residents holding a Bachelor's degree, and over 27% holding a graduate degree. Iowa City, in many ways, is the head of the culture-creating stream! And since the gospel speaks to all of life... One Ancient Hope seeks the flourishing of our city through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Our History

Just as Michael and Tess Langer were starting a church plant in Iowa City, eastern Iowa experienced severe flooding. So, in the summer of 2008 One Ancient Hope began as a relief work to help flood victims by cleaning out and restoring damaged homes. PCA is for Presbyterian Church in America, our denomination. church teams from across the U. S. worked alongside a few local volunteers associated with the new church plant. With One Ancient Hope's focus on "Seeking the Welfare of the City," it was a providential beginning.

The church body began to form in August 2008 with a Sunday afternoon Bible study. As more people joined, it outgrew all available homes, and by November it moved north of Iowa City to Preucil School of Music's Northgate location. Regular Sunday morning services began in August 2009. In November 2010 the church moved to the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, a more centrally-located building that is easily accessible by foot to university students and the homeless community. The story of One Ancient Hope, then, is about the Lord calling together committed, praying, gifted, hard-working brothers and sisters in Christ to plant a church that strives to meet the needs of its members and the Iowa City community.

As a church planter, Pastor Michael worked with a "session on loan" from the Iowa Presbytery is a group of all the teaching elders (pastors) and churches in a region., referred to as the Commission. It included two elders from outside One Ancient Hope - Larry Hoop, a teaching elder, and Tim Hall, a ruling elder. Two members of the church also served on the Commission. In August 2011 Ian Hard came on board as the Assistant Church Planter, along with his wife Rebecca. Then on April 7, 2013 One Ancient Hope Particularization is when a mission church is organized, by the presbytery, into a 'particular' self-governed church with elders installed. and formed its first session. That day the congregation elected Pastor Michael to the position of Lead Pastor, and Pastor Ian as Associate Pastor. Pastor Michael currently serves as Director of Faithful Presence in Washington D.C. and Pastor Ian serves as pastor to Christ Church PCA is for Presbyterian Church in America, our denomination. in Pembroke, New Hampshire.

In June of 2016, the congregation welcomed Rev. Didi Wong as their pastor along with his wife, Amber. In his four years here, he got to know the beautiful college town of Iowa City and faithfully shepherded the congregation of One Ancient Hope. Didi helped the congregation transition from leadership under the original church planters and into a more established congregation. He led the church to work collaboratively in creating a new vision statement and implementing that vision in the community.

In addition, Didi led the effort to purchase the beautiful building we now minister through at 500 N Clinton St. and began to lay the groundwork of ministering to neighbors in that location. He also led One Ancient Hope in building a relationship of trust with Inside Out Re-entry Community. One Ancient Hope Presbyterian Church inherited Inside Out as non-profit that serves the community through the church building. They are a non-profit that supports the formerly incarcerated to re-enter society meaningfully. Didi and his family moved to Durham, North Carolina, in July of 2020 to plant a multi-ethnic church, Missio Church, in his wife's hometown.

Our Partners

Though our church's work is focused on Iowa City, we desire to cultivate a community that promotes the work of sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God around our nation and the world. Here are the partners we currently support through prayer, finances and participation.