Hope During World War Two.
During the early war years there were some excellent congregations and a normal Sunday School.
Then in 1941came the big "blitz" on the city and the next Sunday there were few present at the services and in Sunday School. "Yet we had our Sunday School Anniversary that year it was a sad affair with scarcely any children".
The church premises were used as rest centre for the homeless, mainly staffed by church people.
Some church ladies helped to staff the North Road Station Canteen for the Forces.
Quick action saved the church from destruction by fire bombs.
After the war there were attempts to get Youth Work re-started and the establishment of the Boys' Brigade and the Girls' Life Brigade Companies.
Two young members of this period subsequently offered themselves for the work of the ministry. Jeffrey Mason became a Baptist Minister and Pauline Trounson, S.R.N., S.C.M., served with the Baptist Missionary Society in the Congo.
East Stained Glass Window
The Church owed a great deal to Mr. Charles Prust for his leadership as church secretary through many years. In 1938 Mr. and Mrs. Prust presented to the Church the stained glass east window as an act of thanksgiving.
In 1944 Emmanuel Church, North Road, invited the Rev. C. Dyer to become honorary pastor and sought close association with Hope. It was soon realised that pastoral work on the spot, such as a Deaconess could give, was needed. It seemed a wild dream but it came to pass. A scheme to finance the work for three years was devised, in the belief that by then it would be established. Hope's guarantee of £25 per year was not needed. Under the leadership of Sister Lena Parkinson the work has so progressed as to be able to finance itself with the help of the Home Work Fund of the Baptist Union.
Esstover and Efford and Pastor Emeritus
In June, 1945, a request came to Hope to take the oversight of Estover Chapel which had been run independently, though erected by a Baptist. The Church responded to this challenge and Mr. A. B. Pendock was appointed lay pastor of Efford. Excellent work was done there by Mr. and Mrs. Pendock.In 1944 the Rev. C. Dyer undertook the secretaryship of the Devon and Cornwall Baptist Association. He soon realised that he could not easily carry both the work of the Church and the heavy burden of post-war Association administration. With great regret at leaving the Hope pastorate, he accepted in 1947 the invitation to give his whole time to the work of the Association. His resignation from the pastorate took effect on 31st December, 1947. The Church invited him to become Pastor-Emeritus as from 1st January, 1948, an honour he was delighted to accept.
In 1952 Charles Dyer wrote as the church reached 100 years old :-
I knew Hope Church, of course, in its Fore Street days, and as a lay preacher took a service there once or twice. I had no idea then that I should one day become the minister. I am glad it was not in the Fore Street building which, I confess, always depressed me by its grimness and the difficulty the light had to penetrate through the end windows and the ceiling glass. The members of those days were devoted to the cause. Fifeteen of those who came with the membership to Peverell were., Mrs M.H. Damerell, Mrs. M. H. Tozer, Mr. Hy. Damerell, Mrs. 0. G. Damerell, 'Mr. J. H Damerell, Mr. Howard A. Pike, Mrs. M. I. Pendock, Mrs. E. M. Pike, Mr. J. S. Martin, Mr. A. B. Pendock, Mrs. M. E. P. Dyer, Mrs. G. E. Barrett and Miss Madeline A. Damerell., Mrs. P. Bigrig and Miss Vera Prust.
It was a good thing that sense was more abundant than sentiment in 1924 and the move to Peverell undertaken. I count it a privilege to have had a share in re-establishing the Church in its new location, with the great help of my wife and family.
Some shook their heads wisely when I responded to the call and some advised against my acceptance. There were reasons that compelled me, though a Peverell boy, to regard it as a call from God. I have never had cause to change that view. With a firm faith in God and the Gospel, and realising what a great opportunity for service in the then still growing district, Pastor and people stepped out into the beginning of the next century.
They felt assured that greater things were possible than the Church had yet known, if they were willing to give themselves in true devotion to the work, for the glory of God and the advancement of his Kingdom.
Rev. A. J. Sleeman (March 1948- April 1951).
The Rev. A. J. Sleeman, who had come from Bovey Tracey, threw himself into the work. Before his coming the idea of building a temporary church hall had been considered, but during his time it was done and the hall was opened for use on Saturday, 2nd April, 1949, by the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Alderman H. J. Perry. J.P. The Rev. H. C. Lewis, of Exeter, the Association President, was the special preacher. Advised by Mr. Sleeman, the Church undertook on behalf of the Plymouth Baptist District, the oversight of the new work at Efford, which the Baptist Union had adopted as an Initial Pastorate scheme. It was not intended that the sole responsibility of this work should be borne by Hope Church but it has carried a heavy share, contributing workers to assist Sister Winifred Waller, the first deaconess-in-charge there.
Mr. Sleeman's strength did not prove equal to the programme of work he set himself and, following a breakdown, he felt compelled to seek a less arduous sphere in order fully to recover. He settled at Rothley and Mountsorrel in Leicestershire, in April, 1951.
Rev Victor A Price HCF ( January 1952 - March 1962)
In September, 1951, the Church sent a unanimous and enthusiastic invitation to the pastorate to the Rev. Victor A. Price, H.C.F., who had been minister of South Harrow Baptist Church for nineteen years. Mr. Price began his ministry at "Hope" as from the 1st January, 1952, and so completed the last year of the first century of the Church's life. He used the year to get a complete grasp of the work and a knowledge of his people and of the district. In this he won the affection and confidence of the members.
Rev Alby Mitchell 1963-1977
Rev Barrie Smith 1975-1981
Rev Graham Powell 1981-1986
Graham came to Hope in 1981. He was married to Maureen in 1959 and they had two children Alyson and Simon. After training for the ministry at Bristol Baptist College his first church was at dalton in Huddersfield. After further ministries at Toddington and Houghton in Bedfordshire where he held an Industrial Chaplaincy his third church was Goodmayes-Ilford in Essex. Whilst at Hope he was Hospital Chaplain to Moorhaven. On leaving Plymouth in 1986 he became minister at Christchurch -Upton Chapel in London.
Rev David Webb 1987-1993
Rev Andy Saunders Bsc BD 10Sept 1994 - Present
Andy is married to Jenny and has two children, Tim and Katie. He came to Hope after training for four years at Spurgeon's College. Previously he had worked as a Maths Teacher and then as a Travelling Secretary for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship. He was delighted to come back to the South West of England as he was brought up in Crediton on the other side of Dartmoor.
Before coming to Hope Andy was inspired by Moltmann's book 'The Open Church'. Its vision of a church characterised by openness is one that he continues to cherish and enjoy working towards. An open church is one that is:
· Open to those who don't normally come to church
· Open to real partnership and honest friendship amongst members
· Open to embrace new ideas
· Open to the Spirit filled challenge of God's word
· Open to serve the local community
Andy enjoys playing tennis, walking on the moors or coastal footpath, feels lost without a good book and has an irrational (and currently embarrassing) attachment to Exeter City.

Rev David Jones (Associate Minister) 1996-2001
David Jones came to Hope with all the enthusiasm of youth.
Trained at Bristol Bible College, he joined Hope as an Associate Minister. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the church was the "Jesus 2000" interactive exhibition that he planned and executed which attracted in excess of 800 school children from the local schools into the church. Here they were able to see and hopefully understand the "strange ways" of that Church on the Hill.In 2001 David decided to pursue a career outside the Church.

Rev Andrew Gardiner 1st May 2003- Present.
Andrew was born in London in 1958, and came to faith as a teenager through the work of Crusaders in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. He also met Katherine, his wife-to-be, in the same youth group and they married in 1982.
In 1992 God called him out of a 17 year Local Government career and they moved with their two boys, Daniel and Joseph, to Moorlands Bible College in Dorset where Andrew completed the College Diploma with distinction.Upon leaving Moorlands in 1994, God quite miraculously brought the family to Plymouth, as Andrew took up the post of Youth Director at Mutley Baptist Church. Amy was born into the family in 1995.
In 2002 Andrew and Katherine felt very much that God was moving them on and through conversations with Andy Saunders about the possibility of developing a team ministry at Hope, they explored the possibility of Andrew coming to Hope as a Minister, to take particular responsibilities for youth ministry, Fellowship groups, buildings development and mission.
Early in 2003 Andrew passed through the Baptist Selection Conference and was called by Hope to start with them at the end of his Mutley sabbatical, on 1st May. In 2004 he completed a Masters degree in Evangelism through Cliff College.
In coming to Hope, he particularly took on the responsibilities for youth and childrens ministry, Fellowship groups, building development as well as a full sharing in the worship leading and preaching of the Word.

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