We exist to enable people to love God, love others, and serve passionately!

  • Dimas Castillo - Senior Pastor

    A native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Dr. Dimas E. Castillo is the Senior Pastor of Living Hope Community Church. Prior to his arrival at Living Hope, Pastor Dimas served as the Director of Multicultural Evangelism at the New River Baptist Association for eight years. Pastor Dimas enlisted in the United States Navy and served faithfully for 23 years, retiring as a Hospital Corpsmen Chief Petty Officer. 

    Pastor Dimas gives the credit for all success in the growth of Living Hope and his personal life to God. He knows through his own experiences that if you are truly repentant, God is quick to forgive you. And more than that, the Bible tells us He is able to keep us from falling! He is continually in awe of how God is using His people to advance the ministry. It is his heart's desire to see Living Hope become the vessel that brings Christ to the masses by combining a solid foundation with a fresh and inspired vision of change. 

    Pastor Dimas holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Campbell University, a Master of Divinity in Church Planting and Evangelism and a Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership from John W Rawlings Divinity School at Liberty University. He is married to Nora and into their union they have one daughter, Dee and one son, Jonathan. They have 4 grandchildren, Kevin, Jaylen, Mya, and Abel. Email him.

  • Robert Hall - Associate Pastor

    Robert is an Associate Pastor that teaches during our Traditional Worship service on Sunday mornings. He also oversees our senior ministries. Robert has been serving in this location since 2003. He enjoys old cars and teaches courses at Campbell University in Jacksonville, NC. . Email him.

  • Peter Gosnell-Discipleship and Education Pastor

    Peter is a native of Greer, SC, but was moved to Camp Lejeune during his 20 year Marine Corps career. Peter retired in 2019 in Richlands, NC with his wife of 20 years, Leslie and their three children: Melody (19); Cadence (17); and Christian (15). Peter and family live on a small hobby farm just outside Onslow County. They have been members of Living Hope Community Church since 2015. Peter received his Bachelor's Degree in Christian Ministry in 2015 and received his Master's Degree in Divinity in Missional Discipleship in 2019 from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. Peter is an avid deer hunter. If you are interested in Biblical discipleship, contact me @ peter@livinghopejacksonville.org



  • Cathy Rhoades - Office Administrator

    Cathy started as our Financial Secretary in 2015. She retired in 2011 from the Department of Navy, Installations Command in Washington D.C. as Deputy Inspector General for Fraud Waste Abuse and Mismanagement after 34.5 years. She is married to Todd and has two daughters and four grandchildren and two rescue dogs.

  • List Item

    Type the content for this list item here. This is just example text to show you what it will look like when you enter text content into this list item. Your unique, authentic, and appropriate text will be filled into this section.

Our Core Values


  1. Jesus! He is the source of our salvation and through him alone we can have a personal relationship with God the Father. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source of our beliefs, revealing Jesus as the Son of God. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)
  2. Love. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13 1
  3. Diversity with Unity. We are a multicultural and multigenerational church seeking to create an environment where everyone is welcomed and can encounter Christ authentically. Our members and ministry leaders are multicultural and include men and women from many backgrounds. We pray that our church’s worship will reflect the diversity found in heaven (Revelation 7:9).
  4. Family. We believe in strengthening families and honoring God with lifelong commitments to marriage between one man and one woman. Marriages need the support of their church community. We want to support parents, as they disciple their children. And we, as the Body of Christ, are an intergenerational family. We join together in celebrations and in tears. If a misunderstanding arises, we graciously seek to understand each other and be reconciled.
  5. Sanctuary. Apart from Christ, the world is without hope and peace. We offer a safe place for all and desire to be a beacon of hope to the hurting, spiritually needy, and physically needy in our community.
  6. Prayer. We expect God to speak to us and guide us individually and corporately. Prayer declares that we need the supernatural power of God’s presence to see our world changed for His glory and good. For our battle is not just physical, but the battle is a spiritual one requiring spiritual weapons (II Corinthians 10:3-5).
  7. Discipleship. We are called to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. We value daily prayer and reading of the Scriptures. We value mentors and a humble desire to continue growing and learning together. When one of our members relocates, we pray that they will be better equipped to serve God in their new location as a result of their participation at Living Hope.peter@livinghopejacksonville.org
  8. Serving. We believe that serving is vital for healthy spiritual growth and is an act of worship, which reflects the example of Christ. God has given each of us the privilege and responsibility of serving and ministering in a variety of ways in our church, neighborhoods, and workplaces.


Our Mission

We exist to love God, love others, and serve God with passion.


Our Vision

To be the church that brings people to Jesus, displaying the love of God by connecting with people of many backgrounds, to disciple them into faithful followers of Christ, and to equip them for their ministry in the church and life mission in our community and beyond.


Established in 2011

By the merging of Rock Creek Community Church & New River Baptist Church