By Sarah Sanchez

I attended a celebration a few months ago that honored Mark and Jeanne Hopper for dedicating 27 years of ministry to EFree Church and to the Diamond Bar community.
At the event, I heard so many wonderful stories about Jeanne and Mark. The theme I consistently heard was that they loved others and showed their love through their actions. Evelyn Gonzalez, a member of the worship team, said that she witnessed the Hoppers being very generous, very loving and accepting of everyone. She said that not only is Pastor Hopper a gifted teacher that can explain the Bible in an understanding way, but he also has the heart of a shepherd. “There was no ministry that he was above doing,” she exclaimed. “He is definitely a servant.”
Describing the Hoppers as servants and shepherds continued as many different people shared how the Hoppers have impacted their lives.
Mary Jo Dell-Imagine, Deacon of Submissions and a member of the church for 24 years, was the woman whose story truly touched my heart. With tears, she said that Mark Hopper was there for her when her husband was diagnosed with a terminal disease. Mark also helped Mary Jo when her mother passed away five years later.
Denise and Dennis Ahern agreed by saying that the Hoppers are caring people who live by example. Denise said that Jeanne is the reason why she is a teacher today because Jeanne went out of her way to help Denise get a teaching job. Then Dennis said that Mark took time out of his day to help him move. He said that the Hoppers don’t just speak the word of God; they live the Word through their actions.
This philosophy was truly shown through the people of EFree Church. Many of the members of the church showed us an overwhelming love by introducing themselves and even helping us find specific people in a crowd of 400.
But I think Dennis Ahern was the person who left the biggest impact on our experience at this event. Dennis left his dinner to help us find people to interview for an article. He went out of his way to help us capture the event perfectly. This one act amazed me because you usually don’t find many people willing to help others for nothing in return. But Dennis followed what he was taught by Pastor Mark; he showed love to a total stranger, to a reporter who saw a large crowd of people to interview and didn’t know where to start. To feel loved when you walk into a room of strangers is amazing.
For Mark and Jeanne to touch and change so many lives is inspiring and moving. Mark and Jeanne have shown us that it’s possible to change lives without saying a word; it’s possible to lead by example.