New Hope International Church was founded in January 1988 by Ps. Varun Laohaprasit (Ps. Lao), a Thai physician who came to the United States to study and practice neurosurgery. During his residency at the University of Washington, God spoke to him to “take care of His people.” It was then that Ps. Lao and his wife, Da, answered the call of God by opening the church in the basement of their home with 16 members.

In the early days of the church, a strong emphasis was placed on making disciples, growing the care group and sharing the vision to plant churches worldwide, giving members a solid foundation to this day. In the late 1990s, the Holy Spirit gave Ps. Lao a new revelation—to seek God and His presence. He realized that when people experienced the presence of God, they have joy, healing, revival and renewal—impelling them to share the Gospel out of love and gratitude for all that He has done.

As the church grew in faith and number, New Hope relocated to a nursing home, a hotel conference room, a Queen Anne office space and eventually raised funds to purchase a building in Mercer Island, where they currently meet.