History
He Intends Victory began as a response to a question too few in the Church were asking: How can we love people living with HIV and AIDS the way Jesus would? In the late 1980s, Herb Hall, a young Christian man struggling with a hidden past, received the devastating diagnosis that he was HIV-positive. After years of wrestling with shame, depression, and secrecy, Herb rededicated his life to Christ and made the courageous decision to share his story publicly—choosing honesty, redemption, and hope over fear.
When Herb searched for Christian support, he found none—no church groups, no ministry, no compassion from the Church at large. That changed when he met Pastor Bruce Sonnenberg of the Village Church of Irvine. Bruce had already felt God’s call to reach out to those suffering with HIV/AIDS after witnessing how families were being rejected by churches because of fear and misunderstanding. Together, Bruce and Herb launched one of the first Christian support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS, a group grounded in love, truth, and the transforming grace of Jesus Christ.
Inspired by the response and the growing need, Herb, Bruce, and a small team of supporters formalized their outreach in 1992. The name He Intends Victory was suggested by Mike Hylton, a hemophiliac and devoted Christian who had contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. Despite his own challenges, Mike believed that God still had a purpose and a victory in store—and that became the foundation for the ministry’s name and vision. The team began visiting hospitals, hosting support groups, speaking in churches, and sharing the Gospel with the often-overlooked AIDS community.
As the ministry grew, so did its impact. Herb, Bruce, Mike and the He Intends Victory team began to hear from people across the country—and eventually the world—who were affected by HIV and AIDS, many of whom felt forgotten by their churches, families, and communities. The ministry expanded to offer not only support groups and spiritual encouragement, but also practical resources, education, and advocacy within churches to help them respond biblically and compassionately. Through media appearances, speaking engagements, and one-on-one ministry, He Intends Victory became a voice of truth and grace in a culture of fear and silence.
Today, He Intends Victory operates in more than a dozen countries, offering HIV testing, education, orphan care, micro-enterprise support, and medical outreach, all while sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. What began with one man’s story and one pastor’s compassion has become a global movement of hope. Our heart remains the same: to reach the least, the last, and the lost with the love of Christ—and to remind the world that no diagnosis, no past, and no person is beyond redemption. Because through it all, He Intends Victory.
