CHURCH HISTORY

NEW HOPE M.B. CHURCH

PAST AND CURRENT HISTORY

Giving honor to God, Pastor Magee, associate ministers, pulpit guests, deacons, Women of Hope, Mothers, members, and Christian friends.

I am honored to have the privilege of presenting our church history. “New Hope…” Let’s just stop and think about what these words mean. It’s simply means that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and come into the Ark of safety, we have a new hope of salvation.

One hundred and thirteen years ago, the Holy Spirit stirred the heart of the late Mrs. Frazier and gave her an inner insight that her community (Farish Street District) was in need of a church. This church would represent a beacon of light to shine for the children that she saw wandering around in the neighborhood like lambs without a shepherd.  In the early 1900s, Mrs. Frazier rented a house and organized a Sunday school, which was taught by the late Reverend Peanut Sam. From this little Sunday school, the late Reverend Barrett organized New Hope M.B. Church.  After the passing of Reverend Barrett, the late Reverend Jackson took up the banner. His leadership continued until the early 1920s. 

Between the early 1920s through the early 1940s, a split in the membership of St. Peter M.B. Church brought the late Mrs. Joanna Harris and Reverend Truvillian to New Hope. New Hope M.B. Church was pastored by several different ministers including the late Reverend Fry, the late Reverend Joseph Truvillian, and the late Reverend L.C. Grove. Their number of years of tenure is unknown. The membership grew under the leadership of Reverend Groves, which necessitated removal of all the partitions in the house.  By this time, the church had undergone extensive repairs.

In the early 1940s, the late Reverend L.C. Pickens accepted the call to pastor the New Hope congregation. With God’s blessing and the support of its faithful members, New Hope M.B. Church was moved out of Rag Alley to its present location. The late Reverend Pickens served faithfully for thirty years until his health began to fail. A short while before Reverend Pickens’s death, the late Reverend Thomas E. Ray, Sr. heard that New Hope was in need of a Pastor, and he accepted our call and led the congregation for nine years. In March 1982, the late Pastor Lamar Willis was called to serve as the shepherd of the Lord’s flock. In December of 2006, the later Rev. Lamar Willis was called home by God.

After 87 years of ministry, God is still blessing us. With God on our side, we have continued with a steady march. There have been great improvements since Reverend Willis’s tenure. Ten classrooms, a kitchen, a fellowship hall, an additional ladies lounge, and a library were added to the church. To further enhance Sunday services, a new piano and a keyboard were added to the sanctuary, and the administrative office was upgraded with a computer. A van was purchased was also purchased to assist members with transportation. Eight auxiliaries, eight deacons, four trustees, three junior deacons in training, and three choirs (Youth/Young Adult, United Fellowship, and Male Choir) were form. As we continue to pray and work in unity, we cannot fail. “Let us witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the very gates of Hell shall not prevail against us, if we build on the rock of faith.” These are the words of our Lord and Savior.

In March 2008, Reverend Mark A. Williamson was called upon to lead God’s flock at New Hope M.B. Church. Under Pastor Williamson’s leadership, a new food pantry and Administrative Assistant Office was added, the Pastor’s study was relocated to the fellowship hall, a remodeled kitchen, and a church bus was purchased.

In January 2014, Reverend Marshall L. Magee, Jr. was sent by God to lead his faithful Christian at New Hope M.B. Church. Through Reverend Magee’s vision, New Hope continues to win souls for Christ and build the kingdom of God through the Disciples of Christ. New Hope M.B. Church has experienced much spiritual and educational growth under the leadership of Pastor Magee, who firmly believes in spreading the “Word” to all. For the Bible clearly states, “Feed my sheep.” Through the grace of God, both pastor and members have indeed done much to glorify the name of our God. Truly, “As the praises go up, the blessing comes down.”  We believe that with God’s blessing and the wonderful support of the New Hope family, there will be higher heights, deeper depths, and wider widths!  New Hope M.B. Church is a church where cultural and spiritual intensity blend, and on our 113 years celebration we say, “Look where God has brought us from!”

What a blessing that for 113 years New Hope M.B. Church is still a shining pillar of the community! Yes, we are still that church with the mission ….. “Shining the Light of Hope!”