History
Our History
On April 13, 1913 Reverend Cassie organized New Hope Baptist Church along with seven members in the home of Mrs. Ida Taylor of Whitfield Mills Road, Jackson, Mississippi. Reverend Spencer Taylor succeeded Pastor Cassie in 1914 and served the growing congregation as pastor for ten years. The church relocated to the corner of Holmes and Spring Streets when Reverend Nick Bradley was called to pastor. During Reverend Bradley’s administration, the church moved to Whitfield Mills Road.
Following Reverend Bradley’s death in 1924, his son, Reverend E. M. H. Bradley, was called to pastor and served until his death in 1944.
Reverend G. C. Hunte became the fifth pastor of New Hope Church in 1944. Under his leadership, the church began its first financial drive with a goal of securing funds to build a new facility. Construction began in 1950 on Whitfield Mills Road. On May 1, 1955, construction was completed and the congregation moved to its new facility at 2355 Whitfield Mills Road. Reverend Hunte faithfully served the congregation until his death in 1973. In addition to spiritual leadership, Reverend Hunte was a good steward who, upon his death, left the church debt free.
Reverend E. C. Burns became pastor in November 1973, and served until June 1979. During his administration, the membership nearly doubled to 750; additional property was purchased; a church constitution was written; and a new order of service was implemented.
On February 1, 1980, Reverend Jerry Young began his administration as the seventh pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. Reverend Young, a dynamic and expository preacher, lead the church in tremendous growth and opportunity for ministry and outreach. Realizing such tremendous growth, with vision and foresight, Reverend Young led the church in purchasing a new facility located at 5202 Watkins Drive. The first worship service in the new facility was held in March 1981. The Deacon’s Family plan, “The Shepherd’s Plan,” became operational.
In July 1982, the New Hope Kindergarten and Day Care Center was established with an ultimate vision of developing a Christian School. New Hope Kindergarten and Day Care Center began serving children ages 3 through 5.
The first Pictorial Directory was published in 1984, and by 1985, the church celebrated the liquidation of the indebtedness of the facility during three days of praise, worship, and thanksgiving. The church held its first annual Yuletide Fellowship and began its annual Reformation Celebration. Twenty-one acres of land were purchased north of the facility in 1986. During that year, the church records were computerized.
New ministries were developed in 1989 that included: Equipping, Prison, Hospital, Outreach, Youth Christian Education, and Membership. In 1989, the Kindergarten and Day Care Center became New Hope Christian School which served children ages 6 months through first grade.
Pastor Young lead the congregation in the development of a vision and mission statement for the church, “Our vision is to touch our community with the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that a Christian world and life view may permeate our communities.” This vision guided the work of the ministry. In 1990, two ordination services were held; eleven deacons and one minister were ordained. The Laymen’s Ministry was reorganized and an Administrative Staff was added. In 1991, the Discipleship Ministry was enhanced and a Money Management class was implemented. Plans for the Family Life Center were completed in 1992. Small Group Study for adults and a Children’s Ministry were established in 1993.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Family Life Center was held in 1994. The church hired its first Youth Director and the first graduation from the elementary school that had grown to serve students through 6th grade was held in May 1994. In 1997, the Family Life Center was completed and dedicated; the elementary division of New Hope Christian School moved into the FLC; the Christian Education Director became a full time staff person; and the Comforting Ministry was established. Three young men were called to the ministry and one was ordained.
In 1990, Reverend Young directed the Future Development Design Committee of the ministry to add to the present ground and facilities a plan for the inclusion of a West campus which would have a worship facility, softball/soccer fields, tennis courts, picnic area, a half mile jogging track and additional parking.
The year 2000 brought inspiration and opportunity. Ten new deacons were trained and ordained into the ministry. The first scholarship fund for high school and college graduates was established and $5000 in scholarship money was issued to deserving students within the ministry. Reverend Young and his family celebrated their 20th year of pastoral service to the New Hope Congregation. New ministries and missions have been enacted to serve the church and the community, such as: AWANA Youth Ministry, Children’s Church, Community Outreach, Drama, Economic Development, Family Discipleship, Foreign Missions (Honduras & Malawi), Health Education Awareness, Marriage & Family Life, Membership Care/Visitation (staffed), Seniors, Singles, Social & Civics Concern, Support Groups, Wellness Wednesdays, and Young Adult ministries, just to cite a few. We also collaborated with Mission Mississippi in racial reconciliation.
Moreover, the decade 2010 earmarked special milestones: In 2010, New Hope Christian Elementary School received its accreditation. In 2012, New Hope Christian School celebrated its 30th year anniversary. In 2013, we celebrated our church’s centennial anniversary, and the Adult Small Groups Bible Study Ministry’s 20th year of service. In 2014, our Sunday School Ministry marked its centennial salute in continuous ministry for our church.
In the summer 2013, New Hope Baptist Church was the site of the first SEEK (Summer Engineering Experience for Kids) Program for girls with over 300 participants. In 2014, our church collaborated with the United States Department of Agriculture and the MS Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition to hold its first Summer Feeding Program for school-aged children. In 2015, the Health Awareness, Wellness Wednesdays and Youth ministries collaborated to launch our first Youth Vegetable Garden.
The church purchased the Jackson College of Ministry’s property at 1555 Beasley Road. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred on October 28, 2012. In 2015, we started the process of building a new worship facility. The “Blessing of the Cross” was held in the summer of 2016. The church held its first worship service in the new worship facility on Sunday, July 1, 2018 and held a special dedication service on Sunday, July 29, 2018.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches, schools, and businesses to close for much of the year. Our church responded by launching virtual worship services, weekly prayer calls, and online Sunday School and Small Groups Bible Study. Ministries adapted to meet both spiritual and physical needs: the Deacon Ministry collected tithes and administered communion through drive-through services; the Health Ministry hosted vaccine clinics and distributed masks; and the Education Awareness Ministry honored graduates and awarded scholarships. During this period, our church also served the community by providing meals to senior citizens, hosting food box giveaways, and distributing bottled water during Jackson’s water crisis. Through these efforts, our church truly became the hands and feet of Jesus.
Virtual services continued through 2021, with a full return to in-person worship in 2022. Worship services were streamed weekly via YouTube and Facebook Live, and the Youth Ministry was restructured with the establishment of a Youth Council that hosted Vacation Bible School, AWANA Bible Camp, a basketball camp, published a monthly newsletter, and coordinated a Back-to-School Weekend in the summer of 2025.
Our church remains “a going church to meet the coming Christ.”