Shortly after the close of the war between the states, a small group of Baptists felt the need for a Baptist Church. On August 2 1869, this group met in the Dubose Methodist Church house which was a small log building located about one mile and a half from the present location of New Hope Baptist Church. The presbytery serving in the organization of the church consisted of the Elders E.M. Knowls, W.B. Womble, and W.M. Davis. The church was constituted with seventeen charter members.
Charter members were: G.G West , Benjamin F. Gough, Maryanne E. Gough, Holley K. Gough, Lucy Jones, Julie A Cheshire, Louisa E. George, Edd Houston, Maryanne E. Bush, Sarah West, Epsy J. George, Cloie C. Houston, Edward S. Cheshire, W.R. George Sr., J.A. George Sr., Harriet Holley, Alpha A. George.
The first officers to be elected to serve New Hope Church were deacons W.R. George and J.A. George. E.s. Cheshire was chosen as Clerk. Rev. E.M. Knowles was called as pastor. The week following the Constitution of the Church a Revival meeting was held and forty two members were added to the church. This brought the total to fifty-nine of which three were African Americans.
During the first sixteen years of it’s history, New Hope Church worshipped in the Methodist Building where the Church was constituted. In 1885 the first church building which was to be the home of New Hope Baptist Church was completed and on February 22, 1885 the building was formally dedicated. This was during the first pastorate of Rev. J. E. Dykes . This house served the church for sixteen years and in 1901 during the third pastorate of Rev. Dykes a larger and more substantial building was erected.
Forty six years later, in 1947 the leadership of Rev J.S. Hartisfield, a third house was erected and is the one New Hope is presently worshipping in. During the first sixteen years after the church was organized, the Methodists and Baptists had a joint Sunday School. On April 24, 1886, a Sunday School was organized in New Hope’s own building and never in the history of New Hope Church has the Sunday School been inactive.
The pastors who have served New Hope through the years are: E. M. Knowles, J.S. Parker , W.B. Womble , J.V. Tipton , J.M. Jones, J. E. Dykes, R.C. Poole, J.W. Martin, W.O. Crumbley, J.P. Souls, E. M. Palmer, R.D. Dodd, R.E. Zaxhert, D.T. Cox, Searcy Garrison, D.E. Blalock, W.T. Roberts, Pope Hulett, Peirce Edmonds, Claude Barfield, Marion Cates, Danny Gray, Richard Blevens, Gordon L. Brooks (interim), Charles A. Swan, H. Eugene Bess Jr. ,Terry Rainwater, Wayne Shelton (interim), Robert J, Bauer, Michael Ohaneson (interim), David Cummings, Shawn Bruce (interim), Parrish Myers, Mick Gardner, Jimmy Harris (interim), Matt Bonnette (deployed to Iraq) Dr. John Mourey (interim),Matt Bonnette, George Atherholt (Transitional Pastor), Scott Dobson, and currently searching for interim pastor.
