About us

Welcome!

New Hope Free Will Baptist Church has a rich heritage. The church organized in the mid 1890's, with a small group of charter members. Our knowledge of those early days is limited. However, according to oral tradition, the church began meeting in the old Shady Grove Schoolhouse.

   The property, on which New Hope now stands, was purchased on January 27,1909 for $12.00. Nestled in a grove of trees, the building was constructed in a shotgun architecture made from sawmill lumber planks and stone pillars. It was whitewashed and underpinned at a later time.

   That early congregation met for Sunday school and preaching twice a month and had revival once a year during the fall, after the crops were in. They endured the bighting cold of winter and the sweltering humidity of summer to worship.

   God has truly blessed New Hope Church with a godly heritage. From its humble beginnings to modern day, the Word of God has been preached faithfully, and souls have been added to the kingdom.

This excerpt taken from the pages of the Centennial Celebration of New Hope conveys it best:

Organized prior to the Spanish-American War, New Hope has remained undefiled and unwavering amid times of uncertain change.Through wars and rumors of wars, from times of want to times of plenty, for one hundred years, her light has remained unextinguished by the howling winds of time. She has stood, and continues to stand, a fortress in the midst of a raging storm.
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Staff

Take a minute and meet our staff. From senior adults to student ministry and every 
small group in between, our staff goes above and beyond to make much of Christ.

tom
malone

pastor emeritus

joanna
caira

secretary

craig
beecher

minister of christian education

david
dell

student pastor

Our
Statement of Faith

The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of New Hope Free Will Baptist Church.  

(A) The Holy Scriptures. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The Scriptures will be the supreme and final authority of our faith and practices. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

All educational programs or courses of instruction shall be conducted consistent with the teaching of the inerrant Word of God. Any assertion or belief which conflicts with or questions a Bible truth is a pagan deception and distortion of the truth which will be disclaimed as false. It is the responsibility of every instructor or teacher to present the inerrant Word of God as the sole infallible source of knowledge and wisdom. Female members of the church shall not teach adult Sunday School classes with male members on the roll (1 Tim. 2:12).

(B) The Godhead. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons”Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; 1 Tim. 2:5; Isa. 48:16; Matt. 28:19, 20; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gen. 1:1; John 3:16)

(C) The Person and Work of Christ.
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:35, 24:36-48; John 1:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death and shed blood on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7, 20; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5)

3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate and that He is personally, visibly, and imminently returning to this earth to establish his kingdom (Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16, 9:24; 7:25; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; 1 John 2:1-2, 5:20; Rev. 20:6)

(D) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 14:16-26; 16:7-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)

2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)

3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)

4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 13:8; 14:21-22)

(E) The Total Depravity of Man. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

(F) Salvation. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that those who would comply with the condition of salvation (faith) constitute His elect, and that God has given to man the freedom of choice (common grace) permitting him to yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit or to resist and perish. We believe that God desires the salvation of all people everywhere. (John 1:12; 3:16; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 1 Pet. 1:18-19)

Security of the Believer: We believe that the Word of God teaches the security of the believer, that God will keep securely in His hand (John 10:25-30) those who are trusting in Jesus but offers absolutely no hope for that person who is not trusting in Christ (1 Peter 1:5). The link that unites God and man is faith (John 3:16). The security of the believer is based upon a continuous faith in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:21-23; John 3:16; Hebrews 3:12-13). We believe that the Scriptures present the possibility of an authentic believer ceasing to believe (1 John 2:24; Hebrews 3:12-14) but not in the probability (Hebrews 6:9). We believe that apostasy is committed by willful unbelief and is without remedy (Hebrew 6:4-6).
 
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

(H) Sanctification. We believe that every believer is sanctified in Christ at conversion; that this sanctification continues during the Christian life as the believer grows in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; and that it is completed when the believer stands in the presence of Christ, either at death or at the rapture. (1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:10; Phil. 3:12-18; Heb. 12:23; 1 John 3:2)

(I) Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy and all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)

 
(J) The Church.
We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
 
We recognize water baptism (by immersion, for believers only), the Lord's Supper (which is to be open to all born-again believers present), and Feet Washing, as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; John 13:3-17.)

(K) The Eternal State. We believe in that "blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Jesus Christ. (1 Thes. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-15)
 
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they consciously await their bodily resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thes. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
 
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
 
(L) The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a being, a fallen angel, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)

(M) Creation. We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. God's creation was perfect, but became marred by man's sin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Rom. 5:12)

(N) Civil Government. We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)

(O) Human Sexuality

1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-10; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

2. We believe that the only Scriptural legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10-11; Eph. 5:22-23)

(P) Family Relationships

1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)

(Q) Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, however, those who are divorced or married to one who has been divorced shall not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

(R) Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

(S) Euthanasia. We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Ex. 20:13, 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

 
(T) Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)

(U) Lawsuits between Believers. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

(V) Missions. We believe that God has given the church the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to reach our local, regional, national, and global communities with the gospel. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

(W) Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as the foundation for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)

Faith

Faith is the cornerstone of our church. It is part of every activity that we do, every meeting that we hold. We believe in our Lord, and that our actions are a reflection of his goodness. 

Scripture

We look to the Lord for guidance in our lives. In Scripture, we find all that we need to guide us in the right path. Reading and understand Scripture helps us all live meaningful lives. 

Community

Join us. We welcome each and every one of you to encounter the Lord's unconditional love with us. Inside each of us is a purpose and meaning to be fulfilled by God. 

Youth Ministry

Youth is a unique period of life, one filled with exploration, discovery, excitement and fulfillment. New Hope Student Ministry provides a nurturing, loving environment for young people exploring the world. It is a safe place where Scripture guides exploration and finding Christ. 
MEET DAVID

Children's Ministry

The Gospel has a message for everyone, of every age, and in every language. Exposing your child to the Lord's path when they are young gives them guidance, hope and strength that lasts a lifetime. To learn more, be in touch with one of our Pastors.  
CONTACT US
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