New Hope Baptist Church was organized on March 4, 1922, when a few devout men and women met in a vacant store on the corner of McDaniel and Berckle streets in the Pittsburgh community of Atlanta. They were a committed band of Christians, having first organized a neighborhood mission that held Bible readings and prayer meetings during the week and on Sunday. Among them were ministers: J. H. Brown, George Godfrey, Luther Johnson, John Henry Mann, W. M. Owens, Isaac T. Turner, and two who preached on alternate Sundays, Moses Hart and W. M. McKibben. The deacons were Idus Hood, D. M. Maddox and J. S. Parks. Other members included Hattie Mann, the wife of Rev. Mann; Sallie Turner, the wife of Rev. Turner; Willie Parks, Thomas Parks, Ella Armstrong, Inez Maddox, and Inez White. The congregation was broadly representative of Atlanta’s African American community. The church selected as its pastor the Reverend Isaac T. Turner, who was an ordained minister. In time, the membership erected a tent and later a tabernacle, larger temporary structures to house the growing congregation.

Later, New Hope purchased a dwelling at 771 Coleman Street and converted it into a church. This was the congregation’s first building, a simple one-room structure that had held about seventy-five people. Although the physical accommodations were modest, the church pursued its mission in the community with deep commitment. Rev. Turner continued as pastor of New Hope until his death on June 14, 1944.

On December 10, 1944, New Hope selected the Reverend Robert Nathaniel Martin as its pastor. Rev. Martin at the time was the pastor of Neriah Baptist Church in East Point where he continued to pastor on the second and fourth Sundays, presiding at New Hope on the first and third Sundays. Under Rev. Martin’s administration, New Hope Baptist Church grew in Christian service. Every Tuesday night, the Mission went from home to home reading the Bible and holding prayer meetings. Composed of men and women, the Mission also faithfully served the sick. New Hope was considered a freehearted church. New Hope extended its involvement in church and civic organizations.

New Hope Baptist Church grew greatly during Rev. Martin’s administration. The membership, which had grown to 550, became too large for the Coleman Street building.

In 1956, New Hope moved to 236 Richardson Street, a Mechanicsville community church that had previously been occupied by a White congregation. The church continued to grow. With plans for expansion, New Hope purchased the adjacent lot at Richardson and Pryor streets in 1981. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new building was held in April 1987. On January 17, 1988, the congregation moved into the new sanctuary.

On October 1, 1990, after forty-six years of dedicated service, Rev. Martin retired as the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. Ministers James H. Pullin and C.E. Maddox served as presiding ministers in charge of the pulpit until the Reverend Dennis J. Byrd began his pastorate in July 1991. He added to the church several ministries. In May 1992, the original sanctuary was converted into the I. T. Turner Fellowship Hall, and a new kitchen was added. The fifteen-year mortgage on the new church building was paid off in 1995, seven years early. During a turbulent time in the church’s history, the church conference removed Rev. Byrd from the pastorate on August 2, 2000. The church doors remained shut for two Sundays.

Rev. James Linwood Fields, Jr., the youth minister and minister of Christian education, was chosen as interim pastor until his selection as the pastor of New Hope in June 2002. Pastor Fields was installed on August 25, 2002. With Pastor Fields’ guidance, the church now had a vision: To Build Christ-Centered Communities that will Devoutly Love, Follow, and Model Christ. The church family looked to Pastor Fields, her shepherd, to lead the congregation to new heights of Christian service and community involvement through the expansion and enhancement of New Hope’s outreach activities for both youth and adults. God has blessed New Hoped down through the years; God has provided us with marvelous resources to carry out our Christian responsibilities.

Pastor Fields guided the church in its vision to build Christ-centered communities that will devoutly love, follow and model Christ. In November 2016, Pastor Fields moved from earthly labor to his heavenly reward.

After much prayer and careful consideration, New Hope was blessed with its fifth Pastor.

Pastor Camile C. Holmes. He began his tenure in January 2018 and we are looking forward to progressing spiritually, numerically and financially under his leadership.

To God Be the Glory!