HISTORY

HISTORY

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The people of Cunningham community had long cherished the idea of establishing a church. But, for the lack of leadership, little had been done to make the dream a reality. In 1948, when Bro. Lloyd Ashby and his family returned to Cunningham from Florida, several persons discussed with him the desire to begin a church. They asked him to become leader of the movement and to serve as pastor should a church be organized. Bro. Ashby prayerfully considered the need for a church in t he community. On Sunday, September 8, 1948, a meeting was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hatton Bateman, Sr. At this prayer meeting, Bro. Ashby accepted the leadership role to build a new church. On September 15, 1948, a number of people gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bryant and organized Hopewell Baptist Church. There were 20 charter members of the newly formed church. Mr. and Mrs. Hatton Bateman, Sr. donated 1 acre of land and made a generous contribution toward construction of the church.

Work was begun on the church foundation and basement in the fall of 1948. On January 9, 1949, the first service was held in the newly constructed church basement. Bro Ashby's text was taken from Psalms 126:3, "The Lord hat done great things for us; whereof we are glad". In the spring of 1949, work was begun o n the church auditorium, and on July 31, 1949, the church was completed and the dedication service was held.

During it's early years the church continued to grow, while building and updating the facilities to meet the needs of the congregation. Bro. Ashby retired as pastor of Hopewell on December 31, 1985, with this last Sunday as pastor being December 29, 1985. He served the church faithfully for 37 years. Since Bro. Ashby's retirement, Hopewell has had six pastors including our present pastor, Bro. John Black who preached his first sermon at Hopewell on September 27, 1998.

As the church continued to grow in membership, it became necessary to plan for the construction of a much larger church to serve the community. Led by Bro. Black and other devoted church members, plans were approved and construction began on the new church on September 10, 2001. Many hours of toil and sweat were generously given by Bro. Black and the membership during the next year to bring about the completion of the new 12000 sq. ft. church building. The new structure has 13 classrooms, a full basement, a large fellowship hall complete with kitchen, and a sanctuary that seats just under 300 persons.

Dedication ceremonies for the newly completed building were held on October 6, 2002. On dedication day, an overflow audience enjoyed an abundance of powerful preaching, singing and an enormous amount of food. During the last 55 years, the church membership has grown to over 175 active members. God continues to bless Hopewell with good attendance and faithful church members!

Ever looking for our Lord's return, Hopewell will continue to preach the Word, support missions, and exhort each other to greater Christian service. We have truly learned to appreciate our friends, neighbors, fellow churches, and all those who support us by their prayers, their presence, and their tithes and offerings. The Lord has been good to us over the last 59 years. For all His continued blessings we are truly thankful.