New Hope Freewill Baptist Church
1734 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130
Church Vision
Our vision is to have a church embodied by believers who are devoted to living by the Word of God and to remain in constant fellowship with the family of God. We believe that as we do these things, the Lord will "add to our church daily those who are being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)
Church History
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
New Hope Freewill Baptist Church began with 3 members in the basement of Pastor Williams’ home on Sunday, January 24, 1990. Pastor Williams and his family held worship services in their home until they were able to purchase the old Ridge Movie Theater at 1734 Ridge Avenue in May of 1990. God gave our Pastor a vision to construct ministries in order to meet the needs of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. So when the New Hope family moved into their new building on July 1, 1990, they settled right down to work..
To this day we continue our original mission of providing food and clothing to those in need (especially those living in nearby shelters) all the while offering Jesus Christ to all who are without hope.
Pastor’s vision of ministering to the whole person has led to a number of different ministries over the years. Physically speaking, the Bible says that our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” and because of this, much emphasis has been placed on properly caring for the body. In 1994, New Hope housed a Community Health Fair sponsored by Temple University. We have also taught Bible-based Weight Management Programs where people came and learned the proper ways to eat, exercise and achieve overall better health.
New Hope has also historically been a church that nurtures the emotional well-being of a person. Wednesday night Bible Studies have tackled such issues as dealing with the detrimental effects of anger, guilt, and depression. We have also studied the individual temperaments of the congregation to foster greater understanding and unity among the members.
In order to provide training for all areas of life, Pastor Williams utilizes the special skills and training of gifted church members to educate others. For example, accountants and bankers have held seminars on financial responsibility, debt reduction, and budget planning. We have also invested a large amount of Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons tutoring children from the community in reading and math, and computer literacy. In addition, New Hope is a certified Adult Literacy Center, endorsed by the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy.
Of course the most significant ministry of New Hope centers around the spiritual nurturing that is lavished on the church family. Pastor Williams continuously teaches us how to go through the daily challenges of life. His most recent sermon series came from the book, The Purpose Driven Life.
Throughout the years, through every trial and every triumph, the family of New Hope Freewill Baptist Church has remained committed to building up the kingdom of God and offering Jesus Christ’s message of hope to all who will hear. Thank you for taking the time to explore our past, and we presently invite you to join our family and experience the magnificent future that God has in store for us!
Copyright © 2004