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Hopewell was formed on July 10, 1910 under the guidance
the Holy Spirit, through the Rev. Frank P. Marshall. The charter members
included: Rev. Frank P. Marshall, Mrs. Otha Johnson, Deacon Lucky Bolinger,
Mrs. Betty Bolinger Martin, Mrs. Henrietta Smith, Mrs. Fannie Dowell and
Mr. Bobby Thompson. This group of charter members met in the old
News-Dispatch building on the 2nd floor. The name “Hopewell” was the
name of Rev. Marshall’s mother’s church in Rapid Dan, VA and was proposed
as the name of the new forming church and was rapidly accepted. After
worshipping there for about 2 months the parish moved to Clay
Avenue and
Fifth Street where measures were
taken to raise funds by sponsoring dinners, and soon they were able to buy
this lot on Chestnut Street
where our first and second churches were built. The first building was a
rough frame, 20 x 30 ft., erected during the latter part of 1912 and
dedicated on November
20, 1913
with a membership of seventeen. The members continued with their annual
dinners and through this channel the church was paid off. In June 1917, Hopewell’s first
licentiate, The Rev. J.E. Smith along with his wife and two daughters left
Jeannette to reside in Greensburg and
there formed a new congregation now known as First Antioch Baptist Church. This
caused our membership to decrease. But, five years later, 1922, the
membership had increased to 142, and the increase was attributed to the
fact that Hopewell was the
only black church in Jeannette. The old church building became too small
for the congregation and was torn down and a new cornerstone was laid in
May 1925. After 15 weeks, the members were able to meet in the new church
building basement for services on the third Sunday in December 1925. The new church edifice was dedicated on
the third Sunday in May 1926.
Hopewell
continued to grow under the leadership of Rev. Marshall, but his health
began to fail. On October
22, 1939,
Rev. Marshall went home to be with the Lord and on October 26, 1939 the founder and
builder of Hopewell Baptist Church was
laid to rest.
After Rev.
Marshall’s death the following pastors were called to lead our
congregation: Rev. E.E. Hamlet, Rev.
Beverly A. Taylor, Rev. Vernon M. Herron, Rev. W. H. Drayton, Rev. Robert
M. McCoy, Rev. Albert Gans, Sr. Rev. Gerald Smith, Sr., Rev. Richard
Freeman, Sr., and our current pastor, Rev. Anthony Murray.
Hopewell sons of
the ministry have included: Rev. William George, Rev. Guy McMillan, Rev.
E.W. Demps, Rev. Robert Williams, Rev. Albert Gans, Jr., and now we can
also add two daughters of the ministry in the persons of Minister Karen
Murray and Minister Shari Edwards.
Music has all ways
played an important part in our church which is evident by the many choirs
and music ministries we have had throughout these 95 years. They have
included the Senior Choir, The Bells of Harmony, Sunshine Choir, Junior
Choir, Youth Choir, Young Adult Choir, Mime Ministry, Praise Team, Mass
Choir and even though they say it was a one time thing, or even maybe an
annual event, this year we introduced a Men’s Choir. If you were a member of
Hopewell some 30- 40-years or so ago, you have to also remember the duet of
Mrs. Dooling and Mrs. Porcha who sang at Hopewell and area churches, with
their legendary song, “The Sun Will Never Go Down.”
Our ministries
have included: Deacon, Deaconess Board, Sunday School, Saturday
Church School,
Senior Missionary, Pastor’s Aid, Trustees, Nurses, Willing Workers, Junior
and Senior Usher Board, Kitchen Ministry, Prison Ministry Day Care Ministry
and Audiovisual and Tape Ministry
Vacation Bible
School was first instituted in 1956 and was
held the first two weeks in June under the leadership of Rev. Herron and
under the leadership of Rev. McCoy the first bible study began. Both of
these traditions are still continued today.
Hopewell has
been an active member of Allegheny Union Baptist Association or the AUBA
since 1914 attending yearly sessions, and the Annual Sunday School
Round-up. We are also actively involved with the Jeannette Association of
Churches and the Westmoreland Ministerial Alliance.
Many
renovations and additions have been made to beautify our church over the
past 95 plus years and the most recent include the installation of a
handicap ramp, new windows and the purchase of a new van. And in keeping
with the age of the internet, we also have a website which features a
monthly calendar, thought for the month, and prayer request link.
One of our
many theme’s that we have had throughout these 95 plus years is “Hopewell, we are
looking to do a new thing.” Some of the new things we have done here at Hopewell cam in
the form of the ordination of 3 deacons, 2 of them being women. In 2005 we
held a Weekend Leadership Retreat at the Mennonite Church Camp, in
Laurelville and observed our first Youth Revival.
So, as we
strive to carry on the work of those who had the vision to start this
church 95 plus years ago, we pray that God will continue to bless this
church and his people as we carry on their legacy of “A Church that was
Built on Christ.”
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