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New Hopewell Baptist Church 190th Anniversary Celebration
New Hopewell Baptist Church would like to invite members, former members and guest to come celebrate with us, our 190th anniversary on Sunday June 14th, 2026. This is a huge milestone for us to be celebrating 190 years as a congregation. We are located at our original location, at 943 Kimberlin Heights Rd. Knoxville, TN. 37920.
New Hopewell Baptist started when two pioneer mountain preachers, Rev. James Lankford and Rev. William Billue came through this countryside, found a little one-room log schoolhouse, determined to start a revival. Shortly after, on May 8th, 1836, under the guidance of these two preachers, New Hopewell Baptist Church was organized with an initial congregational membership of 62 members. In October 1836, an application was made, and granted, to join the Tennessee Baptist Association.
Rev. Billue moved on to found other churches, while Rev. Lankford remained at New Hopewell for the next 14 years. With the aid of 2 other Reverends, Jeremiah Johnston (probably Johnson) and Jesse Burnett, the church continued to grow. New Hopewell has weathered a civil war, 2 world wars, civil rights, and everything in between from then to now, and remains a beacon of God's grace through Jesus Christ and fellowship for the community for 190 years. There are grave markers in our cemetery that house the remains of congregation members going all the way back to the civil war. We hope that with God's leadership, guidance and blessing, we remain to be that beacon for many more decades to come.
We will hold Sunday morning service beginning at 10 am on June 14th. Our current Pastor, Brent Forsythe, will introduce our former interim Pastor, Carrol Golden who will lead the service. Heartland Quartet will perform gospel music and there will also be a historical audio video presentation. After the service, we will take group photos and have a banquet. The meat will be provided by Hardwood BBQ, and families will bring covered dishes for an old fashioned Baptist covered dish luncheon. Afterward, the church trustees will open the church time capsule (located behind the church cornerstone). The congregation and guest will review the contents, as well as add new content to it, and reseal the time capsule for future generations.
