Our History
Check out this video and read our timeline below to follow our story as it evolved over the last 8 years.
A Dream
In 1998, Dr. Benji and Amy Lynn Kelley were residents of the Graham/Burlington area. During this time they both were graduates of Duke Divinity School and had welcomed their first 3 beautiful children (Anna Grace, Benjamin and Wesley). While serving at Salem Church, God began planting the seeds of newhope in their hearts. A vision to start a new kind of church to reach the triangle area emerged. Although this vision was a burning passion during these early days, the birth of this church would not take place for 3 years.
Preparation
It has often been said, “God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” As Pastor Benji contemplated the launch of a brand new church, he sensed a great need for further education, learning and equipping. In 1999 he applied to the prestigious Beeson Pastoral Program (BPP) at the Asbury Theological Seminary near Lexington, Kentucky. He joined an elite group who traveled around the world studying the best churches and learning from many of the most effective pastors and communicators in the world today. As a result, the Kelley family loaded up a U-Haul truck and with their three children, they set out for Wilmore, Kentucky. The entire Beeson Pastor Program, in the words of Pastor Benji, “was a priceless opportunity to focus all attention and efforts on strategically planting this new church for the cause of Christ.”
Birth
newhope arrives! The Kelleys arrived in Chapel Hill and moved into their first home on 108 Nuttree Lane. The third floor became affectionately known as the “Upper Room”, out of which a Core Visionary Team would birth newhope. From May 25, 2001 to January 27, 2002 Pastor Benji met with this Core Visionary Team in the Upper Room. These Sunday evenings were powerful celebrations of worship and leadership development. From moment one our pastor cast vision for a high impact church grounded in biblical truth and focusing on five main areas: relevant Worship Celebrations, authentic community through Life Groups, Children’s Ministry, Student Ministries, and HOPE Missions.
Core Team
The first outreach took place on July 4, 2001 as the Kelley family handed out ice-cold water bottles at the Chapel Hill Fourth of July Parade. The water bottles were free with a simple label that read, “No strings attached, God loves you www.newhopenc.org.” Over the next six months the Core Visionary Team grew from five to 30. Between November 2001 and January 2002 newhope church prepared the community for their January 22, 2002 launch via newspaper, radio, and mass mailings. They blanketed the community with their message, simply put, “Reach, Teach, Release.”
Launch
After relentlessly pursuing multiple locations from which to launch this church, Pastor Benji and the Core Visionary Team decided the perfect location was East Chapel Hill High School. Through prayer and wonderful people like Principal Dave Thayden and Betsy Harvey, this public school location served this community well for two years. In an interview, Pastor Benji declared, "We knew East Chapel Hill High was a public school during the week, but on Sunday mornings, we firmly believed the auditorium and common area became a house of God as people worshipped Jesus and the Holy Spirit descended each and every week." The Core Visionary Team was blown away as God drew 607 people to our very first Worship Celebration. Pastor Benji says, "I remembered praying like never before. 'Please let somebody come,' and then the greatest scene unfolded as I looked out at the parking lot at the long concrete sidewalk, and the cars and people began arriving as far as the eye could see." The first message and series, from the book of Acts, was titled, "Do It Again, God!" Over the course of the next two years we witnessed over 100 baptisms with Amy Lynn Kelley being one of the first! The church community grew in attendance and faith. However, as 2003 came to a close we were made aware of the school district policy that churches should stay no longer than two years. This was a frightening time in the life of our church, for we had no idea where we were going to worship.
Ghimgoul Road
One day while jogging with John Durbin, the local priest of Saint Thomas Moore Catholic Church, our pastor learned of a church sanctuary at 740 Gimghoul Road becoming available for rent. The two pastors put their minds together and in no time, newhope church and the Raleigh Diocese of the Catholic Church had worked out a lease agreement so that our church family could transition from East Chapel Hill High School to Gimghoul Road. Following Vision Day 2 (our annual anniversary), the community immediately loaded two large U-haul trucks and drove the short distance to Gimghoul Rd. It was an exciting day as our young church had a more permanent location. God had blessed us once again! Location, strong growth, and discipleship continued to be hallmarks of this movement.
Secure our Post
In 2004, a relationship with Dr. Craig Dunn, the CEO of the Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF), was established. Through the generous support of newhopers, a gracious gift of one million dollars, and the Wesleyan Investment Foundation, newhope was able to put a stake in the ground and claim 27 prime acres of land three-quarters of a mile from the Streets of Southpoint Mall. This land was nothing less than a miracle and an answer to prayer. Since then, we have secured an additional nine acres for a total of 36 acres of land in the heart of North Carolina.
Garrett Road
In 2006, the old Catholic Church was sold to a local Chapel Hill resident and newhope was forced to move for a second time. Once again, through God's providence, Pastor Benji met another pastor and this partnership provided for newhope to rent the Garrett Road location near highway 15-501 and Duke University. At this third location, we witnessed amazing growth, both in people being saved and committed to Christ, and also in racial and socio-economic diversity. This is a core value we fully embrace. During 2006 - 2009, our leaders and staff worked with POLYCON and Pat Morgan Architectural Service to develop a five-year Strategic Ministry Plan (SMP). The result was not only a ministry plan for all 36 acres, but an incredibly designed 36,000 square foot Phase One building to the glory and honor of God!
Central Campus Opens
On Sunday, March 15, 2009, the newhope community of faith moved from the Garrett Road location and opened her new doors at the Central Campus near the Streets of Southpoint. The newhope volunteers and staff could not be more pleased with what had taken place over the course of the first year in our building! At the end of the day, newhope church can only be described as a "God Thing." Any words, stories, or adjectives fall woefully short of what has taken place since 2002. In eight short years, we have seen steady growth averaging between 40 - 59% annually, with 97% growth during our first year in the new building! Thankfully, that growth is not just in numbers but involves: salvations, baptisms, life groups, ministry participation, newhopers actively engaged in investing and inviting their friends to Christ and/or the newhope environment! We praise God for this harvest! We are blessed to have front row seats as God struts His stuff and blows our minds every step of the way.
We exist to:
- Reach people for Christ...
- Teach people the Bible...
- Release fully devoted followers and other churches to the glory and honor of Jesus...
We give thanks to Almighty God and promise to keep lifting Jesus up, trusting that God will continue to draw all men/women to Himself. (John 12:32)
Garner Campus Opens
God opens another newhope door! On September 19, 2010, newhope church became “one church, multiple locations!” when New Life Church in Garner became newhope Garner. With the same interior, same exterior signage, same worship team and the same message being shown via video on a large screen, the newhope church DNA was duplicated, and in 6 short months attendance grew over 300% to meet the spiritual needs of more and more of the Garner community.
iCampus Online newhope Community Launches
On October 3, 2010 a third campus opens - the internet campus, a virtual community where newhopers and newcomers sign on to worship together via live streaming video and fellowship via live chat. The iCamous experience is intended for those traveling, home sick, or just on those days when you need to stay in. It is never intended to replace the live worship experience, but it sure comes in handy at times. It’s also a great way for people living far away to experience newhope. And lastly, it’s a wonderful opportunity for people wanting to check out Christianity or newhope church from a distance before actually attending a worship celebration. iCampus is live online at www.newhopenclive.org on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm.
Time Warner Cable TV Ministry Begins
Starting September 19, 2010, one could not turn on the television Durham County, Orange County and Southern Wake County areas without seeing newhope church’s catchy commercial come on. The commercials promote the church as “as where reverence meets relevance” and newhope’s mission to change lives. In December of 2010, the commercials also began to announce that newhope’s worship celebrations would soon be available on Time Warner Cable's Channel 24 on Sundays at 10am. And on December 12, 2010, the first hour long Sermon spot ran, further expanding the potential to reach more and more people for Christ. Pretty cool that people in the Durham and Raleigh areas can attend newhope church in the comfort of their own home!