A JOURNEY OF FAITH: DOCUMENTING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ODYSSEY: An Epic of Black Church History
And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
Mount Hope Baptist Church: An Introduction
Spanning more than a century of service as a community of faith, we are honored to share our African American history and heritage at Mount Hope Baptist Church. Sober reflection of our Christian epic incontestably reveals that our family of faith was birthed from the womb of both a heinous yet heroic social and spiritual milieu.
Nonetheless, in the crucible of their social contexts, the heroines of our history irrepressibly stood against the backdrop of the Emancipation Proclamation to bring about a social and spiritual renaissance for a people fresh from the cradle of American colonialism. Though ours were humble beginnings, we took the raw material of our faith and transformed it into a usable Christian experience.
While much of the documented history of our ecclesiastical experience is unfortunately forever lost due to a church fire, this succinct ecclesial archive seeks to share our African American odyssey as a rich tapestry of African American Baptist clergy, spiritually wedded to an indefatigably prolific people of faith. Out of gratitude to God for their journey beneath the umbrella of divine grace, they labored to make an indelible impression on the social and spiritual vitality of the church and community.
Today, the fortitude our forebears fire our imagination with their unimpeachable anointing and irrevocable commitment to our family of faith and the community in which it continues to give witness. Our more than a century of service and holistic witness is nothing short of inspiring.
Early Church History and Church Administration
Organized as a faith community in 1878 under the name Bethel Church by our founding visionary and Negro preacher, Rev. Peter Berry following the Civil War, Mount Hope Baptist Church traces its religious roots to a Holly Brook brush arbor in Prince George, Virginia and remains one of the oldest African American churches in the county.
During the early church administration of Rev. Peter Berry, the old Bethel church edifice was demolished and a new wood frame church building was erected in the name of Mount Hope Baptist Church. Named among early church trustees under Rev. Berry were Nick Allen, Frank Claiborne, and Alex Williams.
Mount Hope Baptist Church Fire
Between 1948 and 1953, a church fire completely incinerated the church under the administration of Rev. B.T. Stark. However, in the same year of the church fire, the church was completely rebuilt as a wood frame structure due to the generosity of the community.
Chronological Registry of Church Leadership
The following is a chronological registry of Black Baptist ministers who served as pastors of Mount Hope Baptist Church through the years. Their legacy of leadership navigated our church family through often socially and politically turbulent waters and we salute their illustrious leadership.
Rev. E. H. Jackson, 18 years. (Dates Unknown, Considered early 1900's)
Rev. Wilton Cooke 1944-1947.
Rev. B.T. Stark 1948-1953.
Rev. Joseph Beatty 1964-1973.
Dr. Robert A. Johnson 1974-1999
During the twenty-five year administration of Dr. Robert A. Johnson, many new ministries were established and the Church was completely renovated. This renovation was a major undertaking which included lengthening, widening and bricking in the church. A fellowship hall was also added which is now named in honor of our Pastor Emeritus, Dr. Robert A. Johnson.
Reverend A. Carl Prince, 2001-Current
Following the retirement of our former pastor at eighty-five years young, Mount Hope Baptist Church called Reverend A. Carl Prince to serve as its first 21st century Undershepherd. Pastor Prince holds the distinction of being a second generation Baptist Minister and the first African American Baptist Minister to serve on the Richmond City Council in Richmond, Virginia.
Since his arrival at MHBC, Pastor Prince' energetic, enthusiastic and gregarious approach has demonstrated a passion for people across the social spectrum. Not only does he possess a strong passion for youth and young adults but we are gratified by his inter-generational approach that allows him to affectionately embrace all people regardless of intellect, income, age, ethnicity or infirmity.
Since his arrival at MHBC, Pastor Prince' energetic, enthusiastic and gregarious approach
has demonstrated a passion for people across the social spectrum. Not only does he possess
a strong passion for youth and young adults but we are gratified by his inter-generational
approach that allows him to affectionately embrace all people regardless of intellect, income,
age or infirmity.
Pastor Prince is an able administrator, fiscally responsible and a consensus builder who leads
with distinction. His commitment to official leadership development, ecclesial education and
exposure caused him to lead a 12-member delegation of key church officers to the National
Baptist Convention USA, Inc. in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2004 and to Atlanta, Georgia in 2005.
Over the past five years Pastor Prince innovative style has led the church to restructure,
reinvigorate and establish many ministries in the church. These include but are not
limited to the following:
Established a strong executive board to facilitate church administration
Hired the first Pastor of Christian Education, Pastor of Congregational Care and Director of Music Ministries
Appointed new trustees, and ordained new deacons including the first 18 year old
Led the church to remodel the administrative offices and church sanctuary
Purchased state-of-the-art electrical instruments, e.g.-(88 Key Keyboard, drums, etc.)
Procured multi-passenger transportation for the church transportation ministry
Created a nontraditional outdoor worship service
Established many new ministries including a mentor ministry for youth, fine arts ministry, web-based
ministry, visiting historically black college and university (HBCU) choral
ministry and others.
Interim Ministers
Interim Ministers who served our congregation include Rev. Browder, Rev. George Stith, Rev. Parham and Rev. B.F. Gardner. While the dates of their service are unknown, we are deeply indebted to these clergy who provided interim assistance to the church as MHBC went in prayer for its next Undershepherd.
If you have information about our church history and heritage, including old news articles, photos, official church records, deeds, receipts, or know names of former church officers, we'd certainly like to hear from you.
If you are aware of prominent members of our congregation from the past, or can share historical insights on our African-American odyssey that has significantly shaped our past, please let us know. If you have questions or comments regarding our historical highlights or wish to request them for reproduction purposes, all inquiries should be emailed to hope@mounthopebaptist.org
Thank you for visiting our church archives and we hope this historical record of our Black religious experience has assisted you in retrieving information on our nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century church history. Also, we warmly welcome you to join us for worship at Mount Hope Baptist Church. Blessings!
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