What we believe
We believe that the whole Bible (Old and New Testament) is the perfect Word of God, written by men's hands under the influence and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. We believe the Old Testament prophets made many prophesies about the coming Messiah, and that Jesus is the fulfillment of those prophesies, as witnessed first-hand in the New Testament. We believe that Jesus is the living Son of the living God, and that He came to earth, born of a virgin, both fully man and fully God, who came to live a perfect, sinless life so He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins... the only acceptable sacrifice to God the Father. Jesus was tortured and crucified to pay for our sins, and then He rose from the dead after three days in the tomb to sit at the right hand of the Father. If we admit our sinfulness to God and put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, the Bible says our sins will be forgiven and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ so whoever hears it might believe in Him and have the assurance of heaven.
Core Beliefs
While New Hope Baptist Church is an independent body of believers, it is also associated with Baptist Bible Fellowship International. As such, we agree with, and follow the BBFI Articles of Faith as summarized below...
To learn more about Baptist Bible Fellowship International's Articles of Faith, go to www.bbfi.org.
Bible: We believe in the authority and inspiration of the Bible as God’s Word.
Trinity: We believe in the triune nature of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Salvation: We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ: We believe in the deity, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit: We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers.
Church: We believe in the universal Church and the importance of the local church community.
Baptism and Communion: We practice believer’s baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper.
Spiritual Growth: We emphasize discipleship and ongoing spiritual growth.
Unity and Love: We strive for unity, love, and reconciliation among believers.
Great Commission: We are committed to evangelism, missions, and making disciples.
These core beliefs shape our faith, worship, and mission as a church.
Church History
New Hope Baptist Church is a Bible-centered family of believers united together in fellowship to fulfill the work of the church of Jesus Christ. We began as Fort Wayne Baptist Temple located in a storefront at 600 East Washington Street, under the leadership of Pastor Charles "Chuck" Smith. From the earliest days, the members had a vision to grow the church to the glory of God.
After outgrowing the first location the church moved to its second location, 2000 Fairfield Street in 1957. The church continued to grow, and in 1960 moved to the third location at 1101 Maumee Street. After four more years of God’s blessing, it was time for the church to move yet again to the fourth location in 10 years, 1118 Spring Street.
The Lord continued to bless and the membership continued to increase as souls were being won to the Lord nearly every week. In 1968 the church purchased a plot of land at 3200 Hillegas Road and began building a new church building there. In 1969 it was completed and the church moved in.
The church continued to experience God’s blessing and continued to grow. A Christian school was added and the Lord continued to bless. Then, in 1999, after a period of major change (both in the community and the church ministry), a decision was made to close the school.
After closing the school, it was determined that it was time to relocate the church once again. This time a new building was built on a new plot of land. At that time the church also voted to change our name to New Hope Baptist Church.
The building on Hillegas Road was sold to the city and we began construction on our present building at 8918 Aboite Center Road. The Lord continues to bless the ministry of the faithful members of this loving church family to this day.
In 2003 Pastor Chuck Smith retired from New Hope after leading the church for nearly 40 years.
Shortly thereafter Pastor Denny Feasby was called as pastor. Under the leadership of Pastor Denny the church continued to serve God faithfully. The church went through many changes over the next decade. Pastor Denny led the church at New Hope to exalt Christ, encourage others, equip believers, and evangelize the world through its missions program.
The missions program continued to grow and the church experienced two great missions trips to Gutemala, and one to Mexico. Many lives were forever changed through the missions ministry of New Hope.
In 2013, after a decade of leading New Hope Baptist Church, Pastor Denny Feasby retired.
Pastor Rob Bogle, who had served at New Hope for over seven years as youth pastor, was called as senior pastor in March of 2014. Pastor Rob led New Hope to connect with people to find hope in an active and growing relationship with Jesus Christ until May 2019 when he was called to another ministry.
Our Leadership
Larry Myers — Deacon
Larry joined New Hope way back in 1972 when it was called Fort Wayne Baptist Temple, which was the original name of the church when it was founded. Larry graduated from Tennessee Temple College in 1968, and then served two years in the U.S. Army before moving to Auburn with his family in 1970. He was married to his loving wife Peggy for 48 years until her passing in 2015. Larry has one daughter, two sons, and nine grandchildren. During his many years at New Hope he has faithfully served as deacon, junior-high youth leader, choir member, and Sunday school teacher.
Steve Hill — Deacon
Steve joined New Hope in 1990 when it was still called by its original name, Fort Wayne Baptist Temple. A believer since the age of 16, Steve is passionate about serving the Lord and our congregation in many capacities, as well as taking his enthusiasm and upbeat personality outside the church walls in his work as a business consultant. He is married to Jackie, and together they have a daughter and three sons.
Doug Dark — Deacon
Doug moved to Fort Wayne in 1997 with his wife Christine and his two young sons. They joined New Hope in 1998 and have been faithfully active in the church ever since. In addition to being a husband, father, grandfather, and devoted Christ-follower, Doug is also an integral member of a long-running small group, as well as being an outdoor enthusiast and avid runner.
Ravi Patnam — Deacon
After receiving his Master of Science (MS) degree in Connecticut, Ravi and his wife Anu moved to Fort Wayne in 2015 to pursue a career in technology. They joined New Hope that same year and have been faithful, active members in the church. Since that time, they have grown to be a family of four with a daughter and son. Ravi is a devout believer and follower of Jesus. He leads the Men’s group on Sunday and is a member of the small group prayer circle. Ravi is also pursuing his Master of Divinity (M.Div) degree at Wesley Seminary. He has a particular love for the first two commandments and passionately tries to follow them.