OUR CHURCH HISTORY

Bishop Stanley B. Searcy, Sr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri to the late Argentor Searcy and Lillie Gaylor Searcy being the eighth of eleven children. His family later moved to Natchez, MS where he attended school. He was called to the ministry in 1982 under the ministry of Bishop Philip Coleman, Greater Bethlehem Temple in Jackson, MS. He is a very loving father and grandfather. He was joined in Holy Matrimony to Brenda Searcy November 22, 1991 while living in Mobile, Alabama. She was born in Natchez, MS to Richard Jackson, Sr. and Berniece Cole Jackson, being the third of seven children. She was called to ministry in 1991. Both their beautiful mothers are members here at New Hope.

While living in Mobile, Alabama divine order from God was given in 1993 for them to move back to Natchez, MS. After reluctantly returning back to Natchez, they began to host several bible studies in Natchez, Vicksburg, and Jefferson County areas until 1996. He was assistant pastor of Zion Mt. Baptist Church for several years under the leadership of Rev. John H. Hawkins and youth pastor of St. Peter’s Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Joseph Gibson. They hosted a live radio broadcast on WTYJ 97.7 between 1995-2000 called “A Voice Crying In The Wilderness” until it began broadcasting live at the church.

They founded New Hope M.B. Church on January 26, 1997 and it was established and opened its doors on February 9, 1997 with over 300 in attendance that first service. About 1100 were added to the church by the end of that year. The white wood frame building was originally built by Mr. Tullie Seale in 1949. It housed other churches and businesses as well as the Thomas Jefferson School, which is now the Adams County Christian School. In 1997 the Deacon Board, Mother Board and Sunday School Department were established. Due to tremendous growth, in 1998 Bishop Searcy, being visionary that he is, led the church to purchase 25 acres of land adjacent to the church for the building of a new facility. Bishop Searcy, believing in being faithful over that which God has already blessed him with, led the church in renovating the existing sanctuary before beginning the new. Renovation started and ended in 1998 and the process for the new facility started.

To accommodate the growing membership in 1998 the church began having 11am and 6pm services. This same year the youth church was established with the ages 13-21. The nursery began operation, serving children age 5. The women’s and men’s ministries were started along with the prison ministry. November 8, 1998 the church began broadcasting its service live from the church on WTYJ 97.7.

Bishop Searcy, through the divine leading of God, began network in 1998 with the Cathedral of The Holy Spirit in Atlanta, Georgia under the leadership of Bishop Earl Paulk. On August 24, 1999 the church purchased two continental buses, which have allowed us to travel across the country to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By faith ground breaking took place on September 14, 1999 for the new facility. On October 3, 1999 our Upper Room Children’s Church was established serving children from the ages 6-13.

March 2000 the church began its own Network of Churches, now called Kingdom Covenant Churches, which began with Living Gospel Outreach Church Int. Inc. in Auchi, Nigeria and there took its first missionary trip the same year lead by Bishop Searcy. After seeing the work Bishop Searcy was doing, he was ordained Bishop on October 4, 2000 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Atlanta, Georgia. The church purchased television cameras in 2000 and began airing on the local public television station channel 4. Also in 2000 the Deaconess Board was established. April 2001 Bishop Searcy led the church’s first missionary trip to India, and established the first New Hope Church there and ordained 4 pastors. At this point there are over 1700 members added to the New Hope M. B. Church. On April 15, 2002 , the street ministry began.

On May 16, 2002, the construction for the new sanctuary began and on March 23, 2003 we sanctioned the old facility as the Children’s Church under the leadership of Pastor Charles and Sis. Denis Credit and marched from the old sanctuary to the new to begin our first service. On April 27, 2003, we held the dedication service for the new sanctuary. In 2005 we renovated the old facility to accommodate the New Hope Daycare and Learning Center, which now employees a staff of seven. In January 2006, the building of the Gerald Owens Distribution Center began along with a fellowship hall. We are also in the process of building 20 apartment complexes on the hill adjacent to the church and this is only the beginning.

Bishop & Co-Pastor Searcy’s desire is to spread the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to win souls for the Kingdom and to bring a Kingdom Connection throughout the world. Their pursuit is accomplishing all that God has sent them to do and hearing him say, “Servant well done.” They realize that nothing is possible without Christ. Bishop Searcy’s motto is: Whatever He tells me to do I’m going to do it. In Jesus Name!