History of newhope church

September 1998 - March 2009

The conception of newhope church began in September of 1998 as Dr. Benji and Amy Lynn Kelley lived in the Graham/Burlington area of North Carolina. It was during these days that they finished their degrees from Duke University, had their first three children, and God started planting the vision of newhope in their hearts!

While serving at Salem Church, Pastor Benji simply could not shake the burden of starting a new kind of church in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, and surrounding areas. The vision of newhope was a burning passion during these early days, though the birth of this church would not take place for 3 years.

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. The BPP only accepts 15 - 20 pastors each year from around the world. If one is accepted, he/she joins an elite group of pastors who are granted full tuition, full housing, books paid in full, and all expenses paid to travel around the world and study the best of the best churches and learn from many of the most effective pastors and communicators in the world today. Fortunately, Pastor Benji was accepted into this program. As a result, the Kelley family loaded up a U-Haul truck and with their three children, Anna Grace, Benjamin Cole, and Wesley Jacob, they set out for Wilmore, Kentucky. Pastor Benji's doctorate is in church leadership and biblical preaching.

The entire Beeson Pastor Program, in the words of Pastor Benji, "Was a priceless opportunity to focus all of my attention and efforts on strategically planting this new church for the cause of Christ." As Amy Lynn worked tirelessly raising the three Kelley kids, Pastor Benji took a full-time course load while traveling around the world every three weeks learning best practices from some of the most effective churches around the world.

On May 25, 2001, they 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 Core Visionary Team would start 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 5 main areas, namely relevant Worship Celebrations, authentic community through Small Groups, Children's Ministry, Student Ministries, and HOPE Missions.

The first outreach took pace of 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 and refreshing to local residents. A simple label was attached to the bottle, which read, "No strings attached, God loves you www.newhopenc.org."

Over the course of the next six months the Core Visionary Team grew from 5 to 30. Between November 2001 and January 2002, newhope church strategically publicized the upcoming birth of this baby church to be launched on January 22, 2002. Appearing in newspaper ads, radio spots, and multiple mass mailings, newhope blanketed the community with their message. Simply put, "Reach, Teach, Release." Accompanying this vision was the Dream below:

newhope church