New Hope CMC has a long history of evangelical service. Like many "small country churches", our roots date back to the late 1700s when circuit riders traveled village to village spreading the gospel message.
Originating as part of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1868, both the church building and the congregation have undergone many changes in the efforts to fulfill our mission of spreading God's love throughout our local community. In the early 1920s, the then "Gore EUB Church" joined with 3 other churches within a 5 mile radius to form the Gore Charge. It was about this time the church became known as Otterbein.
In 1968, Otterbein, along with its 3 sister churches joined with the Methodist Conference to become United Methodist churches. Over the years, each of the churches experienced aging buildings as well as dwindling membership which caused concerns that one or more may need to close its doors. After careful consideration and lots of prayer, three of the churches decided to merge and form a new Christian ministry and founded New Hope UMC on September 1, 1990.
New Hope, now a member of the Congregational Methodist Church, has undergone many changes since the early settlers began gathering to listen to those traveling circuit riders. The original log building and early frame style buildings are long gone, as are the founding families and initial members. But, having been formed by those who had a vision for the church to become and remain strong for their children and future generations, our dedication to our local community remains just as strong now as it always has been. We have one simple hope: to see people come to know Jesus Christ and grow in their Christian faith. Our focus is to share God's love by spreading His gospel message to others.
