Meet Our Staff

Senior Pastor- Braden Martin

Pastor Braden and his wife, Morgan, are originally from Central Louisiana. They have 3 kids- Evelynn Claire, James Titus, and John Thomas. Pastor Braden completed his undergraduate studies at Louisiana College and obtained his MA in Ministry Studies at Grace Theological Seminary. His hobbies include outdoor adventure sports of all types, spending time with family, and hanging out with friends/church family.

Pastor of Youth and Young Adults-

Children's Director- Lisa Dale

Administrative Assistant- Katherine Houser

Music Director- Barry Clontz

We believe that God has placed our church here at this specific time to do a great work, not only in our community, but also in the world around us. The purpose of Hopewell Baptist Church is to worship God, to love all people, and to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ together.

Our Mission and Vision

Join Our Community Today

Welcome, and thank you for visiting Hopewell Baptist Church online. We hope that our website showcases the diverse range of worship, fellowship, and service opportunities available. Please feel free to read more about our church on this website or visit us in person. We would love to greet you and share with you our love for Jesus Christ and you, our neighbor.

Our History

In 1870, the Civil War was over. The people in the Hopewell Community were mostly small landowners. The people mostly farmed for a living. Transportation was by horseback, buggy, and wagon. People walked a great deal, the roads were narrow and muddy, and not well-maintained. A few devoted Christians were concerned about the lack of spiritual life in the community. There was no Baptist church within a radius of 6 miles, and the conditions of the roads made travel impossible for people to attend church services. A small group of people had been worshipping in a brush arbor near the site of the present church. They met in December 1870 and drew up a resolution that proved to be the beginning of Hopewell Baptist Church. James and Mary Farr donated the land for the first Hopewell Church building. Later, some land was given for the cemetery by Marry Patton, John Beach, Bob Williams, and Horace Williams. Logs were cut on the land given to the church and dragged to the building site by two oxen owned by Jim Deal. The church was built of hewn logs, and scored to a thickness of 9 inches for the walls and daubed with mud. The shingles were hand-hewn. Byard Grady had charge of the board making. Joe Grady made the seats. Money for the nails and benches was donated by physician, Dr. Laubacker. In 1902, the log building was replaced by a wooden frame building. It seated about 200 people. In 1922, a 10-foot addition was built to the church, a bell was purchased, and a bell tower and front porch were built. Ten Sunday school rooms were built on the north side of the church in 1928. A well was dug in back of the church in 1929. The first sermon was preached in the new church on April 1, 1902, by Reverend P.J. Shell. In June of 1948, plans were made to build a new church. The grading for the new building began in March 1949. The church's auditorium seated over 300, and a baptistry, 12 Sunday School rooms joined the church and a roomy basement provided for additional growth. A Hammond organ was purchased for the church. Dedication services for the new church building were held on October 9, 1949.