About
New Hope | Church Covenant | What
We Believe
About
New Hope FWB Church
 Welcome
to New Hope Free Will Baptist Church. We are affiliated
with the National Association of Free Will Baptists which
has a fellowship of over 2,400 churches in 42 states
and 14 nations around the world. But more importantly the
members of our local congregation meet to worship God and
fellowship with each other every Sunday morning. We would
like to invite you to join us!
A
little bit of history...
New
Hope traces its origins back to 1965 when Rev. Lloyd Plunkett
was appointed and hired by the National Home Missions Department
to plant a Free Will Baptist church in the Seattle area.
After moving here with his wife, Betty, and getting started
by making contact with interested parties, advertising,
visiting door-to-door and home prayer meetings, the first
official worship service was held on November 14, 1965.
The
church began to grow slowly but steadily and on February
26, 1967 was officially organized as First Free Will Baptist
Church of Seattle with nineteen charter members. The group
then purchased a church building located in Burien. After
this the church was able to grow more rapidly. In July, 1976
Pastor Plunkett resigned and Rev. Millard Sasser came to
pastor the church the following January. The church continued
to have success at reaching people with the gospel.
 Pastor
Sasser resigned in May, 1978 and for a period of about
two years the church was unable to find a pastor. During
this time the church decided to move to the Kent area because
most of the families attending lived in that vicinity.
Several preachers filled the pulpit during this time, most
notably Rev. Holt Seawell who became interim pastor from
June to December 1980. This was a difficult period for
the church.In December, 1980 Rev. Plunkett returned as
pastor. Though still renting meeting places, the church
was able to purchase an older house on two acres at 13414
SE 272nd St. on the east hill in Kent which is the property
we currently own. The house (aka "the Homestead") was used as the
parsonage for the Plunkett family and as a meeting place
for Wednesday night prayer services and church activities.
The church also eventually settled in at Kent Commons as
a regular, long-term meeting place for Sunday services. These
developments afforded some stability and the church was able
to rebound somewhat. It was during this period that the church
decided to take the name New Hope Free Will Baptist Church.
In
late 1992, after accepting a post from the National Foreign
Missions Department, Pastor Plunkett resigned. The church
called Rev. Brent Nix to be pastor and he and his family
came in September, 1993. After considering different options,
the church decided to begin meeting in the former parsonage
on Sundays instead of renting. This necessitated extensive
remodeling which was largely completed in the fall of 1999.
The
church is now saving money to build a larger meeting
place to accommodate growth, Christian education and fellowship
activities. In the meantime we are preaching and teaching
the Bible, developing small groups, distributing literature
in the community, inviting our family and friends to
church and whatever else we can think to do to reach people
with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our vision and our prayer
is that God will use New Hope Free Will Baptist Church
to expand His kingdom in Kent and the surrounding communities.
Pastor
Brent Nix
 Pastor
Brent Nix has been serving New Hope Church since September
of 1993. He was raised in Alabama growing up in a Free
Will Baptist Church there. After graduating from high school
and seeking the Lord's will in his life, he attended Free
Will Baptist Bible College located in Nashville, Tennessee.
There his eyes were opened to the fact that not all communities
and cities around the United States have as many Bible
believing, gospel preaching churches as in the South. God
began working in his heart about some of the areas in the
country where Free Will Baptists needed to establish more
of a presence for the Lord.
In his freshman year he met Kristina, they began dating
and later became engaged. In his sophomore year, he felt
God calling him to preach and responded to this call. Upon
graduating with majors in Bible and Pastoral Training in
1985, Brent married Kristina. They remained in Nashville
in order for Kristina to complete her degree in Christian
Education.
In 1987, after she finished her studies, they moved to a
rural community outside of Nashville where Brent became youth
pastor for Mt. Zion Free Will Baptist Church. While there,
they were blessed with a son and two daughters - Eric, Ashley
and Megan. After serving at Mt. Zion for six years, New Hope
Church called Brent to be their pastor.
Knowing the need and wanting to make a difference, Brent
accepted the call. They packed up and made the two thousand
plus mile journey to the south Puget Sound region. Though
challenging at times, the Southern boy has thoroughly enjoyed
his experience in the Great Pacific Northwest and is looking
forward to seeing how the Lord will use New Hope Free Will
Baptist Church to help reach Kent, Washington with the gospel.
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