Early Beginnings
New Hope Community Church began in the early 20th century as Memorial United Brethren Church in Bryan, Ohio. The church was formed by a group of residents who had been associated with the United Brethren denomination at various other locations and had relocated to Bryan. An old Universalist church building in downtown Bryan was purchased and they met at this location for approximately 50 years.

In 1970, an offer to purchase this first building was accepted, and the congregation began looking for a place to build a new facility with the obtained monies. Although there were a couple of alternatives, a location in the then new Bona Vesta subdivision on the northeast side of Bryan was chosen. A building of a little over 4,000 square feet was constructed, and the congregation, averaging about 50 in attendance at worship services, made the move to this facility in 1971, renaming themselves the Bona Vesta United Brethren Church.

A Gradual Decline
Over the next years there was a gradual decline in the attendance and membership of the church. This was partially due to the hidden location of the church, accessible only from within subdivision. There was no direct access from Highway 127, a highly traveled road that runs along the complete front of the subdivision. Even though only one row of lots separated the church acreage from the highway, the fact that there were homes, trees, and other buildings on these lots, totally restricted line of sight from the highway to the church building.

By 1984, Bona Vesta United Brethren Church had evolved into a very aged congregation. Average attendance was under 30. The church was part of a circuit with the Stryker United Brethren Church, with the pastor living in Stryker. There was discussion at the conference level on the continuing existence of this congregation. Most of the congregation realized that they could not continue in their present mode much longer.

Making Changes
In 1984, a proposal was made by the North Ohio Conference to the Bona Vesta United Brethren Church that they become a Church Extension project. The North Ohio Conference stationed Richard Thorp at Bona Vesta United Brethren Church with an agreement that the conference would assume a portion of his support for a period of three years, with the amount of this support declining each of those three years. On Pastor Thorp’s first Sunday in July of 1984, there were sixteen present other than himself, and all sixteen were women.

Attendance had hit its low point, but began to grow. For all of 1984, the average worship attendance was 33, for 1985 it was 53, and for 1986, the average was 71. During this time, a sense of excitement began to build as new life came into the congregation, as well as an awareness that additional facilities were needed. A building committee was formed and some building options were considered. It was also at this time that the three year commitment from the North Ohio Conference ended and, on July 1, 1987, the congregation became officially self-supporting.

The date of July 1, 1987 also had additional significance as Pastor Thorp resigned to pursue another Church Extension project. On August 16, 1987, Pastor George Kreger, previously co-pastor of the Lake View United Brethren Church, accepted the pastorate in Bryan.

A third significant happening during the second half of the summer of 1987 was the beginning of a building project at the church. This involved the addition of about 1,400 square feet of classroom space, as well as an effort to change the appearance of the church so that it faced Highway 127. The house directly in front of the church had previously been purchased by the church and, in 1986, several trees and bushes, as well as a garage and a small building had been disposed of. Two driveways had been tied into Highway 127 and a large parking lot between the highway and the church installed. A large, lighted sign was placed along the highway calling attention to the church in 1987 as the building project was taking place. Visibility had been greatly enhanced and as the building project progressed, those on the highway saw the front of a church building and not the back.

1988 saw the growth continue as an average of 98 was achieved. 1989 resulted in an average attendance of 132, and 1990 saw this jump to 151. These years saw the congregation broadly expand its ministries as well as modernize its facilities. A commitment to ministry and to excellence was very prevalent.

A New Name
In 1991, due to the fact that the church was averaging 150 people on a Sunday in a 5,700 square foot building, a very challenging building project of 14,000 square feet was embarked upon. The project included a 400 seat worship center, nursery, classrooms, and an office. With tremendous involvement and sacrifice from the congregation, over 12,000 hours of donated labor, this building was dedicated in fall of 1993. Concurrent with the occupation of this new building, the church changed its name from Bona Vesta United Brethren to New Hope Community Church, accurately reflecting its renewed hope for the future as well as its desired outreach into the community.

The investment in this facility made it possible for New Hope to continue to grow while at the same time greatly expanding its ability to offer greater ministry opportunities. It wasn't long before the church added a second worship service and began planning its next expansion.

As the congregation grew throughout the 1990's, another building project was planned which would more than double the available ministry space for the ever-growing children and student ministries. A ground breaking ceremony was held in October of 2000 in the 6.5 acres just northeast of the original church building. Because of its location across the street, the new building was named the North Campus while the original building became known as the South Campus.

During this phase, the church added a third Sunday morning worship service to accomodate the growing attendance. Construction of the North Campus was completed in 2002, giving us 28,000 additional square feet of space for classrooms, a gymnasium, an auditorium, a kitchen, and offices.

Continued Growth and Ministry
As God continues to bless New Hope, we continue to work hard to provide relevant ministries and facilities for them to take place in. Our attendance is averaging above 800 and continues to steadily increase. Spiritual growth and ministry opportunities continue to be offered on an ever-increasing basis. We've recently completed a 1,000 square foot addition to our nursery and an extensive renovation of the children's preschool wing. Further renovation and building plans are in discussion as we strive to be faithful in ministering to those who God sends us.

We praise God for His many blessings and look forward to an exciting future as we seek His leading.