With a few families, some hard work and a hope for the future, New Hope Wesleyan Church was formed. On July 14, 1994 Pastor Duane Brown and his wife, Patti were officially inducted by District Superintendent Ray Barnwell at Beulah Family Camp in Brown’s Flat, New Brunswick to minister as a Pioneer Pastor. Services were held at Jim and Heather Hockley’s home for several months until the Grand Opening Service, which was held on March 26, 1995 at the Coldbrook Community Center. After meeting in the Community Center for some time, the church moved to the Coldbrook Elementary School.

After four years at New Hope, Pastor Duane and Patti Brown felt the Lord calling them in another direction. In July of 1998 Pastor Scott Prime and his family (Shari, Seth & Samuel) arrived with full knowledge that God had placed the Valley on their hearts. A few months later the church moved from the school to the Wandlyn Inn in Coldbrook using the conference facility.In June of ’99 a group from Yarmouth Wesleyan Church presented “Butterfly Kisses.” The Lord moved and created changes in the lives of many. In the summer of 2000 the church moved again to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in New Minas. During this time the Lord blessed New Hope and attendance increased to about 65-70 from the earlier days of 20-30.

The Lord has performed many miracles for NHWC and the year 2003 was no exception. Property, New Hope had been praying for, was finally purchased immediately following the municipal rezoning in August of ’03. Several weeks later the heavy equipment began to shape the site and after a long hard winter of construction New Hope held its first regular meeting in July of ‘04. On October 3, 2004 a service of thanks was held for the many contractors and volunteers who made the dream reality. In the afternoon the building & land were dedicated to the Glory of God in a stirring service.

God continued to bless New Hope which saw steady growth in attendance from 70 to approx. 150-200 people. Many came to know Jesus as their personal Lord & Saviour and publicly declared their faith through baptism. As the church grew, Pastor Scott hired additional staff to oversee ministries and programs that were being offered. These were great days and we knew God was doing something special!

Under Pastor Scotts leadership he felt God directing him to plant a 2nd location in Kingston, NS to continue to spread the Hope of Jesus. We began by holding an 'Interest Night' on November 17, 2017 at the Credit Union Centre Arena to share the hopes and dreams of launching this location; 30-50 people were in attendance. Since the news was well received, we offered a weekly mid-size group (20-30 people) at the Pine Ridge Middle School on Wednesday evenings from January - April, 2018. Our time consisted of fellowship, worship, teaching and prayer. We went looking for a location we could call our own and the Lord blessed us with renting the old 'Sears' building in Kingston. Many people offered their time, financial gifts and resources to renovate the building. On Sunday, October 25, 2018 we launched our very first service with nearly 100 people!

God continues to bless New Hope with so many wonderful people that truly make it 'a hope-filled community'. Between our Kentville & Kingston locations, we have approx. 250-300 people that call our church home. We are making a Kingdom impact for good and for God both locally and globally. There is no denying the wonderful people, memories, connections and growth both spiritually & numerically, however we believe God is not finished yet. We need to remember our history, live in the present but keep our eyes on God, and trust Him with our future.

We believe God is calling us to launch a 3rd location at some point. Would you make it a point to pray with and for us as we seek to follow God's leading?
History has not always been history, at some point, it was the present, which later became the past. New Hope is living for Jesus in the present with an eye on the future. However, at some point, the present will be history. So why not consider being part of our present and future and then you will be part of our history!