The Mount Hope Baptist Church was founded on November 20, 1858 near Mannboro, Virginia. H.C. Gregory donated two acres of land on which the first house of worship, a frame building, was soon built. The pastor was the Rev. Gilbert Mason.
By January, 1859, the church had added seventeen new members to its original membership. The first record of a Sunday School at Mount Hope is from May 19, 1866. T. B. Sadler was elected as Superintendent, with R. W. Gill as Assistant Superintendent and E.L. Cousins as Clerk. Fifty-one years later, in 1917, a Womenâs Missionary Union was organized.
On March 18, 1956 the Mount Hope Church building was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning from a thunderstorm. Plans were made for a building program to replace the lost structure, and on July 14, 1957, a new church building was dedicated debt-free.
In 1990, the church embarked on another building program. The cornerstone was laid during the churchâs revival in 1991. Much of the labor and the materials for the new addition were donated by members and friends of the church. When completed, it housed a kitchen, handicapped-accessible restroom, fellowship hall, two classrooms, a computer room, and a furnished pastor’s study. An outside ramp makes the building accessible to the handicapped. On February 19, 1993, the new addition was finally ready for full occupancy and use.
Official records and documents concerning the history of the Mount Hope Baptist Church are currently being preserved at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society. These records cover the years 1858-1951 and 1952-1974.
