The Late Mother Willie Johnson

In the year of 1927, the late Mother Willie Johnson founded the New Hope Baptist Church after leaving the St. Joe Baptist Church of Galloway and moving to this community finding it without a place for Christian worship. Mother Johnson then began a singing choir, Sunday school and Wednesday night prayer meeting in her home with a band of children.

Later, Mother Johnson went to the late Mrs. Nannie Fairmon to get her permission to use the place where there had been a little church started, but the place had been wrecked and was used to house cattle. Then she, along with the aid of the children, cleaned the place and also purchased material to fix the floor and replace some of the walls. Later on, the place was rented for $6.00 a month from Mrs. Fainnon.