We are the church where the light of Christ shines bright and the people of God will treat you right!
During the mid-eighteen hundreds the community surrounded by Franklin Avenue, St. Claude Avenue, Poland Avenue, and Galvez Street continued to grow and soon felt the need for a benevolent society. The Washington M.M.A.A. was organized and operated from the Washington Hall that was located where the church now stands.
Being led by the Spirit of God, the officers and members of this society established a Baptist Church in the community. On July 25, 1881, the New Light Baptist Church was organized and built on the hallowed grounds of 1435 Feliciana Street.
By the early part of the 20th century the church was firmly established in the community and continued to aid and support those who were in need within the church, community, and city. During this time, the church continued to experience exponential growth so much so that it became necessary to demolish the old edifice and rebuild on the same site. It became evident that there was a need for a larger and more modern facility. The outcome of this building project produced our current edifice which was dedicated on March 31, 1968.
In March of 2020, like many other churches around the country, New Light was forced to cease in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. To ensure that our members remained connected, we began live-streaming to bring Sunday Morning Worship Services and Light in the Word Bible Study into homes. Additionally, we expanded Intercessory Prayer and Sunday School on conference call lines. Despite the challenges of being apart from one another, in true New Light fashion, our members have remained engaged and faithful to God and this ministry.
After over a century of faithfulness to God, evangelism, teaching, preaching, nurturing and discipling, the New Light Baptist Church continues to stand as a strong point and beacon of light in the community, ever mindful of the spiritual as well as the human needs of the individual. We are proud of our history; face the future boldly as we continue to write subsequent chapters in the life of this church. We are well aware of our responsibility to “God”, our members and the community. In the words of the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Church of Philippi, we determined to “press toward the mark of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus.”
“We have come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word, He has never failed us yet!”