{"id":2,"featured":0,"modified":"2023-05-27 20:35:30","latitude":30.7346539771956,"longitude":-88.0557271460739,"title":"The First Hopewell Baptist Church","address":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/lanternwalk.mctswhippets.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/c94ca2cbd131e994e0be5d3324e1926b.jpg","creator":["Mobile County Training School Alumni Association"],"description":"<p>The congregation here is literally founded on the strength of a community coming together: <strong>Rev. J.S. Hannon<\/strong> organized the new Sunday Mass here with <strong>Brother Limmie Kennedy<\/strong>, but it was with the assistance of pastoring by <strong>Brother W.T. Thomas<\/strong> from <a href=\"https:\/\/lanternwalk.mctswhippets.org\/items\/show\/4?tour=1&index=4\">Yorktown Church<\/a>, <strong>Brother Thomas Wiggerfall<\/strong> from <a href=\"https:\/\/lanternwalk.mctswhippets.org\/items\/show\/5?tour=1&index=5\">Union Baptist<\/a>, and <strong>Brother McGadney<\/strong> from Hall Chapel (now known as First Baptist.)<\/p>\r\n<p>The church here opened a new Event Hall in February 2023 to continue to serve the community outside its own walls. Today's pastor, <strong>Rev. Lamar Brady<\/strong>, envisions the new hall as a gathering place for the community to eat, socialize, and share in Christian fun.<\/p>","sponsor":"","subtitle":"","accessinfo":"","lede":"When fire ravaged the MCTS building in 1915, First Hopewell came to their aide, just as other churches. They donated the original Africatown Bell to MCTS when the school could rebuild.","website":"","related_resources":[],"files":{"http:\/\/lanternwalk.mctswhippets.org\/files\/fullsize\/c94ca2cbd131e994e0be5d3324e1926b.jpg":{"id":13,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"First Hopewell \u2014 the first church on the Lantern Walk route","thumbnail":"http:\/\/lanternwalk.mctswhippets.org\/files\/square_thumbnails\/c94ca2cbd131e994e0be5d3324e1926b.jpg"}}}