New Hope Presbyterian Church

05/28/2023

Our annual Pentecost photo!

05/27/2023

08/08/2022

Today, we welcomed Ronnie Pittman as the newest member of New Hope Presbyterian Church!

06/06/2022

2022 Pentecost congregation (minus a few who left before our photo).

04/10/2022

You are invited to join us at 10:45 today, April 10, for our Palm Sunday service.

03/02/2022

You are invited to join us as we begin the Lenten journey to Easter with the Ash Wednesday service today, March 2, at 5 p.m.

12/30/2021

The congregation of New Hope Church has sadly lost one of its precious members. Following an extended period of declining health, Peggy Pennel McCord passed away December 27, surrounded by her family.

Peggy was a loving wife and mother. She was married to William Albert McCord for 36 years, before his death in 1995. They were the proud parents of four children, Ann, Bill,
Alex and John. They also had two granddaughters, Isabel and Maxine.

Alex described his mother as “devoted”. “If we didn’t have it, she got it, she made it, or she created it. We didn’t do without.”

Peggy was also known throughout the area for her amazing talent as a musician. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Lindenwood College in St. Louis, MO and her master’s at Florida State University. Peggy taught organ and music theory at both Hinds Junior College and Northeast Junior College. Throughout the years, she touched the lives of many young piano students to whom she taught private lessons. In addition, she played organ for First Methodist Church in Booneville, First Presbyterian Church in Corinth and First Baptist Church in Booneville, where she retired in 2016.

It was during her time at First Baptist in Booneville that Peggy came to know choir member
Sarah Rhodes. Upon hearing of her passing, Sarah said, “She was one of the most accomplished and forever humble musicians I ever knew. A sweet, sweet spirit.” (by Barbara Keenum)

12/10/2021

The passing of Mrs. Doris Brawner, Sunday, December 5, was met with great sadness by the New Hope Church family and the Biggersville community, as well.

Until declining health necessitated a move to Oxford to be near her family in 2017, Mrs. Brawner had lived her entire life in the heart of Biggersville. She graduated from Biggersville High School in 1948, married her husband James William Brawner, who predeceased her in 2010 after 59 years of marriage, and together, they reared their three children, there.

She was a lifetime member of New Hope where she served in many different positions. She taught Sunday School, served as chairperson of the church’s 175th Anniversary Celebration in 1988, and was elected to serve as Elder.

She taught history at Biggersville High School for 28 years, before retiring in 1992. During her tenure, she was named Star Teacher and most recently, received the BHS Alumni Appreciation Award in 2021.

A true southern lady, Mrs. Brawner was warm, loving and kind to all those she encountered. A former student and former columnist for the Daily Corinthian aptly described her as a “shadow” teacher. According to his memories, Mrs. Brawner “never wanted to be in the spotlight. She seemed to prefer to stand in the shadows, behind you or beside you, but she was nonetheless always there for you. She did not try to impress you with her knowledge. Instead, she had a way of making you feel good about yourself. She made you feel special.”

Mrs. Brawner influenced the lives of many through her walk in this life, but none more than Charlotte, Bruce and Bill. Her love for her children and, in later years, her grandchildren and great grandchildren was obvious to all who knew her.

Without a doubt, each of us has an unforgettable memory of her. Today, let us rejoice and be glad as we reflect on those.

(by Barbara Keenum)

04/25/2021

12/26/2020

Bruce Gordon It is easy to believe that the John Calvin of legend sought to excise anything men and women might associate with joy and celebration. Even his contemporaries imagined his supposedly theocratic Geneva to be a gloomy haven for killjoys, and at one point it was widely rumored that the Fre...