In March 1977, Roy Lamberth, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Fern Creek, and his associate, Dr. Larry Hart, started Our Saviour Baptist Church as a mission of Trinity Baptist Church. Our Saviour Baptist remained a mission for about six months before becoming totally autonomous. Dr. Hart became the first pastor of Our Saviour Baptist and remained so until July 1979 when he left to become a professor at Oral Roberts University.
Our Saviour Baptist owned no property and met in various buildings for approximately four years. After Dr. Hart left, Bill Searcy became the pastor and stayed for one year. After he left in late 1980, Dr. Rod Buckson, an Elder at Trinity, became the interim pastor until June 1981 when Dr. Carroll Parish assumed the pastorate. In December 1981, the church’s name was changed from Our Saviour Baptist Church to New Life Church. Dr. Carroll Parish remained the Senior Pastor of New Life Church until January 2003 when his elder son, Timothy, became the Senior Pastor.
The present property
at 3402 Goose Creek Road was purchased in the fall of 1983. A farm
house on the property was used as an office until the Sanctuary building
was built. The current Sanctuary building was occupied (although
unfinished) in the fall of 1984. The
Gymnasium and Education building were built in 1987.
Because the church had never borrowed money and therefore had no credit rating, the local banks were hesitant about loaning money for the construction projects without personal guarantees, which the church was not willing to do. The church sold bonds to finance both building programs. Each was paid off within the fifteen-year time allotted. The houses located on either side of the church were purchased in the fall of 2002. A major renovation of the sanctuary building occurred during the summer of 2003. When our new sanctuary was occupied in August 2007, the old sanctuary became the Chapel and is used by the youth and children’s ministry.
