History

Hopewell Church has its origins in the strong Presbyterian faith and practice of Scots-Irish pioneers who helped settle middle Georgia in the 1820s.  Most of these settlers were children and grandchildren of families who had come from Scotland and Northern Ireland with their Presbyterian ministers to South Carolina in the 1700s, founding churches in Chester and Fairfield Counties, SC such as Unity, Hopewell, and Lebanon.  Many of these Presbyterians served in the American Revolution.    When their descendants migrated to Georgia, Presbyterian churches in the area were remote or nonexistent.  So, early worship services were held in homes where neighbors gathered to read Scripture, sing Psalms, offer prayers, and recite from the Westminster Catechisms.  From the beginning, instruction of children was a priority at Hopewell.  

On July 25, 1830, a group of Associate Reformed Presbyterians under the leadership of Rev. Henry Bryson met together and founded Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Newton County, Georgia.  A log structure was erected in early days, which was replaced by the present church building in 1856. Wanting to build both spiritually and literally on a firm foundation, only the best materials were used in construction of the new church; in fact, the structure survives to this day.  Also, a school was started in the 1870s, at first using the old log building and later moving closer to Covington.  Many residents of middle Georgia and other states trace their ancestors to Hopewell’s historic cemetery.