Our History

Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church was organized on July 14, 1974. The first members met at the home of Bro. and Sis. J.D. Woods. The members soon met with the late Rev. Lorenzo Hartfield and asked him to become their pastor. He told them, “If you are willing to suffer, I will stay…So let’s organize!

During a service at the Woods residence, prayer took place and the Lord inspired Pastor Hartfield to establish a name in which he stated, “Our church must have a name and we will call it the Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church.” After that Pastor Hartfield appointed his officers: Bro. Troy Washington as Deacon Chairman, Bro. Coran Wade as Sunday School Superintendent, and Bro. J.D. Woods as Treasurer. Later, the Church Clerk was appointed as Sis. Velma Stone.

Powerful prayer meetings were held every Wednesday night at the Wood’s home and within the first week of reorganizing, Rev. Hartfield and Bro. Woods began searching for a place to worship. They inquired concerning the old H.E.B. store on Elm, but God said, “No.” They also tried the Spring Street Baptist Church and God said, “No” again. Then Pastor Hartfield was called out of town on business and Bro. Wood continued to search for a place that would be a Greater New Light in the City of Waco. The Holy Spirit led Bro. Wood to a church on Morrow Avenue where he saw a “For Sale” sign on the building. When Rev. Hartfield returned from business, Rev. Summers told them the building was for sale and that the Greater New Light congregation could join them in worship until they moved into their new edifice.

For approximately two months both congregations met in the church on Morrow Avenue and by September, Rev. Summers and his congregation began to do street ministry. On October 15, 1974 the late Rev. R.L. Castle III and the late Moderator R.L. Bailey came and presented Pastor Hartfield and the members of Greater New Light with a $1,000 check from the Foreign Mission Board. In December of 1974, Pastor Hartfield and the Greater New Light Church Family gained full possession of the building and Rev. Summers and congregation moved into their new building. On December 31, 1974 Pastor Hartfield said, “We’re going to sing and pray all night long giving praises to God for what He has done up to now and in what He will bring to pass in the New Year.”

The following lay minister, assistant pastors and deacons labored under Rev. Lorenzo Hartfield’s tenure. They are: Lay Ministers- Rev. J.L. Oliver, Rev. N. Neal, Rev. O.D. Terrell, Rev. E.W. Clark, Rev. Elyard Vaughn, Rev. Larry Davis, Rev. Kenneth B. Hall, Rev. David Kirksey, Rev. Matt Jackson, Rev. C.J. Oliver, Rev. Melvin Petty, and Rev. Nero D. Foster. Assistant Pastors – Rev. O.D. Terrell, Rev. E.W. Clark, and Rev. C.J. Oliver. Deacons –Bro. Troy L. Washington, Bro. J.D. Woods, Bro. Coran Wade, Bro. Robert Robinson, and Bro. Leslie Nichols. Bro. Harold Carter joined as a Deacon and was ordained by Rev. O.D. Terrell at Lover’s Leap Baptist Church.

In 1991 Rev. Hartfield’s health began to fail and he resigned from Pastoral Leadership. At that time he recommended that he become Pastor Emeritus and that Rev. C.J. Oliver become Pastor. The church body agreed with Pastor Hartfield and Rev. C.J. Oliver became the 2nd Pastor of Greater New Light M.B.C. in May of 1991.

Under Pastor Oliver’s Leadership the following ministers have served: Rev. Melvin A. Petty, Co-Pastor; Rev. Nero D. Foster, Rev. Chester J. Jordan, Rev. Damien Wallace, Rev. Carl O. Oliver, Rev. John D. Burton, Rev. Henry E. Sharp, Rev. Michael J. Whitney, Rev. Anthony W. Burrus, Rev. Robert W. Fraga, Rev. Jimmy Ross, Min. Byron C. Shaffner, Min. Samuel R. Browning III, Min. J. Brandon Baggett, Min. Timothy Williams, Min. James A. Armstrong III and Rev. Bradley Thompson Sr. Associate Ministers Rev. Nero Foster, Rev. John D. Burton,  Min. J. Brandon Baggett and Rev. Bradley Thompson Sr. -were ordained under Rev. C.J. Oliver. The following Deacons were ordained by Rev. C.J. Oliver: Bro. Jimmy Webb, Bro. Andre’ Ewers, Bro. John D. Burton, Bro. Mark Solomon, Bro. James Porch, Bro. Lonnie Alexander, Bro. Michael Love, Bro. Craig Attaway, Bro. Samuel Batiste, Bro. Willie Clayburn, Bro. Alexander Fisher, Bro. Wykoff McAdams, Bro. Andrew Moore, Bro. Morgan Stevenson, Bro. Jeffery Terry, and Bro. Robert Williams.
 
The Lord inspired Pastor Oliver to read Isaiah 54 and he told the congregation that we would have to enlarge out tent. On December 31, 1997 the Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church moved from 1421 Morrow Avenue to a much larger facility located at 925 North 18th Street. In January of 1998, Greater New Light’s administration began the process of incorporation and by the end of the year, we became the Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church of Waco, Incorporated.