Glorious Hope Missionary Baptist Church

In 1942, the late Pastor C. W. Wynn organized the Robin Springs Baptist Church which originally was located in a house on Plummers Lane. Led by Pastor Wynn, Robin Springs Baptist Church erected its first building in 1947 at 1076 Gilmers Street and adopted the name of Glorious Hope Baptist Church.
The first deacons to be ordained by Pastor Wynn were Oscar Ridley, Carl Reese, Jesse Calhoun, Sr., Charlie C. Grady, Deacon Holloman (all are deceased), and Jesse Calhoun, Jr. Deacon Holloman served as Glorious Hope’s first Sunday School Superintendent. The original church members consisted of the following: Sis. Blanche Wynn, Sis. Riley, Sis. Isabelle Boyd, Sis. Vergie Bell Calhoun and Sis. Holloman (all deceased). Pastor Wynn continued his pastoral duties until his death in 1965.Following Pastor Wynn’s death, Pastor John W. Durden, leader of Southside Baptist Church, was appointed Glorious Hope’s pastor.
Deacons ordained by Pastor Durden included Jimmie L. West, Sr. (deceased), Lynn Chatfield (deceased), James Mitchum (deceased), Ernest Braswell, Jr. (deceased), James Battle, Robert Brooks, Robert Calhoun, Darryl Braswell, Robert H. Morris, Jr., and Glen Braswell. Deacon Clifton Clay joined by letter (now deceased).
In 1971, Glorious Hope and Southside Baptist merged under the leadership of Pastor John W. Durden. Following the merger, additional property was purchased, and the sanctuary was renovated. Pastor Durden took upon himself the responsibility of building a new church and encouraged his followers to work towards that goal. After searching for a building site, the church decided upon 1159 Scotland Avenue. Although the first attempt to purchase the property was unsuccessful, in February of 1993, God made it possible for Glorious Hope to purchase the property. The groundbreaking ceremony was held October 9, 1994 and the foundation was laid on January 11, 1995. The dedication services were held on February 11, 1996 and the church entered the new facility permanently the following month.
After entering the new sanctuary, negotiations began to purchase more property. Soon after, Pastor Durden, became terminally ill and ultimately died in 1996. During his illness, Rev. Charlie Hall, Rev. Durden’s assistant, carried on as temporary pastor.
Soon after, Rev. Wallace B. Herring, Sr. was invited to lead Glorious Hope permanently. He graciously accepted, and became our pastor on March 2, 1997. Following the vision given to him by God, Pastor Herring was responsible for reorganizing and establishing several ministries including The Brotherhood and Sisterhood ministries. He burned the mortgage for the church located at 1159 Scotland Avenue; and in 2008, Pastor Herring led Glorious Hope to purchase her present edifice located at 3805 Napier Avenue. Once at the current location, the church became incorporated and Pastor Herring developed a dynamic afterschool and summer program.
Many members joined under Pastor Herring’s tenure including the following ministers: Rev. Jake Faison (ordained by Pastor Herring), Rev. Johnny Fryer (ordained by Pastor Herring), and Rev. Charlie Huff. Additionally, Pastor Herring’s sons Moses B. Herring, Sr. and John H. Herring were called into the ministry and ordained by their father to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deacons trained and ordained under Pastor Herring are as follows: Willie Jones, Willie J. Calhoun (deceased), Willie Battle, Charlie Huff, Todd Pew I, Bobby Ashley, Silas Holloway, Larry Turner, James Harris, Robert Grable, Terry King, David Morris, Randy Vinson, and Norrell Washington. Deacon Alfred Brown and Deacon Albert Smith joined through Christian experience.
In 2010, Pastor Wallace B. Herring, Sr. announced plans to retire from the daily operations as pastor of Glorious Hope. He shared with Glorious, the vision given to him by God that his son, Minister John H. Herring would be the next pastor of Glorious Hope. The church unanimously elected Minister John Herring; and on March 18, 2012, Pastor John H. Herring became the fourth pastor of Glorious Hope Baptist Church. The church has experienced exponential growth. Pastor John’s vision included Excellence in Kingdom Work, the creation of “The Men of Standards”, “Boys To Men”, “Girls For God”, and the reorganization of several ministries. God has truly blessed Glorious Hope, and Glorious looks forward to greater things in Christ under Pastor John’s ministry.