Hopewell Baptist Church was constituted on April 14, 1851, with 15 original members and became the spiritual home of many of the area's first families. It joined the Hightower Baptist Association in June 1851. Members first met in the home of Rhoda Byrd Rogers, the Thomas Byrd house. Rhoda was the youngest daughter of Judith May Byrd, an original church member. The meetinghouse was built on land given by Thomas Rogers. Other families who donated land were Phillips, Day, Pearson, Hardeman, Dinsmore for the cemetery, and Deverell. Reverend A. Tribble was elected first pastor, along with deacons Thomas Burgess and Sampson Clayton.