Without a membership and even a place to worship, Pastor Weldon Johnson went to the Cambridge community in late December 1989 to scout the area for a building to use as a meeting place for what was to become New Life AME Zion Church. A facility on Pine Street was secured to be rented. the place was in dire need of repairs, but Pastor Johnson, family and friends were excited about having found some place in which to worship. Pastor Johnson, Jacqueline Johnson, his wife, and friends of the family converged on the site with brooms, mops, cleaning detergetns, air freshners, and even oil heaters, early Saturday to prepare the place for church on Sunday. By early afternoon, the group felt that the place was ready for service for the next day. The next day was Sunday, January 7, 1990 and that was the birth of the new congregation. New Life had its humble beginnings on 703 Pine Street in Cambridge, Maryland. Pastor Johnson along with First Lady Jacqueline Johnson and their daughters Deborah, Margie and son Darryus, made up the first congregation.
Later, other members included a few faithful folk who found a love for the church, and had a desire to serve the Lord. Since then, Pastor Johnson has held fast to his call and continuted to minister to those who came, sometimes just to visit and ended up making New Life their church home. The church is growing with a dierse membership; many of which travel from various locations to be a part of our church family and from various denominational backgrounds. Then in 1993 the church relocated to 642 Washington Street in Cambridge, Maryland.
The church roster has grown from five (5) members in 1990 to approximately one hundred (100) active members today, with many auxillaries in which members can become a part in helping to build and nurture the body of Christ. In July 2006, the church name was changed from New Life AME Zion Church to New Life Christian Church and Ministries, Inc. We are presently located at 923 Phillips Street in Cambridge, Maryland.
The church is alive with the Spirit and filled with music and the sounds of joy. We realize and acknowledge that our distinctiveness comes from God and for that we are grateful. The atmosphere in the church is filled with excitement, because God is good enough to us to cause us to be excited. New Life contines to grow under a leader with a vision and who believes "when praises go up, blessings come down!" |
