In 1965, Sister Mary Fell and her young daughter joined with Pastor G.E. Switzer to begin a new church called Home Avenue Apostolic Assembly. The church began and worshiped in a basement until the top floor sanctuary was built. Mary Fell is the last remaining founding member of the church we now call New Life Fellowship.
From those humble beginnings to this moment, New Life has remained a place of refuge for many people. We still preach the same New Birth message and teach the same principles of the scripture that Pastor Switzer taught some 52 years ago.
Today, we are standing in honor of hundreds of families who sacrificed their lives; prayed and fasted; and worked to keep this house of worship vibrant and alive. Most of those early saints and members will not be known by name. Most of their work will be hidden within the construct of our modern buildings and future vision. However, we are here to declare that we exist because of their commitment and love. They invested thousands of prayer meetings; conducted hundreds of bake sales; initiated countless bus routes, Bible studies, and functions for our benefit.
To this end, I write three critical points concerning our heritage:
1. Our heritage is based upon the Apostolic Doctrine, which was first delivered by the Apostles, not on the length of tenure to New Life.
2. Our heritage extends to every new member, because it is not based upon the natural blood-line or family background, but upon the Blood of Jesus. We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are all baptized in His name and in His Spirit which makes us the family of God.
3. We honor our elders who fought for holiness, righteousness, and the Holy Ghost regardless of where they came from. This is a godly heritage tied to the axiom of truth found in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” and Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
To our elders, we say that we love you and honor you. Thank you for investing in our lives and in this house. Thank you for being faithful. You are highly regarded and cherished.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole