OUR HISTORY
The New Mount Nebo Baptist Church (affectionately known as "The Mount") was established in April of 1961 by a group of 10
who felt the need for a spiritual revival after holding a series of prayer meetings. From Kentucky Avenue to Quire Avenue to 7501 Walker Mill Drive, NMNBC has remained committed to it's mission of trusting and believing in God's word, relying on the collective strength of our congregation -- together we commission our works to be counted on by the community, those in need, and anyone we come across in the valley of life. We are God's people striving to reach our highest potential by
forgetting about ourselves and concentrating on Jesus.
In the month of April 1961, 10 devoted saints met at 310 Kentucky Avenue, S.E. at the home of Brother and sister Aubrey Minor to pray and meditate on God's word for direction. During the month of May, they met to organize a mission. At this meeting, the election of officers was held. Later the group rented a building at 536 8th Street, S.E. The Reverend Willie Mason, son of Friendship Baptist Church, was acting as supply minister. After several weeks, it was agreed that a regular pastor was needed and Matthew Marks was called.
During this time, many new members joined. On Saturday, December 8, 1962, a Recognition Service was held at 731 11th Street, S.E. Through the dedicated leadership of Reverend Marks our church grew spiritually and numerically. In 1966, the Re-development Land Agency acquired the property at 731 11th Street, S.E. and we were left without a church home for two months. With the assistance of Mount Parham Baptist Church, we held services there Sunday afternoons until we were able to secure another building. With God’s help, we later secured a building at 4008 Minnesota Avenue, N.E. There the Lord enabled us to work three years continuously on a building fund and in August 1969 we purchased our first church home at 25 Quire Avenue, Capitol Heights, Maryland.
In 1975, Reverend Marks’ health began to decline. He went through several periods of illness that eventually lead to the resignation of his spiritual leadership and duties as Pastor. Reverend Robert R. Johnson Sr. accepted the pastorate on the First Sunday in November 1977. For the next several months, he worked diligently with the members towards the goal of paying off the mortgage at 25 Quire Avenue. With much prayer and sacrifice after nine years of labor, we were able to carry the last payment on the church to the Suburban Trust Company in Forestville, Maryland on September 27, 1978. With Reverend Johnson’s spiritual guidance, the church continued to grow spiritually, numerically, financially and educationally over the next several years.
In 1990, the Lord gave us a vision for a new church site. The Trustee Board, under the leadership of its chairman, Trustee James Gillison Sr., was responsible for seeking property for a new church home. We purchased approximately 3.6 acres of land located on Shady Glen Drive in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Reverend Johnson then appointed the Program Planning Committee to continue to guide this charge. This committee was responsible for organizing the congregation to raise money to purchase the acquired land. Trustee James Gillison accepted the position of Chairperson and Deacon Lesley Isaac was appointed Co-chairperson.
The Groundbreaking Service or the new location at 7501 Walker Mill Drive, Capitol Heights, Maryland was held on February 22, 1997. In December of 2000 New Mount Nebo relinquished the keys to the church building of 25 Quire Avenue to its new owners. Although the new edifice was built, we were unable to get into the building. We held services at the Mount Ararat in Suitland, Maryland as we waited for God to move on our behalf. Our first service was held on Saturday, January 27, 2001. In March 2003, we were blessed with our occupancy permit.
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In latter part of December 2010, Pastor Robert R. Johnson, Jr. and Pastor Robert R. Johnson, Sr. conducted special church meetings with their individual congregations – Living Testimony Missionary Baptist Church and The New Mount Nebo Baptist Church. These powerful men of God were led by His Holy Spirit to recommend the merger of these two churches as one body in Christ. The Pastors’ proposal was received and accepted by the Churches’ Joint Boards and congregations during separate meetings. “Watch Night” service, December 31, 2010, brought the two together for the first time! The legal merger documents were signed by designated members before an eager congregation. January 1, 2011 is more than just a new year for us, it denotes the day the Lord united our churches with Rev. Robert R. Johnson, Sr. as senior pastor and Rev. Robert R. Johnson Jr. as pastor of The New Mount Nebo Baptist Church of Capitol Heights.
