Pastor Jimmy Thomas was born in the Mississippi Delta to sharecroppers.  His dream was to be a farmer with his own tractor. Little did he know the Lord had a different dream for him, to plant the word of God in the hearts of men.

For over 40 years, Elder Thomas has served the Lord Jesus Christ and the people of God in various aspects of ministry.  The call to Christ and then to the preached word occurred in 1978.  He immediately acknowledged those calls and was licensed to preach the gospel that same year.  In August 1986, he was ordained an Elder by the Churches of our Lord Jesus Christ, Incorporated.  As an anointed Minister and Elder, his journey has included serving as a Sunday School teacher, pastoral administrator, Young People’s President at local and state levels, associate minister, youth pastor and interim pastor in the organization’s churches in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  In 2003, a career move took him to Maryland.  In 2005, he joined Canaan Baptist Church of Baltimore City.  While there, he was appointed Assistant Pastor.  Elder Thomas served the people of God as an instructor to the ministerial staff and a member of the Sunday School Staff.

As COVID-19 forced the whole world to “social distance” and the church to close its doors.  In April 2020, to keep the membership engaged in fellowship and the Word of God, Elder Thomas began to preach the Word of God virtually.  As the pandemic continued, The Lord moved on Elder Thomas to formally establish New Hope Church of Christ in October 2020 to continue virtually inspiring and encourage the people of God through His Word.

Elder Thomas was blessed to matriculate at Maryland Theological Seminary.  Upon completion of his courses of study, he earned a bachelor’s degree of Theology in May 2011 and a Master’s degree of Divinity in May 2014 from Eastern Theological Seminary of Lynchburg, VA.

Professionally, he is a nationally sought-after expert specializing in the area of public housing Information Technology for over 40 years.

He has shared this journey with his wife of over 40 years, Yolanda Thomas.  Their union was blessed with two sons – Zachary (wife Clarisa) and Philip (wife Jocelyn) and are the doting grandparents of five grandchildren.

Pastor Thomas’s desire is to please God through teaching and preaching His Word to everyone he meets.