A Centennial on North Bend Road

On the west side of Cincinnati, just off the traffic of West North Bend Road, a brick church has been opening its doors to the Walnut Hills neighborhood for one hundred years. New Jerusalem Baptist Church, often shortened to NJBC, marked its centennial in 2026 with a yearlong Sankofa Celebration, a centennial church history project, and a slate of sponsored events that pulled members, neighbors and friends back to the same sanctuary where generations have sung, prayed and served. The church describes itself as a "thriving Bible centered church that impacts all facets of the community and engages its youth to be future leaders for Christ," and that blend of Bible teaching, hands-on ministry and youth development is what the building at 26 W. North Bend Road has been known for across a century.

Sunday Mornings at New Jerusalem

Worship on Sunday unfolds in two services. The early service at 8:00 a.m. is led musically by the Voices of New Jerusalem choir, and the late service at 11:00 a.m. is led by the Rhythmic Sounds of New Jerusalem choir. Between the two, Sunday School gathers at 10:00 a.m. for every age group, so families can come early and stay through the morning. Both worship services are livestreamed over the Internet by the church's Audio/Visual Ministry, which is also responsible for any audio or visual needs that come up across the calendar.

Greeters are posted at the entrance doors each Sunday with a warm smile, mints and tissues, making them the first face a visitor sees. Five separate usher boards - Angels of Mercy, Dominion, Keepers of the Kingdom, Men of Jerusalem and Senior Citizen Ushers - share the work of handing out bulletins, envelopes and other materials, and of escorting worshippers into the sanctuary. The Nurses Guild stays on hand for any minor medical needs during the services, and the Hospitality Ministry makes sure guests feel welcomed.

Wednesday Nights Around the Word

Midweek teaching is built around two Bible Study slots on Wednesday: one at noon for those whose workday makes an evening gathering hard, and another at 6:30 p.m. for the after-work crowd. The Christian Education Ministry coordinates the curriculum across age groups and stages the Sunday School hour as well, so the same set of teachers carries children, youth and adults through the Bible week by week.

A Week of Prayer

Prayer at New Jerusalem is woven into the daily rhythm rather than reserved for one night. The Prayer Ministry hosts Sunrise Prayer every weekday morning at 6:00 a.m. ET, and on Friday the church moves into a Quarterly Prayer Vigil that runs from noon to midnight. The Mission Ministry adds a Daily Prayer Call at 6:00 a.m. ET as well, and its members gather once a month on the second Saturday at noon to plan the church's charitable work.

What New Jerusalem Believes

The church has written out ten clear statements of faith, beginning with the Bible as the God-breathed, wholly trustworthy final authority for faith and life. NJBC affirms one God eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and teaches that Jesus Christ is the virgin-born, crucified and bodily resurrected Son of God who will return again. The Holy Spirit, in the church's understanding, convicts, regenerates and indwells believers and empowers them for godly living and ministry.

Salvation is taught as a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ, not earned by works, and baptism by immersion is practiced as the public declaration of a personal trust in Christ, symbolizing death to sin and resurrection to new life. The Lord's Supper is observed as an ongoing, solemn remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and is open to all believers. The congregation is also committed to the Great Commission and the bodily return of Christ, final judgment and eternal destiny.

Music That Engages the Whole Person

Music is treated as a core value at NJBC, not a side program. The Music Ministry's stated aim is worship that is "God-centered, Christ-exalting and Word-focused," with reverence and joy held together. The ministry draws on historic creeds and confessions and embraces musical diversity, because the people who lead it believe true worship engages the whole person - mind and emotions - and produces renewed passion for Christ.

The choirs and praise teams are organized to match the two Sunday services. The Voices of New Jerusalem choir, directed by Pam Crumbley, leads the 8:00 a.m. service. The Rhythmic Sounds of New Jerusalem choir, the Praise & Worship Team and the Youth Praise & Worship Team, all directed by Adrian M. Cunningham, lead the 11:00 a.m. service. For younger voices, Joey Styles directs the Youth Choir for ages 13 to 17, and he and Israelia Brown co-direct Buds of Promise for ages 2 to 12. The Male Chorus sings songs of Zion a cappella, without instruments, and the Praise Dance Ministry fields four groups - Little Glorifiers, Teen Glorifiers, Adult Glorifiers and Women & Men of Grace - so that movement is part of how the congregation praises.

A Ministry for Every Corner of Life

New Jerusalem runs more than three dozen named ministries, and most of them are designed to meet a specific stage of life. Children have their own Children's Church, with praise, worship, biblical teaching and friendships built around spiritual maturity. The Youth Ministry supports middle and high school students through mentoring, social activities and Bible-based classes. The Marriage Enrichment Ministry teaches biblically based principles to married and engaged couples. The Fifty Plus Ministry plans activities, services and events for members and neighbors who are 50 and older. The Boys to Men Ministry pairs older men in the church with younger boys and young men, both inside the congregation and out in the community. The Heart to Heart Ministry builds mentoring relationships between older and younger women.

The Intake Ministry and the New Membership Ministry walk newcomers through registration and a classroom course covering the church, its ministries and proper decorum, while the New Members Fellowship Ministry welcomes people in and helps connect them to existing ministries. The Deacons and Deaconesses are assigned one to every ministry so each area of church life has a spiritual overseer, and the Christian Guidance Ministry offers confidential counseling, scriptural guidance and referrals when needed.

Ushers, Greeters and the Welcome Team

Hospitality is treated as its own calling at NJBC. Five usher boards - Angels of Mercy, Dominion, Keepers of the Kingdom, Men of Jerusalem and the Senior Citizen Ushers - share the work of greeting, escorting and distributing bulletins and envelopes. The Greeter Ministry staffs the entrance doors with a warm smile, mints and tissues, and the Hospitality Ministry shows kindness to guests and members alike. The Kitchen Ministry stocks and maintains the church kitchen so fellowship events run smoothly.

Reaching Out: The Soup Kitchen and Beyond

Community service is woven into the life of the church. The Soup Kitchen prepares and serves tasty, nourishing food to the Walnut Hills area and surrounding neighborhoods on the second Sunday of every other month. The Mission Ministry supports a local food pantry, partners with the Matthew 25 Children's Foreign Ministry Fund in South Africa and Haiti, helps families in need throughout the year and during Christmas, supports The Bethany House for homeless women, sends flowers to the sick and shut-in, and fellowships with other missionary groups around the city. The church is part of the American Baptist Association and its missionary is affiliated with the Miami Baptist Association.

Celebrate Recovery, hosted at the church, provides a safe and confidential place to apply God's Word and the Twelve Steps to behavioral roadblocks such as addictions. The Christian Guidance Ministry adds a counseling and referral arm, and the Nurses Guild cares for the congregation and guests in cases of minor medical needs during services.

Music, Drama, Mime and Puppet

Creative expression is part of how NJBC teaches and reaches. The Drama Ministry stages theatrical performances that educate, inform and entertain. The Mime Ministry glorifies God through body expression. The Puppet Ministry uses puppets as messengers of dialogue and music. The Praise Dance Ministry, mentioned above, fields four age-based groups so movement is a regular part of how the congregation praises. Together, these arts ministries give younger members a way to serve and give the wider church a varied worship vocabulary.

Education, Health and a Century of Giving

The Elizabeth Mosley Scholarship Committee, named after a long-time member committed to education, coordinates activities and events to raise scholarships for members continuing into college. The Health & Awareness Ministry teaches members and neighbors how to develop habits that maintain health and wellness across a lifetime. The Karate Club offers free martial arts classes to NJBC members up through Brown Belt, covering only the cost of a school patch, uniform and promotional fees. The Finance Committee and Trustees oversee the governance, finance and overall health of the organization.

Getting to New Jerusalem

New Jerusalem Baptist Church sits at 26 W. North Bend Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45216. The church office can be reached at (513) 821-0704 or by email at secretary@newjerusalembc.org. The Bus Ministry provides transportation to and from the 11:00 worship service as well as to other church-related events, which makes it possible for members without easy access to a car to be part of Sunday morning. Online giving is available, and worship services are livestreamed so members who are traveling, sick or shut-in can still take part in Sunday morning. Past sermons are kept on YouTube for those who want to catch up.

Living Into the Second Century

One hundred years in, New Jerusalem Baptist Church is still organized the way a neighborhood church should be: a building that opens early for weekday prayer, a sanctuary that fills twice on Sunday morning, dozens of ministries that meet people where they are, and a kitchen that feeds the surrounding community on the second Sunday of every other month. The Sankofa Centennial Celebration is the church's way of looking back at a hundred years on North Bend Road while looking forward, naming both the heritage and the calling that have shaped NJBC since its founding.