History
Mt. Carmel Children of God Baptist Church was organized on the first Sunday in August 1980 by the founder Rev. Dr. Walter J. Butts. The first church services were held the gymnasium of Emmanuel Baptist Church in the 8300 block of Damen where L. K. Curry was the founding pastor. For the next decade and a half, the church changed location twice moving first to the 8400 block of Racine for three years and then on to the 110th block of Longwood Drive in the Beverly for an additional 10 years. In August of 1995, the founder purchased the property at 5141 S. Damen in Chicago Illinois and continues to serve the surrounding community there today.
Pastor Butts understood there was a need to outreach to the community and reach of the youth in a specialized and impactful way and as such he created an outreach program and named it New City of Hope in 1999. Through the creation of NCOH Pastor Butts successfully broadcasted a showcase of the community talent weekly on the Total Living Network from 2001 through 2005. After which an idea was birthed to ensure the families in the Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards and New City needs were being met by hosting an annual back to school event every August. The infamous “Picnic in the Parking Lot” event would entail giveaways of the school supplies for the upcoming school year as well as barbeque, family games, free haircuts & preparations were all made available on the church grounds in the parking lot.
Future
The future quest of Mt. Carmel is to build a multipurpose facility that will expand over a two- block radius. The facility name will be the Walter J. Butts Performing Arts & Tech Center. This facility will be home to many programs geared to train and prepare individuals in cyber technology as well as S.T.E.M programs. As the vision is to ensure all individuals in the surrounding communities and in the Chicagoland area are enabled to be competitive in today’s marketplace.
Who We are
New City of Hope, Inc. has been in existence for over 14 years operating out of the Mt. Carmel Children of God Baptist Church. In partnership with World Vision, we’ve provided resources to the New City, Englewood, Back of the Yards and Gage Park communities to enrich their quality of life.