about the PASTOR
Pastor David Paul Harris started his journey at early age of 10 after confessing his belief of Jesus Christ as his Saviour then being baptized by the late Reverend Eugene Cochran of the Robinhood Missionary Baptist Church. He served faithfully as a band member, and member of the male chorus.
Pastor Harris journey continued under the late Dr. James A. Adams of the St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church and Hammond Grove Baptist Church where he was the leader of the media ministry, and youth advisor. He announced his calling under the late Dr. Adams in January of 2015. Then, he served as advisor to the new converts and new member class.
While at St. Stephen, Pastor Harris started his stewardship as the Sunday School teacher of the of the young men class, also served as the leader of the Media/I.T. Ministry where he worked with young men and women teaching how to use technology and audio/video in Kingdom building.
Pastor Harris then transitioned his membership to Hammond Grove Baptist Church, where he served under Pastor Odell Johnson, as the teacher and leader of the Baptism Class and Spiritual Leader of the Young Adults Ministry. He also served as the secretary of the Laymen’s Division of the National Baptist Convention, Friendship Chapter.
Pastor Harris is currently attending Tennessee School of Religion where is working on his bachelor’s degree in theology. He continues to serve God and his people by first carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), to continue providing to God’s people both in season and out of season, teaching, reaching, encouraging, empowering, and enabling them to grow stronger in the word of God.
Officially hired on May 4, 2025, and installed on June 8, 2025, Pastor Harris now leads Testament of Hope Community Baptist Church. He continues to serve the young and old of the church by engaging with them in worship, Sunday School, Bible Class, and activities both in and outside the church.
One of Pastor Harris’ gifts is the gift of giving he doesn’t mind nor frowns on giving his time to the Church. One of his favorite saying is “It’s a blessing to be a blessing to others.”
The Pastor's Pen
To protect our homes we put up fences. Some may be wood, chain link, fiberglass, or it may even be wrought iron. We even add cameras and alarms to help keep our homes safe. Whatever we do, it is still not enough to keep out someone who is determined to get in.
We put a lot of thought and effort in keeping our families and our possessions safe. What do we do to keep our souls safe? What do we do to keep our spirit from being broken? How do we protect the temple of God?
Are you willing to do what it takes to protect yourselves from the harm the devil tries to do to you?
Psalms 125:1-2 "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mt. Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time on and forevermore."
We must always trust in the Lord; it is counterproductive if we pray without trust. If we pray and don’t believe, it's not to our benefit if we pray and don’t have faith in God. God sent his Son Jesus to intervene for us; by dying on the cross, He sacrificed his life to protect our souls. We must forever believe in our heart and soul that Christ will protect us and we must do all we can to keep Him lifted up.