State Representative Michael Hale introduced a resolution in the Tennessee General Assembly to honor the New Life United Pentecostal Church on its 75th anniversary.

The resolution is as follows:

“WHEREAS, New Life United Pentecostal Church of Smithville has stood on the rock solid foundation of Christian belief, service, and love for seventy-five years, serving as a bastion of faith and outreach to the people of its community; and

WHEREAS, in 1945, Sister Trudie Colvert was the first to bring the message of Oneness, Jesus’s Name baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, as preached in Acts 2, to the Smithville/DeKalb County area; and

WHEREAS, on May 1, 1949, the church became affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church (UPC) International, with the first building being purchased in 1952 and named the First Pentecostal Church; and

WHEREAS, over the years, several families have served as pastor to spread the good news throughout the community, including Trudie Colvert, EE Cooper, Robert Rutledge, Jesse Plunk, Norman Welcher, Marvin Tidrick, E.A. Calvin, Edward Grace, Sr., Larry Sims, Doyle Neal, Ralph Yarbro, Roger Moore, Howard Smith, C.W. Milam, Paul Sanders, and Dwayne Cornelius; and

WHEREAS, three separate UPC churches existed in the Smithville/DeKalb County area at one time, and New Life emerged from the merger of the three congregations in a special service in August of 1987, when they officially became one congregation under the name of New Life United Pentecostal Church, with Paul Sanders elected as the pastor; and

WHEREAS, Brother Sanders oversaw the building of a new church facility at 860 Congress Boulevard, and the first service was held there in September 1992; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Sanders retired in 2006, and Reverend Dwayne Cornelius was elected as pastor in April 2007; and WHEREAS, a remodel of the original New Life church building took place in 2009; and

WHEREAS, after the purchase of property next to the church, a remodel and conversion of the Pamida building was completed in 2012, adding 36,000 square feet of space to use for God’s glory; and

WHEREAS, upon the completion of that building, a fully accredited children’s program, the Kids Connection Early Learning Center, was established, and the vision of a Christian private school began as DeKalb Christian Academy in 2017; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, a new sanctuary was completed, and the original New Life church building became “The 860,” a facility designed to house the children’s ministry department; and

WHEREAS, the church now consists of two campuses, with three buildings totaling 60,000 square feet and serving over 300 constituents; and

WHEREAS, New Life United Pentecostal Church is one of the great religious institutions and catalysts for positive spiritual change in our State and nation, and the members of this exceptional congregation should be appropriately honored for their exemplary service to their fellow Christians and to the good people of Tennessee; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE CONCURRING, that we join with the pastor and congregation of New Life United Pentecostal Church of Smithville in celebrating the seventy-five years they have spent building God’s Kingdom, thank these good people for their notable service to their Lord and the State of Tennessee, and wish them much continued success.