Hope Community Church has met in several locations and has had several names over its 200 year history. Records indicate that the church began in 1805 and first met on Liberty Street in Newburyport under the leadership of its first pastor, Elder Peak. However, during the great fire of 1811 the church burned to the ground. In 1812 a new building was built on Congress Street. Then in 1846 the church moved to Washington Hall and was renamed Central Baptist Church. In 1847 land was purchased on the corner of Green and Brown Square and a new building was built. In 1890 the church was renamed the Baptist Church of Newburyport and then in 1969 the First Baptist Church of Newburyport. In 1996 the church received a generous donation from the Roaf family. The decision as made to relocate once again – to Hale Street. The building was completed in 2001 and the name of the church was changed to Hope Community Church.