New Life Ministries was founded by Bishop Charles and Peggy Thomas, Sr. in the fall of 1999. The ministry began on the campus of Bridgewater College. The first services were held in the basement of Heritage Residence Hall. Students from across Bridgewater’s campus would make their way to Heritage to have service in the dorm every Sunday. As lives were being impacted on the campus, the ministry began to grow.
In the winter of 1999, the ministry moved off of Bridgewater’s campus and into a store front location on North Main Street in Bridgewater. While in this location, the ministry began to spread to the campuses of James Madison University, Eastern Mennonite University, and Mary Baldwin College. Under the dependence of the Holy Ghost, the lives of the students were being transformed, empowered, and encouraged.
From the initial vision of the ministry, God enabled New Life to birth multiple ministries in the local communities and throughout the country. Today his legacy still remains as will his fruit.