New Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church had its beginning as a mission. On April 12, 1975, a group of Baptists met in the home of Sister Fannie Lee Finley. The mission contacted Rev. Roland R. Jenneford to teach the Sunday School lesson, and thereafter was spiritually led to select him to be their leader. He then formed a presbytery to organize the body of a Church.
On August 2, 1975, at Union Baptist Church, Monrovia, the presbytery and the mission body met to form the church. The Presbytery: Pastor C. D. Fisher, Moderator Pastor O.D. Vanison Pastor Sterling Brown Rev. Walter McClenden Rev. Frank Green.
According to the Baptist Church, the Mission was set apart as a church,and was named “NEW GUIDING LIGHT MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH ” by Cecil L. Essix. Rev. Roland R. Jenneford, was named Pastor. As time progressed, the church was blessed with additional members.
Odessa Fisher located a building at 681 East Washington Boulevard in Pasadena to rent. For many years, New Guiding Light prayed and searched for property to buy until they finally located their present site on N. Fair Oaks.
Sunday, November 5, 1989, was a memorable day, as the church history recalls: "We like the children of Israel, caravanned from the old location to this one – praising God every step of the way. The distance involved years of disappointment, rejection and tears. Yet, the Lord was on our side and He brought us this far by faith."
On Friday, June 4, 2010 Founding Pastor Rev. Roland R. Jenneford died and "joined the ranks of heaven." One of his many proteges, Rev. John Stewart, stepped up to the challenge of being the new Pastor.
In March of 2013, the Church paid off its mortgage. The church commemorated this milestone event with the following testimony:
"We thank God for his grace and mercy that comes through the devotion of the saints. We know that if God was not on our side, we would not have been able to accomplish this feat. God placed leadership in our organization that saw to this. There were years of tears, sweat and pain to get us to this point. But, we also experience years of joy, laughter and love.
We also know that our work here is not done yet – it’s only just begun. When generations to come ask us “How did we get here?” We shall reply, “The Lord! He brought us!”