Pastor Swims, center, preaches Sunday at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Swims has been a member of the church for 12 years, and the pastor for four years. “I’ve done a little bit of everything. I’ve been the janitor and youth pastor,” Swims said. He believes that the church played an invaluable role during the civil rights movement. “If you look back at the civil rights movement, the church was where people met and received Jesus. It gave them hope and courage to continue on,” Swims said.