At the movies series starts today!…read more I love my church! Great staff of volunteers ready to serve you! Beautiful facility. Check us out!

We love this church with our whole hearts! We are a military family and our hearts will break when…read moreour time comes to leave. My entire family (11 yr old daughter, 8 yr old son, my self and my husband) have come closer than ever in our faith with God with so much thanks to this church! We have gained amazing family and a home at this church

Visited this church many years ago, everything was a blessing from the people to a welcoming loving…read moreenvironment that we count as a blessing to have visited this beautiful church.

It's a classic seeker church: therapeutic music, inward‑focused prayers, and a vibe aimed at…read morefeelings rather than reverence. The people at this church are kind, though the congregation is noticeably aging. After attending for more than seven years, we eventually realized that the focus of worship wasn't truly on Jesus. The attention seemed centered instead on the Lead Pastor, Randy, and the praise team with its emotionally driven music. The entire service has a distinctly feminine, therapeutic tone--prayers aimed inward ("What can I get from this?") rather than upward ("What can I offer to God?"). The service itself feels like a high‑tech, fragmented Bible study blended with a contemporary Christian concert. At times it becomes downright cringeworthy--think Righteous Gemstones--with random rhythmic dancers or sudden solos and duets that feel completely disconnected from genuine worship. The overall atmosphere encourages people to come seeking an emotional, social, or spiritual experience, rather than coming to offer worship to the Lord. That's likely why it never felt like real worship to us. Doctrinally, nearly everything is treated as symbolic--baptism, communion, even sin. That perspective becomes more understandable once you realize their pastor has no apostolic authority and therefore cannot offer sacramental grace in any historic Christian sense. There were also moments of dishonesty. After returning from Jerusalem, Randy once claimed he had visited Christ's tomb. I was initially impressed, but later discovered he had gone to the "Garden Tomb," a site widely recognized by archaeologists as a 19th‑century Protestant invention with no historical credibility. The historically attested tomb is located at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, maintained by Orthodox and Catholic Christians. It seems he avoided acknowledging that because of its Catholic association. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, a denomination that originally formed because slave‑owning ministers insisted on retaining both slavery and ordination. Though the SBC has issued apologies, it has never formally rejected the theological arguments its founders used to justify slavery. Our concerns extended to the children's ministry as well. After years of attendance, my oldest child couldn't identify which books of the Bible contain the Gospels. The youth ministry's impact seemed minimal. The children's ministry amounted to a large playroom and a simple craft. Essentially, childcare. Meanwhile, parents happily dropped their kids off and went to service alone. But Jesus preached to families, not segregated age groups. Reverence is also lacking. Men routinely wear baseball caps during prayer and worship, despite the clear teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:4-7. This seems less like rebellion and more like biblical illiteracy or laziness. It's Randy's job to clean this up, but he doesn't care. Even the visitor pitch at the end--cookies and a mug--feels tired and superficial. If someone needs a snack and a souvenir to come to Jesus, they're simply a lost person asking another lost person for directions. Most younger families seem to attend because peers at Fort Lee recommend it. It's convenient childcare, and the music is enjoyable, but it's hard to see how any of this reflects what Jesus intended His Church to be. In a time when many--especially young people--are searching for tradition, stability, and a faith rooted in something deeper than trends, they won't find it here. Increasing numbers of young adults are turning to high Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy for precisely those reasons. Southern Baptist churches like this one feel stuck in the 2000s and unaware of the spiritual hunger of the post‑COVID millennial and Gen Z generations. God bless you on your spiritual journey.

I truly enjoy being a member of this church. Being a follower of Christ has helped me weather the…read morestorm in many deep valleys. The sermon series has helped me navigate the bible. There is a excellent youth and children ministry. If you are looking for a church home, you have come to the right place.

GSBC is a wonderful Baptist Church. The pastor is fairly young and the people are very warm and…read morenice from the time you walk in, throughout service, and when you depart. The pastor has a very unique way of keeping the message relevant and relatably to his young congregation. I absolutely recommend this church to servicemembers or anyone visiting the Petersburg area. I will say, for those of you that have really small children, you may want to bring lots of things to keep them busy or expect to miss most of the sermon if your baby cries or does not want to be still. They do have speakers outside the sanctuary but for me, its just not the same. The only gripe I have about this church is that children's church is on certain Sunday's instead of every Sunday and its only for certain age groups--don't quote me but I think its like 4 yrs of age and up; which I think is crazy. Those of us that have babies and little toddlers would love to hear the entire sermon. This is the only reason why I have searched and found another church that has children's church for all age groups. I would name the church but I'll just do another review on that church. Til' Next Time....Yelping Out!

They have a thrift store inside the church on Thursday,friday and Saturday from I believe 12 to 5 …read more I love this thrift store. The people are phenominal. Theyhave sales all the time 50 cents for adult clothesand boxes of free books, and bibles arealways free... check them out if you like thrift stores they have alot to offer! And they are very well organized!

Church was donated to Saint Paul's Baptist Church, 1 of 3 campuses…read more From the Saint Paul's website www,myspbc.org Who is Saint Paul's Elm Street designed to reach? Anyone who lives in, works in, or cares about the Petersburg area is welcome to become a part of the new Elm Street congregation. What will this location offer? Saint Paul's Elm Street will offer exiting and vibrant worship, programming for children ages 4-12 and student programming for teens 13-18. Our weekend celebration will be comprised of worship with a live band and singers followed by a message simulcast from our Senior Pastor and Chief Dreamer, Dr. Lance Watson. The Elm Street Campus Pastor will provide overall team leadership and pastoral care to the Elm Street congregation. Where does SPBC Elm Street meet? 29 Elm Street, Petersburg, VA 23803. Get Directions How does Saint Paul's Baptist Church Elm Street do ministry? Saint Paul's Baptist Church Elm Street is committed to empowering people to grow into all that God created them to be by celebrating God in worship, connecting people in groups, caring for each other and the world and contributing our gifts through the ministry. This campus will operate under the same vision, mission, values and strategy as the Belt and Creighton Campuses. Our focus is on doing three things well: Excellent, exciting and relevant worship celebrations Warm and supportive community through small groups Creative and dynamic outreach to the residents of Petersburg Who will serve as Campus Pastor? Reverend Maceo Freeman will serve as our Campus Pastor for the Elm Street location. Reverend Freeman has served on our staff in a number of capacities and will provide leadership to the launch team as we prepare for this opening and the core team during the first year. What is the Core Team? We are praying that God would touch the hearts of 250 people in our congregation to sign up to worship and serve at the Elm Street Campus. We are praying that these 250 people would covenant with us to serve for a minimum of one year in this location as we "touch the world with love and communicate the positive power of Christ" to the Petersburg community. Already 72 people have committed, will you join them? How Can I Serve? The church is not the building--it's the people. God will build His church in Petersburg as we make ourselves available for service. Below is a list of groups with which you can serve. In these groups, you will serve, study, share and support one another. All schedules rotate.

I'm not a member here, (and have only visited thrice) but each time has been an awesome experience…read more One time was for Sunday service. They start early, but they finish early too. I grew up in churches in the South and this feels like home. The pastor is an excellent speaker, teacher and preacher. The members are embracing and supportive and the choir can SANG! They put on one heck of a Homegoing service for my cousin 8 years ago and again for my uncle today. If you're looking for a home church or a place to visit in this area, check them out.

This was my first visit to Calvert Baptist Church. I was invited by a friend for the choir's…read moreChristmas musical presentation. It was delightful! The congregation was welcoming and I had a great time. I would definitely attend again, and encourage anyone looking for a large, welcoming, Baptist Church to give this one a try.

people are very welcoming, and Pastor and Mrs. Haskett are always available…read more This is a KJV church that sings out of a hymn book. Everyone is very loving and kind... and the adult ladies' Sunday school class has breakfast and coffee - they've spoiled me! ;)