Thirty-five years
Our Journey
September 26, 1999

Our journey as a community of believers began on July 10, 1963, when the late Dr. Herman T. Stevens organized a mission on Strawberry Plains Road with the help of two sponsoring churches, Orcutt and Calvary in Newport News. Dr. Stephens provided able and enthusiastic leadership to this small group of people until the Rev. Edgar J. Burkholder assumed the duties of pastor on May 1, 1964

Then on September 23, 1964, Walnut Hills Baptist Church was constituted as a church with 98 charter members. Rev. Burkholder served the church faithfully, laboring hard, until July 3, 1968.

Dr. Jerry M. Haywood began his leadership on May 1, 1969 while the church was meeting in Rawls Byrd Elementary School cafeteria. In October of that year we held our first worship service at our Jamestown Road location. A building addition providing Sunday School rooms and a fellowship hall was completed in 1976. Groundbreaking for our new sanctuary was held July 19, 1986, and the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary on December 20, 1987. Dr. Haywood retired on May 23, 2004 after thirty-five years of ministry.

Walnut Hills called Dr. William Powell Tuck to served as Intentional Interim Pastor (bio) (covenant) between July 7, 2004 and August 1, 2006.

Our current pastor, Dr John (Tony) Neal (bio) began his leadership on August 1, 2006

Together we are shaping a vision.

Our vision as we follow Christ is to create an environment where all children, youth, and adults whom God sends our way are challenged to grow in and demonstrate their faith.

May God guide us in the years ahead to capture his vision for our church and fulfill the mission to which our Lord has called us.

Come, let us serve the Lord together.