Monument Heights Baptist Church
Monument Heights Baptist Church was started by a small group of worshipers in October, 1950 with a vision of having their own place of worship. They first met in the West Hampton Theatre with David White serving as the founding pastor. When the congregation outgrew that location, members built their original sanctuary in 1951 and added the education building in 1955. The current sanctuary was constructed in 1966, and their current education building was erected in 1978. The church has had six pastors since its inception. Monument Heights is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention,Richmond Baptist Association, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Monument Heights Baptist Church states that its mission is to “be a caring, worshipping, fellowship of growing Christian disciples, working in partnership with others to support community and global missions.” Their vision as a church is making a difference in the community and world by “empowering people, enlisting and equipping servants, evangelizing the lost, educating and the nurturing the saved, exemplifying the life and ministry of Christ, and evaluating and responding to the needs of our community and world all to the Glory of God.”
Monument Heights holds morning services on Sundays along with a morning Sunday school; there is an evening program for all age groups. On one weekday evening there is Family Night Supper followed by Bible study for all members. The church offers new member classes for those joining the church to familiarize them with the church and its vision of members’ relationship with God. Monument Heights Baptist Church’s current membership is about 750, with an active membership of about 250. The congregation is predominantly Caucausian, with about one in four members representing other ethnic groups. A wide range of age groups is represented within the congregation.
Monument Heights Baptist Church has numerous ministries for all age groups. They have choirs for all ages to participate in. There is a children’s ministry for children between preschool and grade six and a youth ministry for children between grades seven and twelve that helps out in various church missions. The English as a Second Language program assists those whose second language is English in gaining English language skills. Their adult ministry participates in social events to bring the church community closer together as well as ministering to the external community.
Monument Heights sponsors a Love In Action Day every April; the congregation members and staff ministries join together to perform community projects such as cooking, painting, visiting housebound individuals, washing fire trucks or just interacting with community members. This event has usually involved over 120 people spending more than six hundred hours volunteering for these projects. The church also hosts a Vacation Bible School annually in June. They provide a preschool program for children over the age of two. A small food pantry and financial assistance are offered to those in need. The church sponsors a mission trip every year to various countries. The church participates in Churches Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter (CARITAS) by providing food and shelter to the homeless one week each year.
Monument Heights Baptist Church
5716 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23226
(804)-285-3256
Sources:
Monument Heights Baptist Church, associate pastor
Profile prepared by Kimberly Jones
December, 2009
