WEST END CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
The first Sunday morning service of what was to become the Richmond West End Church of the Nazarene was held February 3, 1985. The congregation met in a conference room of then Regency Inn Motel across from Regency Square Mall at the intersection of Parham Road and Quioccasin Roads. Later that year the congregation moved and began holding services in the Steward School on Gayton Road. The congregation was officially organized as a church in November 1985 with 27 charter members. Reverend Doug Williams pastored the church until his death in April, 1987.
In September 1987, Reverend E. Dale Taylor moved from Ft. Worth, Texas to accept the pastorate of Richmond West End Church of the Nazarene. Under his leadership, the church relocated from rented space at The Steward School, and purchased its current property located on Route 250 in Goochland County. The property was previously owned and occupied by the Buford Academy, a school for learning disabled children. The church held its first service at the current location in May 1990. Reverend Taylor served as pastor of the church until July, 1996.
In August 1996, Reverend Larry Jones came to Richmond West End as the interim Pastor, and he accepted the position as full time pastor in February 1997. Reverend Jones served the Richmond West End Church of the Nazarene until the fall of 2002; he then accepted a position as pastor of a church in Florida.
The current pastor, William Jarrell, accepted the position as pastor in the Spring 2003. Pastor Jarrell brings with him decades of experience in pastoring for the Nazarene church and has brought with him new ideas and perspectives for the Church of the Nazarene in Goochland County.
West End Church of the Nazarene is a family and community focused church with a Bible-believing congregation in the tradition of John Wesley. The church defines its mission as releasing God’s glory to all who walk through their doors. In the words of their mission statement: “ To provide an atmosphere, founded on God’s Word, where all people connect with God and each other”. Major tenets of the Nazarene faith are as follows: there is one Creator, God, who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit; the Bible is the inspired and relevant Word of God; all people have sinned and need God’s grace and forgiveness which is abundantly available through Jesus’s death on the cross. Each person must decide individually to accept God’s grace. As Nazarene doctrine expresses that choice: “God draws us to Himself but the decision to respond is ours”.
Important ritual observances in the Richmond West End Church of the Nazarene are the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church is mission focused and has taken on challenges to help in Katrina Relief efforts, participate in the Christmas Child, and engage in a variety of international missionizing activities.
591 Broad Street Road, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23101
