A Family-Centered Baptist Church on South Battlefield Boulevard
Great Hope Baptist Church sits on South Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, Virginia, where it has been a steady presence for families since 1962. The congregation describes itself as a Bible-believing Baptist church that holds firmly to the King James Version as the Word of God. Around its campus a full family of ministries has grown: graded Sunday school classes, a Wednesday night Bible study, a children's club program, a teen ministry, an adult choir, a Ladies' Ministry, a senior group called the Goldenaires, a missions-construction team that has traveled from Montana to Okinawa, and a Christian school that has graduated more than 150 students since the mid-1970s. Together they form a community shaped by expository preaching, conservative worship, and an active belief that every member of the family should have a place to serve.
The Senior Pastor is John W. Godfrey Jr., who returned to Great Hope on June 24, 2020 after pastoring Immanuel Baptist Church in Clifton Forge, Virginia. He is assisted by an Assistant Pastor, a Music Pastor, a Youth Pastor, a Children's Pastor, and a Missions Intern, alongside a school principal and office staff who keep the church and its ministries running week to week.
A Sunday in the Life of the Church
The week centers on two main rhythms: a full day of worship and teaching on Sunday, and a midweek hour of discipleship on Wednesday evening.
On Sunday mornings the building opens with Sunday School at 9:00 a.m., followed by the worship service at 10:00 a.m. and an evening service at 6:00 p.m. The morning service is the main gathering, with congregational singing led by the music ministry and preaching from the Senior Pastor. Children three years old through fourth grade are dismissed partway through for Children's Church, where they hear missionary stories, sing interactive songs, and learn from God's Word at their level. Teens in grades 7 through 12 meet for Youth Outfitters at 9:00 a.m., and the singles ministry, S.A.L.T. (Single Adults Living Truth), gathers at the same hour for an instructional Bible time and uplifting fellowship.
On Wednesday evenings the church shifts to a discipleship focus. A church-wide GO outreach begins with dinner at 5:00 p.m. and outreach at 5:30 p.m. From September through May, Master Clubs fills the 7:00 p.m. hour for children ages three through sixth grade with a flag ceremony, handbook time, game time, and Bible story time. The Adult Bible Study and Youth Outfitters also meet at 7:00 p.m. Throughout the year, the Ladies' Ministry holds evening meetings, and the men gather monthly for a prayer breakfast.
Sermons from Sunday and Wednesday services are streamed through Sermon Audio and made available for listening any time. Bulletins for recent services are posted for download on the events page.
What Great Hope Believes
Great Hope's statement of faith begins with the Bible. The church teaches the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Old and New Testaments, believes God's Word has been preserved through the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus, and holds that the King James Version is the best English translation.
Other doctrinal distinctives include belief in one true God existing in three equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; a six-day literal creation; the total sinfulness of mankind and salvation by grace through faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross; the bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus; the reality of heaven and hell; the eternal security of the believer; the pre-tribulational rapture of the church; and the pre-millennial return and thousand-year reign of Christ. The church practices two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. Members are taught that every believer is obligated to live a holy life and to witness to the lost, and that the local church is God's institution to carry out the Great Commission.
Children and Teens at Great Hope
Children and teenagers are a deliberate focus at Great Hope. The graded Sunday School program walks children through Scripture every Sunday morning, and Children's Church during the worship service brings the gospel to children three years old through fourth grade in a setting designed for them. On Wednesday nights during the school year, Master Clubs gathers children three years old through sixth grade for a structured evening of Bible memory, games, and a Bible story that challenges them to follow Jesus. Every teacher and helper is screened and selected with care.
Each summer, Vacation Bible School invites children ages 5 through 13 to a half-day program of games, songs, snacks, Bible stories, verses, and prizes, held on the church campus. Registration is handled online and through the church office.
Youth Outfitters is the church's teen ministry for students in grades 7 through 12. Teens meet for Bible study on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and again on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. Studies cover faith, friendships, relationships, response to authority, and other topics chosen for their age group. The ministry also takes teens on a summer camp and on missions trips outside the United States every other year. The stated purpose is to come alongside parents in raising young people in a culture that often runs against the gospel, and to guide each teen's relationship with Christ to new heights.
Great Hope Baptist School and Little Soldiers Preschool
Great Hope Baptist School has been part of the church since September 1969, when it opened with two half-day kindergarten classes. It has since grown into a complete program serving students from K3 through twelfth grade, with a diploma that opens the door to college study. The school holds membership in the Old Dominion Association of Church Schools and the American Association of Christian Schools. Its mascot, the Soldier, reflects the goal of training students to be good soldiers for the Lord Jesus Christ - balancing spiritual strength with academic rigor and athletic competition.
The curriculum is Bible-based across every grade. Kindergarten uses the phonics-based Beginnings program from Bob Jones University Press. Elementary students study Bible Truths, English for Christian Schools, Reading for Christian Schools, Heritage Studies, Math for Christian Schools, and Science for Christian Schools. Junior high cements the academic foundation, and high school students work toward the 24 credits required for graduation, including four years of Bible, English, and history, three years each of math, science, and foreign language, and three electives. Advanced Placement courses are offered in English language and literature, U.S. history, and U.S. government. Students in grades 7 through 12 compete in an interscholastic athletic program, and a band program accepts students from fourth grade up through high school, with Concert, Intermediate, and Beginning bands led by Allen Halleck. Great Hope Baptist School students have historically scored above average on the Stanford Achievement Tests. According to the school, 159 graduates have gone on from Great Hope since 1976 to serve around the world.
Little Soldiers Preschool and Daycare was added in August 2008 for children ages 2 1/2 through kindergarten, complementing the school and rounding out what the church describes as the three-legged stool of Christian education, family, and church. Preschool hours run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, with daycare available from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Three- and five-day programs are offered. The preschool meets Virginia requirements for a religious exempt childcare institution and maintains CPR and first-aid training for staff, along with criminal background checks and annual medical screening.
The school office can be reached at 757-482-5121. Re-enrollment and new student applications, along with financial information for the current and upcoming school year, are available on the school's admissions pages.
Ladies, Men, Goldenaires, and Singles
Adult ministries are framed as the backbone of a strong church, and Great Hope offers a place for every stage of adult life.
The Ladies' Ministry plans gatherings all year long, including Bible studies, Ladies' Night Out, shopping trips, and seasonal events such as a Christmas party and a ladies and girls' banquet. The purpose is to provide Bible-based encouragement for women who lead busy lives, and to give mothers of young children practical instruction in raising their little ones for the glory of God.
The men of the church meet monthly for a prayer breakfast, enjoy periodic fellowships, and host father-and-son outings. An annual spring event, the Men and Boys' Beast Feast, brings men and boys together for an evening of archery, slingshot, hatchet throwing, mechanical bull, frisbee golf, basketball, and a shared dinner with prizes and gift drawings.
The Goldenaires is the church's senior adults ministry, led by Assistant Pastor Allen Halleck. The group takes monthly outings built around a shared meal and a sightseeing destination, and members stay involved in the life of the church in many ways - senior ladies serve in the nurseries and cook for church meals, while senior men usher and work on volunteer lawn crews.
Single Adults Living Truth (S.A.L.T.) is geared toward young single adults. They meet every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. for an instructional Bible time and uplifting fellowship, with the goal of helping singles transition from youth group into strong church leadership. The ministry emphasizes daily Christ-honoring decisions, encouragement, fellowship, and continued growth in Bible principles.
Music That Prepares the Heart
Music at Great Hope is designed to prepare hearts to receive the preaching of God's Word. The music ministry includes an adult choir, orchestra, instrumentalists, soloists, various ensembles, and a children's choir, all pointing to the same goal: bringing honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. The church points to Colossians 3:16-17 and Ephesians 5:19 as guides for the kind of singing that builds up the body - psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs sung with grace in the heart to the Lord.
Reaching Beyond Chesapeake
Missions are a major thrust of the church's ministry and are organized around three programs.
The Faith Promise Missions Program supports approximately eight mission projects and over 107 missionaries around the world. The church has been involved with missions for more than 45 years.
Christian Laymen Assisting Missions Projects (CLAMP) was established in January 2006 as a construction-focused missions ministry. CLAMP sends teams of skilled craftsmen, tradesmen, laborers, equipment operators, and kitchen workers to assist domestic and international pastors and missionaries with church-planting construction projects. The teams provide their own travel costs and contribute a set amount for food, while lodging and workers' insurance are covered. Past CLAMP projects have included work at Camp Hosanna in Hiawassee, Georgia, Immanuel Baptist Church in Palmer, Alaska, Faith Baptist Church in Okinawa, Japan, Community Baptist Church in Surry, Virginia, Whitehall Baptist Church in Whitehall, Montana, Hope Baptist Church in Rio Grande, Texas, and Shining Light Baptist Church in Blairsville, Georgia. Testimonies from the pastors of those churches describe cabins raised in a single week in north Georgia and a 3,500-square-foot addition built in Montana to relieve a congregation that had been praying for a building for ten years.
The third arm of the missions program is teen missions trips, taken every other year so that students can see what God is doing in other countries.
Outreach in Chesapeake
Alongside its international work, Great Hope is intentional about reaching its own city. The Wednesday GO outreach begins with dinner at 5:00 p.m. and outreach at 5:30 p.m. The church also operates a nursing home ministry that holds a service on the first Sunday of each month, and a visitation program that makes personal contact with families and neighbors. Anyone wanting a ride to church or a visit to talk about how to know for sure they are on their way to heaven is invited to call the church office.
From the Pastor
Senior Pastor John W. Godfrey Jr. was born into a pastor's home and accepted the Lord as his Savior at the age of five. He graduated from Great Hope Baptist School, then attended Ambassador Baptist College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Bible and Pastoral Studies. After his junior year he married Kristin, his childhood sweetheart, and went on to serve as Men's Dormitory Supervisor at the college. He and Kristin later returned to Chesapeake, where he became a staff member at Great Hope Baptist Church, working first as Youth Pastor alongside his father. He earned a Master of Religious Education from Tabernacle Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2011, Pastor Godfrey accepted the pastorate of Immanuel Baptist Church in Clifton Forge, Virginia, where he served for eight and a half years. On June 24, 2020, he returned to Great Hope as Senior Pastor. He and Kristin have six boys. His stated desire for the church is a ministry founded on Biblical preaching and focused on building families.
Visiting Great Hope
Great Hope Baptist Church is located at 1401 Battlefield Boulevard South in Chesapeake, Virginia. The church office can be reached at 757-482-1177, and giving is available online through Tithe.ly. Visitors who fill out a visitor card are sent a thank-you letter, and those wanting to talk with someone about becoming a Christian or learning more about the church are invited to indicate that on the card as well. Bulletins for recent services and a recording of the most recent services are available online.