Set on Washington Street in the small town of Haymarket in northern Prince William County, Haymarket Baptist Church is the white church with a silver roof that travelers see from Interstate 66. About two minutes from either Exit 40 or Exit 43, the building has anchored the town for generations and today gathers Baptists from Haymarket and the surrounding countryside for worship, Bible study, and a wide circle of ministries that reach across the county and around the world.
The church is best known for two things. First, its warm, traditional worship: a robed choir, organ and piano, classic hymns, and a sermon that opens the Bible passage by passage. Second, its deaf ministry. Haymarket Baptist interprets its Sunday worship service in American Sign Language and runs a Sunday school class for deaf members, and the congregation offers ASL classes on its own campus, making it one of the more distinctive Baptist churches in the region for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Sunday Morning in the Sanctuary
The pattern of a Sunday at Haymarket Baptist is easy to follow. At 9:30 a.m., Bible study classes for adults, youth, and children begin across the education building. Adults can join the J.O.Y. class (Jesus, Others, You), which is open to all ages, marrieds and singles, and studies books of the Bible and other Bible-based books. There is also a Formations class that meets at 9:45 a.m. Children gather for their own Sunday School at 9:30, and the Praising Hands class for the deaf ministry begins at 9:45 a.m.
At 11:00 a.m., everyone moves into the sanctuary for worship. The service is mainly traditional. A robed choir leads the congregation in hymns accompanied by organ and piano, with at least one more contemporary chorus or hymn usually woven in. Senior Pastor Mark Olson preaches a twenty to twenty-five minute sermon that works closely through a Bible passage and shows how the text speaks to everyday life. After the children's message during the service, the children leave at 11:15 a.m. for their own Children's Worship, where they continue in Bible study tailored to their age.
The whole service is interpreted in American Sign Language alongside the regular service, so deaf members and visitors can follow the readings, the sermon, and the music.
The Deaf Ministry and ASL on Campus
The deaf ministry is one of the defining ministries of Haymarket Baptist Church and has been for more than two decades. The ministry began on October 19, 2003, under the guidance of Mike Mack, and today it is led by Rev. Peter Brawley.
The Sunday school class for deaf members is called Praising Hands and meets at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings. For worship, the entire 11:00 a.m. service is interpreted in ASL. The church also teaches ASL itself, running an Advanced Signed English class on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Each spring, students from the ASL class present an ASL Spring Concert, signing the words to songs while the music plays and lyrics are projected on the screen, so the congregation can experience the songs in two languages at once.
This commitment makes the church a real home for deaf Christians in the region and a welcoming place for anyone who signs.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Midweek at Haymarket Baptist centers on food, prayer, and music. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the Wednesday Night Dinner, a family-style meal served in the Fellowship Hall. After dinner, the adults stay in the Fellowship Hall for the Bible Study and Prayer Meeting, beginning with about thirty minutes of prayer. Members share prayer concerns for friends, relatives, and the church family, and the group lifts each of these names to the Lord in prayers of intercession and thanksgiving. The second half hour turns to Bible study, working through a book of the Bible or discussing a contemporary topic from a Christian perspective.
While the adults pray and study, the children gather for Children's Choir at 6:00 p.m., a weekly rehearsal that runs through the school year. The Adult Choir, known as the Sanctuary Choir, rehearses at 7:00 p.m. The choir, directed by John Majette and accompanied by Bethany Bogart, sings in four-part harmony and leads the congregation in hymns each Sunday, with additional special choral music, solos, and mixed part pieces drawn from a traditional and contemporary repertoire. New voices of all experience levels are always welcome.
Children, Youth, and Vacation Bible School
Children are at the heart of the church. On Sunday mornings they meet at 9:30 a.m. for Children's Sunday School and at 11:15 a.m. for Children's Worship, and on Wednesday evenings during the school year they gather at 6:00 p.m. for Children's Choir. The nursery ministry is growing and recently launched a new Sunday School class for the youngest children, with rotating volunteers serving once a month on average.
Vacation Bible School each summer is one of the highlights of the year. Held in late June from 9:00 a.m. to noon, VBS uses a theme such as Kingdom Quest to lead children through Bible stories, uplifting worship songs, exciting games, creative crafts, and engaging activities. The church also runs a separate Youth VBS in the evenings for middle and high schoolers, with activities like water nights, scavenger hunts, and laser tag on the church grounds.
The youth ministry serves students in grades six through twelve. On Sundays they meet at 9:30 a.m. for Youth Sunday School and at 5:00 p.m. for Youth Group, which includes fellowship, games, and Bible study. Youth Group does not meet during the summer, when the church hosts special kickoff events like the Pizza Making Party to launch the new season.
Bible Study for Adults
Beyond Sunday morning, the church offers three regular Bible studies for adults.
The Men's Bible Study meets on Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m. at the church year round. Studies range from books of the Bible to topical series, and the group is open to members and non-members alike.
The Women's Bible Study meets on Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Studies typically run six to twelve weeks and cover books of the Bible, the lives of specific biblical figures (Ruth, Esther, Paul), or topical subjects like Prayer, the Fruits of the Spirit, or the Parables. The class is offered both in person and online. The women gather once a month for a fellowship luncheon, usually on the third Monday of the month. The Women's Bible Study does not meet during the summer.
The J.O.Y. Sunday School class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. The name - Jesus, Others, You - reflects the order of priorities that members try to live out, and the class welcomes adults of all ages and situations.
Jane's Pantry and the Outreach of the Congregation
Haymarket Baptist takes seriously the call to feed those in need in its own community. Jane's Pantry, the church's emergency food ministry, hands out food with love and respect to neighbors who come for assistance. The pantry is named in honor of Jane Lawler Strong (October 17, 1929 - March 1, 2019), a lifelong member of Haymarket Baptist who taught Sunday School for more than fifty years, sang in the choir, founded the church's outreach food ministries, taught Bible School, served on the Preschool council, and was the first woman Deacon of the church. Her loving and giving heart would not allow anyone to go hungry, and the pantry named in her memory continues her work today.
The church regularly reports when the pantry shelves are bare and posts a list of preferred items - peanut butter and jelly, hot and cold cereal, pancake mix and syrup, evaporated and powdered milk, canned fruits, boxed macaroni and cheese, soups, beef stew, pasta and sauces, canned chicken and tuna, instant mashed potatoes and gravy, rice, green beans, corn, canned pasta, cake mixes and frosting, jello and pudding mixes, and individual or sugar-free options when available. Items can be placed in the kitchen labeled for Jane's Pantry.
On Sunday evenings, the church hosts an Al Anon meeting at 7:30 p.m., offering a regular space for those touched by someone else's drinking to find support.
Mission Giving That Reaches Far
The congregation has chosen to designate 12 percent of its offering to support a network of mission causes. Locally, members pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child, assemble food boxes for neighbors in need, bake cookies at Christmas for shut-ins, and take educational mission trips.
The church's mission giving flows through several partnerships. Haymarket Baptist is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a network of individuals and churches working together to spread the hope of Christ; the Baptist General Association of Virginia, a missionary movement of Virginia Baptists; the NorthStar Church Network, a fellowship of about 180 churches in Northern Virginia; and the Baptist World Alliance, a global Baptist communion. Internationally, the church supports the Nepal Baptist Church Council, which mobilizes local churches to plant new congregations and serve Nepali society, and the Central Asia School of the Deaf, a school in a remote and destitute area of Central Asia that teaches communication and life skills to deaf students and shares the love of God with their families.
HopeTree Family Services traces its roots to Virginia Baptists who began a campaign in 1887 to help children in need. What started as the Baptist Orphanage of Virginia in February 1890 is now HopeTree, providing Christian residential, educational, and support services to at-risk children and youth, and to adults with intellectual disabilities, across Virginia.
Each December, the church's international Christmas offering is given to a specific partner. In recent years that has included Jamaica Link Ministries, a Christian organization assisting mission work in Jamaica. Haymarket Baptist Preschool and Kindergarten has a personal relationship with Jamaica Link, since the preschool helped to build a preschool in Jamaica. Members also support the Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions, an annual initiative that funds disaster relief, youth camps, global partnerships, and local community aid across Virginia and around the world.
The Preschool and Kindergarten
Haymarket Baptist Church Preschool and Kindergarten, known as HBCPK, has been part of the church's ministry for more than two decades. The school serves 250 to 300 students each year, with programs for children aged two-and-a-half through five years, including part-time options for two, three, or five days a week in morning or afternoon sessions, and three kindergarten classes.
HBCPK is licensed by the state of Virginia, is a member in good standing of the Virginia Council for Private Education, and is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International. The director, Laurie Frasz, holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and has more than twenty-five years of experience as a teacher, director, program supervisor, and curriculum writer, including service on accreditation teams and as a workshop and parenting class leader across six states.
Arriving at the Church
The church sits at 14800 Washington Street in downtown Haymarket, Virginia, with easy access from Interstate 66. Greeters are posted at the double glass doors: one facing the main section of the parking lot, and another at the corner of the education building facing Washington Street. Visitors will find four guest parking spaces reserved each Sunday closest to Washington Street, right at the entrance and exit of the lot, along with six handicapped parking spaces near the front of the building and next to Washington Street. Additional handicapped parking runs along the side of the building near the easy access ramp.
Visitors are welcomed however they dress. Some come in suits and dresses, others in jeans and casual clothes. The greeters will point first-time visitors to the right place and hand out a worship bulletin. The 11:00 a.m. worship service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person, and the most recent Sunday bulletins and monthly Haymarket Herald newsletters are posted online for anyone who wants to follow along before visiting.
Becoming a Member
Membership at Haymarket Baptist is open to anyone who senses God leading them to that step. The church asks for a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, followed by baptism by immersion.
Those who have already accepted Christ and been immersed can join by coming forward during the invitation hymn at the end of any worship service. Those who have accepted Christ but have not yet been baptized by immersion are welcomed into the baptistry during a subsequent worship service. Members who transferred from another Baptist church where they were immersed are welcomed in the same way, with the church glad to contact their previous church to share the news. Those who were baptized by sprinkling or pouring, or who made a profession of faith at another church, are also welcomed, with the church gladly affirming the previous work of God in their lives during their own immersion at Haymarket Baptist.
Beliefs and the Bible
Haymarket Baptist identifies as Baptist and Evangelical. The church's understanding of the Christian faith is built on the authority of the Bible, which is treated as the final authority for all questions relating to faith and conduct, with Jesus Christ always the guide in interpretation. As Evangelicals, members emphasize salvation through personal faith in Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture, the need to grow as disciples of Jesus, and the need to tell others about Jesus.
The church's mission grows out of two passages from Jesus: the Great Commission in Matthew 28, calling followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching; and the Great Commandment in Matthew 22, to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, and mind, and to love neighbors as oneself.
Haymarket Baptist welcomes women into leadership. Women currently serve as Deacons, as chairs of committees, and as chairs of ministry teams, and in recent years the church has ordained women as ministers, including a Christian minister on staff.
Staff Who Shepherd the Congregation
Dr. Mark Olson has served as Senior Pastor since 2017 and came to Haymarket Baptist after serving five other Baptist churches. He holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University, an M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity from the University of Virginia. He has taught religious studies at Sweet Briar College and Virginia Tech, served for ten years as President of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, and authored three books about the New Testament, most recently Romans: The Letter that Changes Christian History.
John Majette joined the staff as Associate Pastor and Minister of Music in June 2024. A Virginia Commonwealth University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education focused in voice, he previously served as a tenor soloist and section leader at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond and as substitute music director at Ox Hill Baptist Church, where he was an ordained Deacon and Minister of Youth and Community Engagement.
Bethany Bogart serves as Accompanist, drawing on more than twenty years of piano experience. She began accompanying children's choirs at twelve, has played for Chantilly High School, Pender United Methodist Church, and James Madison University, and holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from James Madison University, where she teaches fifth grade at Fairview Elementary in Fairfax County Public Schools.
Rev. Peter Brawley leads the deaf ministry, supporting the Praising Hands Sunday school class and the ASL interpretation of worship each week.
Haymarket Baptist also maintains a Ministry Assistant, Laura Harrigan, who joined the staff in February 2023 after more than seven years as a Church Parish Administrator and more than twenty years in administrative work.
A Building, a Network, and a Continuing Witness
What holds all of this together is a simple conviction. The church frames its work as plan A, quoting the legend in which Jesus tells Gabriel that his only plan for the spread of the Gospel is the disciples he has chosen. At Haymarket Baptist, those disciples gather for a robed choir and a sermon each Sunday, study the Bible together across the week, feed their neighbors through Jane's Pantry, sign the worship in ASL, teach toddlers in the preschool and kindergarten, send children to Vacation Bible School, support missionaries in Nepal and Central Asia, and welcome anyone who comes through the glass doors on Washington Street.