Church History

The Story of WHBC

In 1956, the Rev. Dargan Lucas and a group from Shenandoah Heights Baptist Church intentionally started Wayne Hills Baptist Church as a church plant in the Wayne Hills area in Waynesboro.  In those early days, they met in homes and a local elementary school.  In 1957, the church moved to 222 Edward Avenue. Early growth resulted from an outreach focus on the Wayne Hills neighborhood.
 
Starting in the 1970s, WHBC became more of a regional church with outreach efforts extending to families outside the Wayne Hills area.  This new growth trend continued from the 80’s onward and a majority of our members began driving from outlying areas into the Wayne Hills neighborhood for church. In 1996, the church purchased 40 acres just past the intersection of State Highway 340 and Interstate Highway 64 at 877 Ladd Road. We had an exciting groundbreaking ceremony on June 8th, 2003, and our first services were held at the new location on March 20th, 2005.  By God’s grace, we were able to help plant Edward Avenue Baptist Church at the old location!
 
The people that labored to make Wayne Hills Baptist Church a reality dreamed of a place where God would be glorified in worship and where the inerrant scriptures would be taught without compromise. They dreamed of a place where members would fellowship with each other in love and would minister to each other when the earthquakes of life set in.  They also dreamed of a place where newcomers were welcomed with open arms. They dreamed of sending people out from among us to evangelize and plant churches in our local area and to the ends of the earth.
Wayne Hills Baptist Church is not perfect, but all the above traits can be seen as much now as ever before in the life of our congregation. We invite you and your loved ones to come and be part of the WHBC family!

Affiliations

Southern Baptist Convention
(National)
From SBC Website:

"For almost 175 years, Southern Baptists have sought to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere. The Southern Baptist Convention was formed with a Gospel vision. Its founding charter identifies its singular focus: . . . for the purpose of eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the Gospel. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has grown to be a network of more than fifty thousand cooperating churches and church-type missions banded together to make an impact for God’s Kingdom." 

Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia
(State)
From SBCV Website:

"The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia is a fellowship of Southern Baptist Convention churches cooperating to assist local congregations in their task of fulfilling the Great Commission as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ." 

International Mission Board
From IMB Website:

"IMB partners with churches to empower limitless missionary teams who are evangelizing, discipling, planting, and multiplying healthy churches, and training leaders among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God." 

North American Mission Board
From NAMB Website:

"Our strategy is simple and straightforward. We believe that the Church is God’s plan—you are God’s plan—to reach North America and the nations with the hope of the gospel. As a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board is here to help local churches send the hope of the gospel across North America in two primary ways: compassion ministry and church planting."