History
Beale Memorial Baptist Church has a long and rich history in Tappahannock, Virginia. The church was founded in 1875 by the Reverend Frank Brown Beale. It was then known as Centennial Baptist Church, named in honor of our nation’s first centennial. Later, the church’s name was changed to Beale Memorial to reflect appreciation to its founding pastor.
Beale originally met in the old Essex County Courthouse, a colonial structure on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1875 the Tappahannock Baptists organized Centennial Baptist Church. The building had been the scene in 1774 of the trial and sentencing to jail of four Baptist ministers for “preaching and expounding the Scriptures contrary to law.” Beale’s story is connected to the struggle for religious liberty in the British colonies. It’s remarkable that a Baptist congregation would one day meet where Colonial Baptist ministers were tried for simply being Baptist and sharing the Gospel.
As traffic increased in Tappahannock, it became increasingly difficult to get from the church across #360 to the parking lot. Church saw this as a huge deterrent to new families visiting. A group of church leaders purchased a parcel of land on Rt.17, north of Tappahannock in the 90’s so that at a future time, the church would have the option of subsequently moving to a more spacious campus. The decision to move was fraught with emotion. Many of the older members remembered the sacrifices their parents and grandparents had made to update the kitchen, bathrooms, and add the Sunday School Wing. But the state highway department was regularly slicing off two or three feet of the church lawn, placing us closer and closer to the traffic and the noise.
In 2004, the church began seriously considering how to best make the move to the new property. A church architect was employed and drew up plans for a building on the new campus. Initially, it was thought that the church would have to be built in sections, beginning with the fellowship hall, kitchen, and bathrooms. But as members of the finance committee began visiting church members, people joyously pledged their offerings to this new and exciting project. The downtown church building (which in its previous life, had been the old courthouse) was offered for sale. And much to everyone’s delight, after pondering long and hard, the county agreed to purchase the building and the parking lot across Rt. 360 for $700,000. This added significantly to the pledges available for construction and the decision was made to move forward with the entire project, rather than build in sections.
George Butler Elliott, a deacon and beloved church member became the general contractor, aided by an incredible group of men who showed up daily to work on the building. William Hammond was in charge of painting, aided by countless others including Bill Gibson, Alvin Brooks, Lawrence Payseure, and Ned Stephenson. All of the pews were taken from the former sanctuary, and refinished. Stained glass windows were taken and repaired, to be replaced by frosted glass in the old building. The chandeliers were carefully taken down. The pulpit furniture was repaired, restored, and reupholstered.
An interior decorating committee began to meet regularly, picking out tile, paint colors, window treatments and appropriate furnishings. When moving day came, it was a grand event. Pews were carefully eased through one of the incomplete windows and moved into place. And then the last stained glass window was set into place. Many members donated gifts in memory or in honor of loved ones who had served faithfully through the years at Beale.
And so, life began in our wonderful, new building in September 2007. God was blessing us. Many prayers were being answered. During this time, as we contemplated and prepared for the move, Rev. Robert McKinley retired after serving the church for 28 years, and the church called Rev. David Donahue as its next pastor. Under David Donahue, the church began having two services. Rev. Donahue brought many new and innovative ideas and the church members cheerfully embraced them.
Rev. Jonathan Davis and his family came to serve as pastor in 2016. He was an excellent Bible scholar and completed his doctorate while he was here. The church loved his beautiful family and was sad to see them depart in 2020.
Rich Hudock, who had served temporarily as an interim pastor after David Donahue’s departure, was called as a full-time pastor and came in the fall of 2021. The church has experienced growth, with new families joining and becoming part of the Bible Studies and programs that are offered.
Beale Memorial Baptist Church is a mission-minded congregation. Its members are active in the expression of their faith. Currently, there are three active international mission projects. This continued work is being done in Ghana, Kenya, and Costa Rica. Our church is also engaged in various ministries throughout our community and around the state including SonShine Farms, The Fix Ministry, and The Mother’s Heart. In recent years we have assisted in disaster relief, home repair, installation of a well and septic systems, the building of handicapped ramps and other projects. Each ministry mentioned above required a person or persons, to seize an opportunity God set before them. Not only did they see it, they then had to take a leap of faith.
In years past Missions money was given to the Cooperative Program to carry out ministry in Virginia, and around the world. But as the world became smaller, and more people traveled, many churches began planning their own mission trips. During this time, the church became involved in a ministry in Ghana, distributing mosquito nets as a ministry tool in the fight against malaria. Bryan Taliaferro, a longtime member, and Sunday School Teacher got the church involved in shipping a tractor to the missionary, Emmanuel Mustafa to be used in helping local farmers increase their crop yields. Other projects also caught the member’s imagination and teams were sent to Haiti and Guatemala. Susan Elliott Eastwood, and her husband, Len, began ministering in Kenya and the church willingly embraced their ministry. Jordanna Spencer Ailor and her husband Pepper moved to Costa Rica to serve as missionaries and the church supported them.
Each Sunday morning, we gather for worship at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. We have a full lineup of Sunday school classes for infants through adults. There’s a place for you at Beale!
If you can’t join us in Tappahannock for worship, we would love to have you listen in on our live stream.