Bayside Presbyterian Church sits right off Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, within view of Town Center, in the Thoroughgood and Lake Smith area. The congregation was established in 1948 and has woven itself into the fabric of the community with Christ's love. People know Bayside for its blended worship, an on-site preschool and kindergarten, a chartered Scout program, an unusually broad food pantry and Winter Shelter ministry, and a Living Nativity that has anchored the neighborhood's Advent season for more than 30 years.
From Robbins Corner Chapel to a Growing Congregation
The story begins in 1948, when the church was known as Robbins Corner Chapel. Its first service was held under the leadership and vision of Reverend Gordon Riggan, then pastor of East Ocean View Presbyterian Church. Members built a concrete block building themselves at the corner of Bradford and Rutherford Roads, working slowly as funds allowed. Thirty-three people attended that first service.
Reverend Riggan left in 1949. Leadership passed through an elder and another pastor and, in 1951, to Reverend S.K. Emurian, who accepted the call at age 77. In 1953 Robbins Corner Chapel was organized as Bayside Presbyterian Church by the Norfolk Presbytery. After Emurian returned to evangelism, Captain John E. Johnson, a retired U.S. Navy chaplain, accepted the call in 1955. Under his leadership, the congregation broke ground on the present church building on five acres given by Norfolk Presbytery and moved in during 1963. By the time Captain Johnny retired in 1967, membership had grown to 508.
Reverend Fletcher C. Hutcheson was called in 1967 and served fourteen years, adding classrooms, hiring an assistant pastor, a secretary, and a sexton, and expanding the church's work in the community. After his unexpected death in 1981, Reverend Susan Haugh served as interim until Reverend Dr. Richard Keever accepted a call in September 1982. Dr. Keever served 27 years, growing membership past 1,200 and adding an administrative wing, a music wing, a youth activities wing, a fellowship hall, an updated kitchen, and an expanded sanctuary.
After Dr. Keever's retirement in 2008, several interim pastors served the church until Reverend Dr. David Rollins accepted a call in 2010. During his 14-year tenure, the sanctuary underwent a major renovation and capital campaign. Dr. Rollins answered a new call in 2023, and Reverend Dr. Aram Feinberg joined as interim pastor in 2024, helping the congregation prepare for a new Head of Staff. Reverend Carrie Burslem began her ministry as Head of Staff and Head Pastor on March 1, 2026.
The motto that anchors the congregation is simple: Changing lives | Growing disciples | Living God's word. The promise paired with it is just as plain: at Bayside, all belong.
Two Services, One Lord's Table
Sunday mornings at Bayside offer two very different worship settings under one roof. At 9:00 a.m., Sail On Worship fills the music wing with contemporary Christian music from a praise team of guitars, drums, and digital piano, led by Director of Contemporary Music Saul Fox. At 10:00 a.m., Sunday School meets for all ages. At 11:00 a.m., the Sanctuary Choir leads the traditional service in the sanctuary, accompanied by organ and piano under the direction of Director of Music Ministry Chi Yi Chen Wolbrink. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in a combined service at 11:00 a.m. and is also offered on the third Sunday of the month during the Sail On contemporary service.
Both services follow the same general arc of prayer, music, scripture, a sermon, and a sending, but the feel differs sharply. The contemporary service is described by the church as relaxed and come-as-you-are. The traditional service carries the weight of the Presbyterian liturgical tradition with choir, organ, and hymns.
Children are welcome throughout. Worship bags and children's bulletins help younger children stay engaged. After the children's message during the Sunday School hour, children may leave for a Bible lesson designed just for them; older children are encouraged to stay and worship with their families. The nursery, in Room 304, is staffed for all services and accommodates infants through kindergartners.
Large print hymnals, Bibles, and bulletins are available for those with vision impairment, and headsets are offered for those who are hearing impaired. Ushers can assist.
All Sunday morning services are streamed on YouTube, and a full archive of recent services is kept there. For those worshiping online, the church suggests gathering communion elements before the service begins. Individual communion kits (a wafer and grape juice) are available at the communion table for anyone uncomfortable with the communal loaf and cup.
The Lord's Supper, in Bayside's Reformed understanding, signifies communion with the crucified and risen Lord and serves as a sacrament of continuous growth, nourishment, and new life. Baptism enacts and seals, in the church's words, what the Word proclaims: God's redeeming grace offered to all people.
Reformed Roots, Open Doors
Bayside Presbyterian is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the nationwide denomination that follows the Reformed theological tradition. The church's own explanation: at the core of the PC(USA) it proclaims God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. God created the world and all that is in it, salvation comes from Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit God is ever present in the lives of believers. The denomination is governed by a combination of clergy and laity, and it works to reveal God's grace in all areas of life, especially places of suffering and need.
The church identifies six core beliefs, stated plainly on its own pages:
- Jesus Christ is the Savior and the center of faith.
- The Bible is God's Word and guides faith and life.
- Salvation is God's free gift of grace through faith.
- The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Faith is lived together as the Body of Christ.
- Faith calls believers to love and serve neighbors.
Three resources guide Presbyterian faith and practice: the Bible, the Book of Confessions (a collection of historic statements of faith), and the Book of Order (which provides guidance for governance, worship, and service). The church's welcome, in its own words, extends to those exploring Christianity, returning after many years, or simply looking for a church home.
Music That Fills the Building
Music is a serious undertaking at Bayside. Chi Yi Chen Wolbrink has served as Director of Music Ministry since 2016. Born in Tainan, Taiwan, she holds degrees from Tainan Theological Seminary and College and from Westminster Choir College (M.M. in Choral Conducting). She served as a choral associate at Princeton Theological Seminary for twelve years and sat on the committee that produced the Glory to God hymnal. She has presented workshops on global church music for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, the Hymn Society, the Joel Engle Institute in Preaching, the Virginia Wesleyan Sacred Music Conference, and the Béla Bartók Institute in Hungary. Under her direction, the New York City Formosa Choir performed at Lincoln Center.
The Sanctuary Choir sings anthems at the 11:00 a.m. service weekly and prepares special music for Christmas and Easter. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. Singers from high school through adulthood are welcome; reading and vocal skills are taught along the way.
The Bayside Children's Choir, led by Chi Yi and Brenna Miller, welcomes children in kindergarten through sixth grade of all musical backgrounds. Wednesday rehearsals run 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.; Sunday rehearsals run 9:20 to 9:50 a.m. The Praise Team, which leads Sail On Worship, rehearses Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 7:45 a.m.
For ringers, the Bells of Bayside is a handbell ensemble that rehearses Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and performs at worship services, festivals, nursing homes, and community events. Adults with some prior ringing experience are welcome.
Children at Bayside
Children's Ministry at Bayside runs on Sunday mornings and continues through the week. At 10:00 a.m. on Sundays, children in kindergarten through sixth grade meet for Sunday School with crafts, games, and Biblical lessons, taught by Annette Conley and others. They gather at the Coffee Bar. A downloadable Nursery and Family Guide is available.
JAM (Jesus and Me) meets every Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. during the school year, immediately after Children's Choir. Kindergarten through fifth graders gather for dinner, loud worship, scripture, and friendship-building. The church's description is straightforward: the Bible should never be boring, worship can be really loud, and good leaders always care.
In the summer, Vacation Bible School transforms the building for one week, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon. The program is open to children from the church and the community, kindergarten through fifth grade, with a different theme each year, daily Bible stories, crafts, songs, and games, and a heavy teen-volunteer presence. Generous scholarships are available.
Parents' Night Out on the first Friday of each month offers childcare for infants through fifth grade. The program is open to the community, and reservations are required.
Youth Group and Confirmation
Middle school and high school youth meet Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for dinner, games, and Bible study. A separate Confirmation Class is offered at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays for youth exploring faith and the Presbyterian tradition, taught by Rachel White, Director of Faith Formation. Youth at Bayside are described as full contributing participants in church life, with youth elders, singers, community servants, and leaders throughout the congregation.
Adult Formation
Adult Sunday School runs at 10:00 a.m. in Room 504. Three classes run in parallel:
- Verse by Verse, a year-round class that walks through each book of the Bible under Marshall Miller, using reference materials to relate each passage to daily life.
- A discussion-based class on current topics and faith, led by Neil Bonney and other facilitators.
- Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt, led by Pastor Carrie Burslem, exploring what it means to be Presbyterian in a region where most Christians are not.
Sisters in Spirit (SIS) is a women's Bible study that meets Tuesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 508 from September through May. The format includes breakfast, a video, and small group discussion, with studies drawn from authors such as Lisa Harper, Jen Wilkin, and Jennifer Rothschild. The group also makes sandwiches for St. Columba Ecumenical Ministries once a month. Presbyterian Women offers additional circles for women of the church.
The Bayside Presbyterian Men's Organization (BPMO) is open to all men of the church, who are automatically members. The Breakfast Forum meets every other Tuesday and every other Saturday at 8:00 a.m. - Tuesdays feature a light breakfast and open discussion; Saturdays feature a full breakfast and Bible study. BPMO members support a long list of church activities, including Rise Against Hunger food packaging, Thanksgiving baskets, the Living Nativity program, and cooking and transportation for the annual weeklong Winter Shelter program. Ben Hubbard serves as moderator.
Scouting at Bayside
Three scouting units are chartered at Bayside. Pack 364 is for Cub Scouts in kindergarten through fifth grade, with meeting times that vary. Troop 364 is for boys in sixth through twelfth grade, meeting Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. Troop 5364 is the parallel girls' troop, meeting the same night. The scouting groups operate as part of Bayside's ministry to families in the broader community.
MomCo: A Seat for Every Mom
Bayside hosts a chapter of MomCo (formerly MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers), a community for mothers of young children. MomCo meets on the first and third Thursdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Preschool Wing, September through May, with childcare provided. The local group is run in partnership with Bayside Presbyterian Church, encouraging and equipping moms of young children to realize their potential as mothers, women, and leaders, in relationship with Jesus.
The Preschool and Kindergarten
The Bayside Presbyterian Preschool and Kindergarten operates as an outreach ministry of the church, with classes for children 18 months through kindergarten. Programs include Spanish once a week for the three-, four-, and five-year-old classes, Mud Puddle Science once a month for fours and kindergartners, and weekly Music and Chapel for every class. Monthly themes, special guests, and field trips shape the year, with a Christmas music program in December and a Spring music program in May. Three summer camps run for two-and-a-half-year-olds, three- to six-year-olds, and six- to nine-year-olds in July and August.
Class sizes are kept small: five students per toddler class with a 2-to-5 staff ratio, twelve in the two-and-a-half-year-old classes, fourteen in the three-year-old classes, and up to sixteen in the four-year-old and kindergarten classes. The kindergarten class meets Virginia Standards of Learning requirements. The preschool is supervised by the Session of the church, and its director works with the pastors and staff to maintain quality programming. Courtney Snyder serves as Director.
Mission at Home
Bayside's Community Service Ministry runs an unusually broad network of local programs, all coordinated through the church office. The on-site Food Pantry stocks nonperishables (canned goods, cereals, pasta, peanut butter, soap, paper products) and is supplemented by perishable groceries purchased by volunteer shoppers who fulfill family requests. Most calls for assistance come from four surrounding zip codes; every six weeks the Virginia Beach Department of Social Services refers additional families. Donations come from the congregation at monthly combined worship services, Cub Scout and Lions Club food drives, and Presbyterian Women circles.
The Winter Shelter, run with PIN ministries, hosts 60 to 80 homeless men and women at the church for one week each winter, with overnight shelter, breakfast and dinner, donated clothing, and toiletries. Bayside is one of three churches in the Bayside Ecumenical Blood Drive, hosting on the second Tuesday of the month in January, May, and September. Thanksgiving baskets are assembled with Scout help and given to families in need. The Christmas Angel Tree provides gifts for children and a few adults referred by St. Columba Ecumenical Ministries, Mile High Kids, and the surrounding community. School supplies are collected for Diamond Springs, Newtown, Pembroke, and Bettie F. Williams Elementary Schools and Bayside Middle. The annual Living Nativity, a neighborhood tradition for over 30 years, fills the second weekend of December with live animals, caroling, and refreshments.
Bayside partners closely with St. Columba Ecumenical Ministries, which serves the area's poor and homeless with food, clean clothes, and showers, and with Samaritan House, which has been a mission partner for many years. Samaritan House operates 13 shelter homes in Virginia Beach for victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and homelessness, and recently completed construction of The Hallow, a licensed residential facility for underage trafficking victims. Bayside contributes quarterly to Samaritan House and runs an annual Oh, Baby drive each May to collect baby and toddler items for families in emergency housing.
Mission Around the World
The Global Missions Ministry supports partnerships at home and abroad. In partnership with Great Bridge Presbyterian Church and Young Life Nicaragua, Bayside sends a team to Nicaragua, where travelers serve at La Finca camp in Matagalpa alongside local ministry leaders, helping maintain the camp and hosting a week-long camp for teen moms and their children. The team also brings back roasted Nicaraguan coffee for fundraising.
Living Waters for the World, a clean-water mission that began with a small Bayside team, has installed water purification systems in a boys' school in Lima, Peru, and a village church in the Amazon basin, with team members actively participating in the LWF Peru Network.
Bayside has maintained a sister-church relationship with two Presbyterian congregations in the Congo (Lemba and Limete) for over 20 years, supporting building projects including a maternity clinic and church development through the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia. A twelve-year mission partnership with Fuente de Agua Viva in Ticul, Mexico, formally closed, but the friendships between Bayside members and Ticul residents continue.
The church also takes part in Rise Against Hunger's meal-packaging event each year, packaging over 15,000 food packs to be shipped worldwide.
Care: Prayer, Presence, and Stephen Ministry
Bayside Prays is the church's prayer chain. Requests can be submitted by prayer request card in the offering plate on Sundays or by email at any time; members receive them and lift them up in personal prayer, with confidentiality when desired. Pastoral care is provided by the pastors for times of pain, crisis, illness, or grief.
Stephen Ministry is a structured lay caring ministry in which trained Stephen Ministers provide one-on-one, confidential, Christ-centered care to people going through difficult seasons. As the church describes them, Stephen Ministers are the After People - after the phone call you hoped you'd never get, after the funeral when everyone has left, after the doctor says there is nothing more to be done. Men are paired with men, women with women, and sometimes a member of Bayside is matched with a Stephen Minister from another church for a better fit.
Weddings, Memorials, and the Columbarium
Weddings are welcomed at Bayside, with the church describing marriage as a gift from God and a covenant between two people to live their lives together before God and in discipleship.
Bayside's pastors and members assist with funeral planning and bereavement. The church's on-site columbarium is a peaceful garden on the church grounds, with niches available to members, their families, past members, and friends of the congregation. Companion containers can be placed in a single niche.
Leadership
Reverend Carrie Burslem serves as Pastor and Head of Staff. A Virginia native raised in Winchester, she holds an undergraduate degree in speech pathology and audiology with a minor in sign language from James Madison University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, ordained in 2000. Her ministry has taken her through churches in Charlotte, Warrenton, Front Royal, and Southport, and on mission trips to Mexico, Appalachia, West Virginia, Haiti, and Ethiopia.
Reverend Emma Ouellette is Associate Pastor. A Michigan native and graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div. 2011), she served at Allen Park Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Northville in the Detroit Presbytery before joining Bayside in March 2017. She serves on several presbytery committees.
Chi Yi Chen Wolbrink, Director of Music Ministry, holds degrees from Tainan Theological Seminary and College and Westminster Choir College and has served as Music Director since 2016. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Norfolk State University.
Saul Fox, Director of Contemporary Music, holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory and a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy from Catholic University. He has performed leading roles with the Virginia Opera, the Virginia Beach Symphony, and the Tidewater Winds.
Rachel White joined Bayside in May 2026 as Director of Faith Formation. She graduated from Abilene Christian University in 2022 with a Bachelor's in Children and Family Ministry and recently earned a Master's in Youth Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Courtney Snyder directs the Bayside Presbyterian Preschool with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a background in curriculum development and nonprofit fundraising.
Brenna Miller directs the Children's Choir.
Elders (Session members) are elected by the congregation to three-year terms and meet monthly as a group and in ministry meetings. The Session's standing committees include Christian Education, Stewardship, Personnel and Administration, Property, Global Missions, Congregational Care, Community Service, Evangelism, and Worship. The Session is charged with accepting new members; new members are received through public profession of faith, certificate of transfer from another church, or reaffirmation of faith.
Joining and Giving
Anyone interested in joining can mark the Friendship pad in the pew, contact one of the pastors, or attend a New Members Class, a relaxed, two-Sunday introduction held several times a year. New members are received at a Sunday morning service following a vote by the Session.
Gifts can be made online, dropped in the offering plate during services, or mailed to the church office. Members are also invited to participate in four annual PC(USA) special offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, the Pentecost Offering, the Peacemaking Offering on World Communion Sunday, and the Christmas Joy Offering. A portion of each stays at Bayside to support local mission programs.
The office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 1400 Ewell Road, Virginia Beach. The main parking lot is accessible from either Independence Boulevard or Ewell Road, and both entrances are wheelchair accessible with multiple handicap parking spaces. The welcome desk in the Atrium offers information on programs and activities. Visitors who want to know more can also plan a visit.