On Hull Street Road in Moseley, Chesterfield Baptist Church is known for its 10:30 AM Sunday gathering and its mission to help people discover who God created them to be. Established in 1857, the church combines worship and teaching with ministries for children and youth, adult groups, missions, a food pantry, delivered meals, and practical outreach. Its service also extends to cancer education and early detection through RISEN.
Pastor Sammy Frame expresses the church's hope in a simple line: God wants to do great things through you.
A 10:30 AM Gathering on Hull Street Road
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM at 16530 Hull Street Road. The musical style is a modern twist on traditional worship: hymns are part of the service, and guitars or an electric keyboard may also be used. The congregation reads the Bible, prays together, and hears teaching that presents the hope found in Jesus in practical and creative ways. The same gathering is livestreamed each Sunday with worship, teaching, and children's messages. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of February, April, June, August, October, and December.
First-time visitors do not have to stand, identify themselves, or give money. Chesterfield Baptist wants people who wish to remain anonymous to be able to do so. Greeters meet arriving guests with a smile, and visitors may park wherever they like before entering through the doors closest to Hull Street Road. Attendees range from jeans and sneakers to dresses and slacks, and comfort is the guiding principle.
During the 10:30 service, nursery care is provided for children from birth through age four. Children from age five through fifth grade join their own worship experience with music and Bible teaching, then move into age-based small groups for lessons, discussion, and hands-on activities. Cornerstone Kids check-in begins as early as 7 AM, and children are dismissed to their caregivers after Tool Shed in the Fellowship Hall.
The Innovation Continues: Turning Toward the Community
Established in 1857, Chesterfield Baptist has a history of adapting while remaining rooted in its identity. In 1954, the county moved Hull Street Road 1,000 yards south, leaving the back of the church facing the new road. Members believed the front doors should open toward the new roadway, so the entire building was physically turned around. The project stands as a concrete example of a congregation willing to reorient its building and its life toward the community it seeks to serve.
Cornerstone Kids: Worship, Stories and a Working Toolkit
Cornerstone Kids serves children from birth through fifth grade with the aim of guiding children and families as they build a life with Jesus. KIDS Worship gives children room to express themselves through vibrant music, creative movement, age-appropriate messages, singing, prayer, and questions. The goal is for each child to connect with God in a joyful, meaningful setting and feel known and valued.
Tool Shed Sundays turn Bible stories and themes into hands-on learning. Children work together on challenges, projects, and service activities, discuss how biblical principles apply to everyday life, and build what the congregation calls a toolkit of spiritual skills, habits, and knowledge.
The Sunday rhythm begins before the main worship gathering:
- 9:30 AM: Blueprint Stations for hands-on activities.
- 9:45 AM: What's Up Meet-Up for mission moments and prayer time.
- 10:00 AM: Getting Your Praise On with music.
- 10:15 AM: Are You Game? with singing, instruments, signing, and dancing.
- 10:30 AM: Station Break for a snack and bathroom break.
- 10:40 AM: Cornerstone Moment with the children's message and large-group time.
- 10:55 AM: Details! Details! Details! in age-appropriate small groups.
- 11:20 AM: Wrap It Up.
- 11:30 AM: Dismissal.
Safety is built into the children's ministry. Volunteers are screened with background checks and have attended Reduce the Risk Sexual Abuse Training. The children's hallway is monitored by volunteers and security cameras while children are in class, allowing families to leave them in the care of the ministry team during worship.
Foundation for Middle and High School Students
Foundation is the church's youth ministry for middle and high school students. Foundation High School meets on Sundays at 9:30 AM, while Foundation Middle School meets at 10:30 AM. Youth Director Greg Beechaum, Jr., leads an emotionally safe place where students can discuss life's challenges and explore how faith in Christ shapes the way they live. Students study together, take part in church events and Youth Sunday, and build shared experiences through mission trips such as Mission Madness, Camp Piankatank, and IMPACT Virginia. New friends are always welcome.
Small Groups for Adults, Families and Every Season of Life
Chesterfield Baptist describes church as relational: groups may be Bible studies, social gatherings, or a blend of both. They support spiritual growth, friendship, service, and everyday life. All groups operate on a semester system, creating clear opportunities to join for a term, try another option, or continue with a group that becomes a good fit.
- Sunday, 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM: A group with varied compositions meets at Chesterfield Baptist for Bible study and discussion. Childcare is provided.
- Monday, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM: Men of all ages meet around dinner to discuss life, events in the world, and Jesus, and to look for ways to serve together. The location varies and is often a restaurant or a home. Childcare is not provided.
- Monday, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM: Adults in their forties through early sixties gather at Magnolia Green for deeper connection, renewed purpose, spiritual growth, and rediscovering identity beyond parenting. Childcare is not provided.
- Wednesday, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM: A group focused on married people with children and open to anyone aged 30 to 55 meets at the church. Childcare is provided.
A breakfast group for retired men also meets with its date and time set by the group. The church's Music Program gathers on Thursdays at 6:30 PM, and singers and musicians of every skill level are welcome. Happy Hearts for Active Seniors meets for a themed lunch and a learning or fun activity on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May. It is geared toward adults age 55 and older but welcomes everyone. Short-term women's Bible studies run in spring and fall at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The Cards, Care and Prayer team meets Mondays at 9:30 AM for prayer and to write cards of hope.
Chesterfield Baptist names worship, a short-term group, weekly Sunday School, membership, baptism, and service in the church or community as possible next steps for people at different stages of faith.
Meals, a Food Pantry and Monthly Service in Richmond
Chesterfield Baptist carries its mission beyond the church through local service and international missions. Women on Mission combines Bible study, prayer devotionals, missions projects, and outreach to help women grow in Christ and answer their call to make disciples. International missions are part of the church's wider commitment, while local needs are met through food, practical help, and relationships.
What's Mine Is Yours operates a well-stocked food pantry at the church through the generosity of the congregation. The church's office handles pantry requests.
On the first Saturday of each month, Serving Those in Need focuses on people who are homeless and hungry in Richmond. The team meets at the church at 7 AM for prayer and loading, travels to three designated stops, and returns around 11 AM. The rhythm combines food distribution with presence, prayer, and personal connection.
The Blessings and Bites Meals Team provides meals for home delivery when needs and dietary restrictions can be accommodated. These meals support families recovering, grieving, or adjusting to difficult circumstances and remind them that God is with them.
Service also includes practical projects such as storing items, building ramps, doing yardwork, climbing ladders, tightening wobbly objects, lifting heavy items, and changing light bulbs or filters. These opportunities allow people to use practical abilities in service to others.
RISEN: Resources, Information, Support and Early Cancer Detection
The cancer ministry known as RISEN grew from Chesterfield Baptist's Cancer Awareness Team and its partnership with VCU Massey Cancer Center. RISEN stands for Resources, Information, Support and Early Cancer Detection for Our Neighbors. The team promotes early cancer detection through community outreach, educational programs, partnerships, and screening opportunities. Its aim is to give neighbors the knowledge, support, and access they need for early detection.
Gather, Grow, Give and Go
Chesterfield Baptist describes Gather, Grow, Give, and Go as its shared pattern. Gather is the commitment to meet in person because God promises to be in the congregation's midst. Grow means discipleship through reading God's Word. Give means allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the offering of time, talent, and treasure. Go carries people beyond the church for local outreach, international missions, and discipleship. These commitments express the mission of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the community and the world through relevant ministries of service.
God, Scripture, Humanity and the Church
Chesterfield Baptist affirms one living and true God, Creator and Redeemer, who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Bible is the record of God's revelation, and Jesus is the criterion for interpreting Scripture. Human beings have dignity because they are created in God's image. Salvation is offered through Jesus Christ, whose suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection bring hope to humanity and all creation.
The church is understood as a local body of baptized believers associated by covenant in faith and fellowship, committed to Christ's teachings, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. It is autonomous, operates through democratic processes under the Lordship of Christ, and holds members equally responsible. Its Baptist identity emphasizes the soul's competency before God, religious freedom, local church autonomy, and the priesthood of all believers, while placing itself within the historic Christian faith affirmed by the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer, the Bible, and daily dependence on the Holy Spirit, and is called to use their gifts in ministry and mission.
The church also teaches religious liberty, including freedom of conscience and separation of church and state. Its doctrine connects that freedom with stewardship of time, talents, and material possessions. Its vision of the future includes Christ's return, the end of injustice, and God's restoration of all things.
Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure
The church teaches that a tithe is 10 percent of what God gives, while offerings are gifts given beyond the tithe. Contributions can support the General Fund, assets and property, World Missions, Associational Missions, or gifts given in memory or honor of someone. Cash and checks may be placed in the offering plate, and checks may also be mailed to the church. Card and ACH gifts are accepted, along with gifts through the Church Center App and online giving. Chesterfield Baptist describes its giving administration as grounded in ethical business practices, accountability, and faithful stewardship.
Chesterfield Baptist's shared life remains summarized in four verbs: Gather, Grow, Give, and Go.