Emmaus Baptist Church is located at 814 Yorktown Road in Poquoson, Virginia, on the Peninsula. It describes itself as a welcoming, multigenerational family of faith committed to biblical truth, authentic worship, and genuine community in Poquoson and throughout Hampton Roads. Sunday mornings center on Sunday School at 9:15 AM and worship at 10:30 AM, with a livestream available for worship. The church also has children's and youth ministries, a deacon team, and the SHINE food pantry ministry.
Sunday School at 9:15 AM, Worship at 10:30 AM
Sunday School begins at 9:15 AM and includes classes for all ages, from preschool through adults. These gatherings are described as small groups where people study Scripture, build meaningful relationships, and grow deeper in their faith. The classes encourage biblical learning, spiritual growth, and authentic community in an environment where questions are welcomed and friendships are formed. At the Welcome Center, people can pick up a card listing the Sunday School groups, visit different groups, and select the group that becomes their group home.
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM. Everyone is invited, and the church's simple invitation is to come as they are. The service can be joined in person at 814 Yorktown Road or watched live through Church Center at the same time. A nursery is provided for families. The overall Sunday School gathering includes everyone from preschool to adults. The church office can be reached at (757) 868-9215. One-time and recurring gifts are also supported through Church Center's secure online giving.
Helping Children Know and Follow Jesus
Emmaus's Children's Ministry partners with families to help children build a strong foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. Engaging Bible teaching, worship, activities, and caring leaders encourage children to discover God's love and grow in their understanding of His Word. The ministry wants every child to know that they are loved, valued, and created with purpose by God. Its safe, welcoming environment gives children room to learn, ask questions, build friendships, and begin a lifelong journey of faith. Families new to church and families who have attended for years are both invited to become part of the Emmaus family.
Growing the Next Generation of Disciples
The Youth Ministry meets for Sunday School every Sunday at 9:15 AM in the Youth Room. Its stated aim is to grow the next generation of disciples, while the broader Sunday School ministry gives each generation a place to study Scripture, ask questions, build friendships, and belong. Youth activities include Cooking Together, camp experiences, and Laser Tag. These activities are part of a church that calls itself multigenerational and invites children and youth to grow, serve, and connect.
Deacons Serving the Church Family
The Deacon Team serves alongside the pastors and church leadership to care for the practical and spiritual needs of the church family. Following a biblical model of servant leadership, the deacons strengthen the church through prayer, encouragement, support, and service. Their work helps foster unity within the church body, supports the mission of Emmaus, and reflects the church family's emphasis on serving others in love. Their stated purpose is to strengthen ministry and help the church continue as a family of faith on the Peninsula.
SHINE: Sharing Christ's Love Through Service
The SHINE Ministry exists to reflect the love and light of Jesus Christ through compassion, encouragement, and service within the church and throughout the community. Its work includes serving individuals in need, supporting local outreach efforts, and providing care and encouragement to others. SHINE is a partner agency of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank.
A mobile food distribution is jointly sponsored with the Poquoson Mobile Food Pantry and is the largest distribution each month. It takes place on the second Thursday, with all items available while supplies last. New registrations are taken on site for residents of ZIP codes 23662 and 23693. Registered neighbors facing medical or transportation issues may request a Poquoson delivery between 11 AM and noon or a late pickup after noon by calling the church office Monday through Wednesday from 8 AM to 2 PM. Volunteers make all deliveries.
The SHINE Pantry provides a personal shopping experience. Its shelves include items not available at the mobile distribution, and it also serves people who could not attend that month's mobile pantry. Once-a-month visits are welcome for residents of ZIP codes 23662 and 23693, with items provided while supplies last. Together, the mobile distribution and pantry make the church's love of neighbors practical through food access, personal shopping, and volunteer service.
From a Gathering of Believers to a Multigenerational Family
Emmaus's history begins with a gathering of believers who wanted to know Jesus and make Him known in Poquoson. As generations of families worshiped together, served their neighbors, and shared the hope of the Gospel with those around them, the church grew into the multigenerational family it calls home. Its history reflects changes in the community and in the church's methods, but not in its central commitment. Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word remain the foundation. Emmaus continues to prepare the next generation of disciples while carrying forward the legacy of those who came before, and it seeks to make an eternal impact in Poquoson, throughout Hampton Roads, and beyond.
Rooted in the Baptist Faith and Message 1963
Emmaus identifies its beliefs as the Baptist Faith and Message 1963. The Bible is described as divinely inspired, the record of God's revelation, a perfect treasure of divine instruction, truth without mixture of error, and the supreme standard for human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions. Jesus Christ is the criterion by which the Bible is interpreted. The church also names the Holy Trinity, affirming one living and true God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinct in person but without division of nature, essence, or being.
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
Jesus is affirmed as the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He perfectly revealed and did God's will, lived without sin, and provided redemption through his death on the cross. He was raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is exalted at God's right hand as the one mediator between God and humanity. Emmaus also affirms that Jesus dwells in believers as the living and present Lord and will return in power and glory to judge the world and complete his redemptive mission.
The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, enables people to understand truth, exalts Christ, convicts concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment, and calls people to the Savior. The Spirit regenerates, cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows spiritual gifts for service. His presence assures believers and empowers both the church and individual believers for worship, evangelism, and service.
Salvation and the Church
Salvation is described as the redemption of the whole person, offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Regeneration begins with the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin and a person's response of repentance and faith. Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God. Sanctification follows as believers are set apart for God's purposes and pursue moral and spiritual maturity through the Holy Spirit's presence and power. Glorification is the final state of the redeemed.
A New Testament church is defined as a local body of baptized believers associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Emmaus describes the church as autonomous, operating through democratic processes under the lordship of Jesus Christ, with members sharing responsibility and pastors and deacons serving as its scriptural officers.
For Emmaus, baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It symbolizes faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a prerequisite for membership and participation in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which members use bread and the fruit of the vine to remember the Redeemer's death and anticipate his second coming.
Belong, Believe, Become
Emmaus's mission is to help people know Jesus, grow in faith, and serve others in love. It states: "By God's command, by the call of Jesus Christ, and by the counsel of the Holy Spirit, we exist to reach and teach men and women, boys and girls in Poquoson and beyond with the unavoidable love of Christ." Its vision is expressed in the phrase "Where your Church Home Is Your Church Family." Three ideas organize the church's heart: Belong means being part of a true church family where everyone is valued and known; Believe means remaining rooted in Scripture and the life-changing Gospel of Jesus; Become means growing together as disciples who impact the community.
Emmaus Baptist Church's story stretches from an early gathering of believers to a multigenerational family centered on Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word. Its Sunday rhythm remains centered on Sunday School at 9:15 AM and worship at 10:30 AM, with nursery provided and worship livestreamed. Around those gatherings are classes for every age, children's and youth ministries, deacon service, and SHINE outreach that shares Christ's love through practical care. The church's continuing purpose is to help people know Jesus, grow in faith, and serve others in love in Poquoson, throughout Hampton Roads, and beyond.