A Family Church on Hampton Highway
Maranatha Baptist Church sits along Hampton Highway in Yorktown, Virginia, between the historic colonial sites of the Peninsula and the everyday neighborhoods where local families live and work. The church's motto - Helping Families. Growing Believers. Exalting Christ. - captures what the congregation aims to be for every age that walks through the door. Independent and KJV-only, the church is pastored by Bob Monteith, a former Air Force serviceman and longtime missionary who returned to the United States with his wife Tammy to shepherd this congregation.
Pastor Bob Monteith
Pastor Monteith and his wife Tammy came to faith in Christ while stationed in Japan during his enlistment in the United States Air Force. After his discharge and Bible college training, they returned to Japan for nearly twenty years, serving with Baptist International Missions Incorporated as missionaries to U.S. military personnel and their families stationed there. The Monteiths have four children and six grandchildren, and their stated desire is to help people come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and to encourage and strengthen them and their families in their walk with and service of the Lord in and through His local church.
A Week Built Around the Word
The weekly rhythm at Maranatha centers on three services of worship, with a midweek gathering for prayer and teaching. Sunday School meets at 9:45 AM, followed by the main Morning Worship service at 10:50 AM and an Evening Worship service at 6:00 PM. Wednesday nights bring the Mid-Week Worship and Prayer Meeting at 7:00 PM, with Master Clubs for children running at 6:30 PM.
Children are cared for during the morning service through a Junior Church that dismisses partway through the 10:50 AM hour at 11:00 AM, freeing parents to follow the sermon.
Children and Teens
Maranatha Youth serves children ages 4 through 12 with a focus on helping them learn what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. In addition to Junior Church on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM, the church runs Master Clubs on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM, a program that organizes children into groups by age and grade: Beginners (4-5 years), Servants (1st grade), Stewards (2nd grade), Soldiers (3rd grade), and Ambassador Boys and Girls (4th-6th grade). Each week the children memorize, learn, and study the Word of God.
Maranatha Teens, for students in grades 7 through 12, meets for Sunday School at 9:45 AM and again on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM. The ministry exists to guide students to love, follow, and serve Jesus Christ with their whole hearts in a world that pulls them in every direction.
Sunday School for Every Stage
The Sunday School program at 9:45 AM offers classes for every age. Children's classes run from a Nursery for infants through two-year-olds, a Toddler class for ages two and three, Beginners for ages four and five, a Primary class for 1st and 2nd graders, and a Junior class for 3rd through 6th graders. A separate Teen class serves 7th through 12th graders, and several adult classes are designed for different stages of life. Ushers are available on arrival to help families find the right room.
Families, Adults, and Seniors
The adult ministry operates under the banner "Better Together," with the goal of providing an atmosphere where families are encouraged to bond, work through challenges, and grow in Christ side by side. Adult programming runs alongside the main services on Sunday mornings at 10:50 AM, Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM, and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.
Maranatha Seniors connects the more experienced members of the congregation through fellowship and activities while mentoring and influencing the younger generation. In addition to meeting with the main services throughout the week, the seniors gather for a monthly Senior Lunch on the church campus.
Seedline: A Hands-On Missions Ministry
One of the more distinctive ministries at Maranatha is Seedline, a workgroup that assembles Gospel materials for distribution to people across the world. Volunteers meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings at 8:30 AM to put together copies of the Word of God. The church frames this as a way for anyone - retirees, stay-at-home parents, or anyone with a few free weekday hours - to participate in global missions through a tangible, local effort.
Missions and Outreach
Beyond Seedline, Maranatha supports missions locally, nationally, and internationally. The church seeks to fulfill the Great Commission through prayer, giving, and service, and offers online giving specifically designated for missions support. Pastor Monteith's own background as a missionary with Baptist International Missions Incorporated shapes the church's heart for reaching people beyond its own walls.
What Maranatha Believes
Maranatha Baptist Church holds to a detailed statement of faith rooted in historic Baptist doctrine. The church accepts the Bible, Old and New Testaments, as the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, and uses the 1611 King James Version as its standard translation. It affirms one true and living God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The church teaches that salvation is the free gift of God, received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death and shed blood at Calvary. It holds to a pre-millennial second coming of Christ, including a coming rapture of the saved and a subsequent seven-year Tribulation, and affirms the literal existence of Heaven and Hell.
The ordinances of the church are two: baptism by immersion of believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Lord's Supper, observed after solemn self-examination. Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership and participation in the Lord's Supper. The church teaches that the sign gifts, including speaking in tongues, ceased as the canon of Scripture was being completed and are not valid gifts of the Holy Spirit today. It also teaches that marriage is the union of a male and female as defined by Scripture.
Plan a Visit
The church welcomes visitors at 221 Hampton Highway in Yorktown. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Those wanting to plan a visit ahead of time can fill out a short form on the church's visit page, and a contact form is available for any questions about programs, services, or starting a relationship with Christ.
Sermons Online and Giving
Live services are broadcast Sundays at 9:45 AM, 10:50 AM, and 6:00 PM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM through Sermon Audio, and a full archive of recent sermons is available on the church's sermons page. Tithes and offerings can be given online through the church's secure giving portal, and giving is a vital part of worship to God.
Staying Connected
Maranatha maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). Visitors and members alike can follow along for sermon updates, event announcements, and ministry news.