Villa Heights Baptist Church sits on top of a hill just outside the Roanoke city limits, on Orange and Challenger Avenue, directly across from the Bonsack Kroger Shopping Center. The Southern Baptist congregation has shaped its ministry around a single sentence: "Transforming lives by making disciples of Jesus Christ." Members pursue that vision through four rhythms the church calls Gather, Grow, Give, and Go.
Blended Worship on Sunday Mornings
Sunday morning worship at Villa Heights is intentionally blended. The 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM services share the same order, the same music, and nearly the same sermon, mixing contemporary songs with traditional hymns. Senior Pastor Dr. Dan Suttles preaches and teaches from the Word, with messages that aim at real-life application. The 8:30 service usually features the Worship Choir; the 11:00 service includes the choir on most Sundays as well. On the fifth Sunday of any month, both services combine into a single 11:00 AM gathering.
Visitors who cannot attend in person can join the service online. The church livestreams on YouTube and keeps a sermon archive that goes back through past weeks, and a separate channel hosts dramatic skits and short films from the Branches Drama ministry.
Sunday School: The Backbone of the Church
Villa Heights describes its Sunday School as "the backbone" of the church, "where friendships are formed and faith is deepened." Classes meet at 9:50 AM for every age and stage, and the church has a classroom for nearly every kind of adult.
- Birth through potty-trained 3 year olds - Room 119
- 4 year olds through 3rd grade - Room 204
- 4th and 5th grade - Room 201
- Middle and high school - Student Center, with a YM360 lecture and discussion format
- Unashamed (young adults, high school graduates through young married couples) - Room 118
- Young families - Room 207
- Co-ed adult classes - Rooms 126, 127, 108, 107, 124, and the Fellowship Hall
- Ladies class - Room 109, a missions-minded group that completes a monthly service project
- New members class - scheduled periodically
Willie Klepper, Minister of Administration and Education, and Sunday School Secretary Georgia Barnett help coordinate the program.
Children and Students
Children's Ministry runs throughout the morning. Nursery care is offered at 8:30 and 11:00 for children birth through age 3. Children's Church for 4 year olds through 5th grade meets during the 11:00 hour. At 6:00 PM on Sunday evenings, TeamKID brings together Bible memory games, application of Bible truths, missions videos, and activity-based learning. Children's Minister Mary Beth Handley oversees the program and publishes a Kids' Calendar of special events.
Student ministry, led by Student Pastor Nathan Smith, gathers middle and high schoolers in the Student Center on Sunday mornings for YM360-based study. The youth also meet at 6:00 PM on Sunday evenings and Wednesdays for Youth Worship, with their own calendar at villaheightsyouth.com.
Young Adults, Women, Men, and Seniors
The Unashamed Sunday School class serves college-age singles and young married couples in Room 118, and on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM, Pastor Johnny leads a class geared specifically toward that season of life in Room 108.
Women's Ministry, coordinated by Lisa Reinard, meets Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM in Room 124 with weekly topics and a yearlong rhythm of growth, encouragement, and service. A Prayer Shawl Ministry, led by Toni Bishop, knits and crochets shawls while praying for recipients.
Men of Villa Heights meet three times a week, including Sunday worship and Sunday School, and gather for a Wednesday night Bible study at 6:00 PM in Room 127. Jeff coordinates the men's study, and the men also gather quarterly for "Manly Monday" evenings.
Senior adults draw on a lifetime of wisdom and experience. The ministry keeps a Sr. Adult Calendar of gatherings, with Joe and Faye Schroer as contacts. Senior Adult activities draw on Proverbs 16:31: "The silver haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness."
Worship Arts: Choir, Band, and Drama
Worship Arts is led by Worship Pastor Jim Mathews and Associate Worship Pastor Johnny Crane. The Worship Choir is open to adults year-round with no audition; it rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in the Choir Room, with childcare provided. The audition-only Praise Band rehearses Wednesdays from 8:00 to 9:00 PM and warms up at 7:30 AM before the 8:30 service. On Sundays when the Liberty University student players are present, the band joins Dr. Dan Suttles and the LU Band for a fuller musical presentation. Branches Drama, a separate team, uses skits, plays, and musicals to present the gospel both inside and outside the church.
The "Go": Local and Global Missions
The fourth rhythm of Villa Heights, "Go," is where the church takes its faith into the community and the world. The congregation partners with a network of local and global ministries, including the Blue Ridge Women's Center, Friendship House of Roanoke, Keystone Community Center, Rescue Mission of Roanoke, Straight Street, CORE Missions, Abiding Hope, World Reach Partnerships, and Gospelink. Denominational partnerships include the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, and the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association. Past mission trips have taken teams to Burma, Uganda, and disaster relief sites in Virginia.
Giving and Practical Details
The church approaches giving as an act of worship, citing 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 as its pattern: give sacrificially, pray about the amount, and trust God to bless. Donations may be made electronically through the church's online form or app, mailed to the office, or placed in one of three tithe and offering drop boxes at the entrances to the Worship Center.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 4080 Challenger Avenue, Roanoke, VA 24012, and can be reached at (540) 977-7305. Villa Heights adheres to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and grounds its work in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."