Forty-Plus Years on Scholls Ferry Road
Westgate Baptist Church has stood at 12930 SW Scholls Ferry Road in Tigard, Oregon, since August of 1987, but the congregation's roots go back further. The church held its very first service in September 1982 in a community room at the Lincoln Center in Beaverton, gathered under the vision of Pastor Ben Jaquith and a small group of believers who wanted a Bible-preaching church in the Beaverton-Tigard corridor. Within three months, attendance had grown to about 40 people, and the young congregation moved into rented space first at a Seventh Day Adventist church in Beaverton and then at a Methodist building for Wednesday gatherings.
By 1986, average attendance had climbed to nearly a hundred. The next summer, the people of Westgate moved into their own building on the present Scholls Ferry Road site. A year later, in the fall of 1988, the church launched Westgate Christian School, beginning with kindergarten through third grade. Grade levels were added one at a time, K4 and sixth grade arriving in 1991-92, and grades seven through twelve joining the roster in 1992-93. The school has remained a ministry of the church ever since.
In 1994, the church purchased the two-acre parcel adjoining its property to the south, doing so without debt. The home already on that lot was eventually expanded into offices and classrooms, with a small portion kept as a "prophet's chamber" for visiting missionaries and preachers. A second classroom building was later added further south, expanding the campus to roughly four acres. Ground was broken in 2002 for a 40,000-square-foot multipurpose building that holds more than fifteen classrooms, a library, a computer lab, numerous offices, a nursery suite, and a 600-seat auditorium that doubles as the church sanctuary and a gymnasium. The first phase opened in 2004, and the 25th anniversary service was held in the still-completing auditorium on September 9, 2007. Pastor Jaquith has shepherded the work for its entire existence, and his wife Janie, herself a Northwest Oregon native, has served alongside him since the beginning.
An Independent, Fundamental Baptist Identity
Westgate describes itself as an Independent, Fundamental, Baptist church. The congregation does not maintain formal ties with any denomination or convention, and its polity is congregational under the leadership of the pastor and deacons. Theologically, the church holds to a verbal-plenary view of Scripture, teaches the King James Version for public worship, preaching, teaching, and memorization, and affirms the historic Baptist distinctives. Salvation is taught as by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ alone, and baptism is practiced as the immersion of a believer.
Westgate's statement of faith affirms one God eternally existing in three persons, the literal six-day creation of the universe, the historic fall of man, the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the imminent and premillennial return of Christ with a rapture of the church, the bodily resurrection of the saved to a literal heaven and the lost to a literal hell, and a calling to personal separation from sinful and worldly practices. The church identifies with fundamental Christianity and is resolutely opposed to doctrinal compromise and religious liberalism.
Sunday and Wednesday Schedule
Westgate's weekly rhythm centers on four Sunday services and one Wednesday evening service. The day begins with Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. The Morning Worship Service follows at 10:30 a.m., with a Spanish-language service at 1:30 p.m. under the name Iglesia Bautista Westgate, and an evening service at 6:00 p.m. On Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., the church gathers for Bible study and prayer, with a separate youth program and Patch the Pirate children's classes running alongside.
Worship at Westgate is intentionally traditional and reverent. The music is rich and conservative in style, leaning heavily on classic hymns, with the adult choir presenting music on Sunday mornings from September through June. The orchestra accompanies congregational singing on Sunday evenings, and vocal or instrumental ensembles typically present special music ahead of the message. Services are not designed as entertainment; the aim is to prepare hearts for the preaching of the Word, with the music setting a worshipful tone and the sermon occupying the central place. Each week's morning service is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and an archive of past sermons is kept online.
The Spanish Ministry: Iglesia Bautista Westgate
The Spanish-language work meets at the same Tigard campus every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and is the principal outreach to the area's Spanish-speaking families. The congregation shares the Westgate motto, "Edificando vidas con propósito" - Building Lives with Purpose - and the same doctrinal commitments as the English ministry. Services follow a similar pattern of Bible-centered preaching, congregational singing, and prayer. The Spanish congregation also benefits from the involvement of several Westgate Christian School staff and families who assist with translation and other needs.
Children, Teens, and Nursery
Children are welcomed at every regularly scheduled service. Nursery care is available for newborns through age three during all Sunday services, the Sunday School hour, and the Wednesday evening meeting, staffed by church members and equipped with a call system that can reach a parent in the auditorium if needed. Children's church for ages four through fourth grade is held during the 10:30 a.m. service and includes its own time of singing, prayer, and a message pitched to the children.
Sunday School classes run at 9:15 a.m. for children from age two through twelfth grade, with the Sunday evening service offering nursery and a 2- and 3-year-olds class for parents who want to bring their little ones to the auditorium. Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. include Patch the Pirate classes, a music-centered children's program built around the songs of Ron "Patch" Hamilton. The three levels are Peanut for ages four and five, PeeWee for grades one and two, and Patch the Pirate for grades three through six. Each week includes singing, a Bible lesson, and character-building stories. A year-round children's outreach called Neighborhood Bible Time has been hosted by Westgate each summer since 1989, drawing thousands of children over the decades and providing a Vacation Bible School-style week of Bible teaching, music, and games.
Teens meet for Sunday School each week and have a Wednesday evening youth group led by the church's youth director. Activities include monthly outings, teen visitation and soul-winning, and missions trips. The IMPACT teen choir rehearses on Wednesday nights as part of the regular youth program and presents music during the school year.
Adults, Families, and Care Groups
Adults have several options for the 9:15 a.m. Bible study hour, including a Discovery Class taught by Pastor Ben Jaquith for newcomers that walks through thirteen lessons covering salvation, baptism and communion, stewardship, the roles of pastors and deacons, family, and end-time events. A College and Career class for singles and young adults meets on Sunday mornings year-round and gathers for periodic activities like volleyball, game nights, and outings. A discipleship course, "Colossians 2:7," provides ongoing instruction for those who want to go deeper.
The church family is informally divided into care groups that look after practical and spiritual needs across the congregation, and several all-church events knit the people together: a Ladies Brunch, a Fourth of July picnic, a fall banquet, and a summer family camp. The mid-week service on Wednesday evening also includes a time of corporate prayer that complements the Bible teaching.
Music and Special Services
Music is treated as a ministry rather than a performance. The adult choir serves from September through June, and a December Christmas cantata pairs choir and cast in a reader's-theatre style presentation of the Christmas story. Children from age two through twelfth grade present their own Christmas program in early December, with the younger children dressed as nativity characters while the choir sings and a narrator reads the biblical account. The IMPACT teen choir rounds out the program. Tom Stuch, one of the six founding members of the church in 1982, directs the school band and choir and has served in the music ministry of the church since its inception.
Outreach and Visitation
Outreach at Westgate centers on personal, door-to-door ministry. The church meets at the building on Tuesday evenings at 6:45 p.m. and on Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. to go out into the community, visit recent visitors, share the gospel with neighbors, and check on shut-ins and those who are sick. Training for this outreach is provided through Evangelism Outreach Training (EOT), and the congregation also serves at the Union Gospel Mission in Portland. The church has a long-standing commitment to worldwide missions, supporting missionaries serving through various fundamental mission boards, and was instrumental in the founding of Berean Baptist Church in Dallas, Oregon, a daughter congregation about an hour to the south.
Westgate Christian School
Westgate Christian School shares the same campus and is integrated into the life of the church. The school is a K-12 ministry accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is a member of the Northwest Association of Christian Schools and the American Association of Christian Schools. The principal, Pastor Timothy Makin, also serves as one of the church's assistant pastors.
The school partners with parents to provide a traditional classroom education in which a biblical worldview is woven into every subject. The lower grades use a strong phonics-based reading program, the secondary program is largely college preparatory, and the IOWA Test of Basic Skills is administered each year in grades 1-11, with average scores well above national norms on the SAT. Curriculum is drawn primarily from A Beka Book, with supplements from Bob Jones University Press and Positive Action for Christ. The school's philosophy grounds Christian education in the development of Christlikeness in thought, word, and deed, with chapel and Bible instruction supported by teachers who are committed Christians and who treat every subject through a scriptural lens.
Beyond the classroom, students in grades 7-12 can play Junior Varsity or Varsity basketball (for young men) and volleyball (for young ladies), with the season running from mid-October through mid-February and culminating in a tournament in Pasco, Washington. The fine arts program includes yearly art for grades K4-6, two levels of band beginning in grade 5, and private piano and brass lessons, with students participating in the NWACS Fine Arts Competition each year. The campus itself occupies a 42,000-square-foot building that includes classrooms, a library, a computer lab, and a gymnasium/auditorium. School colors are blue and white, the nickname is the Gators, and the mascot is Wes Gator. The school day runs from 8:25 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with after-school activities available for K5 through grade 8.
What a First-Time Visitor Will Find
Visitors arriving for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service will be greeted by a friendly congregation in a comfortable, traditional setting. The dress is modest, the music is hymn-based, and the preaching is expository, drawing consistently from the King James Version. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. gives newcomers a chance to meet people in a smaller setting before the worship service. Children's church runs alongside the 10:30 a.m. service for ages four through fourth grade, and nursery care is available throughout the morning. Spanish-speaking visitors are invited to the 1:30 p.m. service in their own language. A second worship gathering is held on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m., and a mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting takes place on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., with children's programs and the youth group running in parallel. Parking is available on the four-acre campus off Scholls Ferry Road, and the church can be reached by phone at 503-524-3500.
The Pastoral Team
Pastor Ben Jaquith has served as Senior Pastor since the church was founded in 1982. He holds a B.A. in Secondary Education from George Fox College, an M.S. in Educational Administration from Bob Jones University, and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Ambassador Baptist College, and has been involved in Christian education since 1971. He is joined by two assistant pastors: Timothy Makin, who also serves as principal of Westgate Christian School, and Micah Shoultz, who teaches in the secondary program. Jackson Rardin, assisted by his wife Hannah, leads the youth ministry as Youth Director. The deacon board includes Dick Siemers (chairman), John Makin, and Jeff Terrall, with Tom Stuch directing the music program.