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Who is VHBC?
Every church is unique. Vestavia Hills Baptist Church is a congregation that shares many similar aspects with other Christian groups, but when you ask visitors and especially those who join us, they often say, “they are a warm and caring fellowship,” one that is personal. People will get to know your name. You will find a place here if you want one, and you will be welcomed.
We are a fellowship that takes relationship with God seriously. We encourage one another to grow in our faith and encourage each other in that journey. We take seriously the call to serve the Lord.
We are a community of grace. Some have experience us to be their, “church of the second chance.” If church is sometimes judgmental, we are not. We seek to meet people where they are and help them find where they go from here.
It is, finally, a fellowship that cares. As a church, we believe that to be a Christian is to care—about what is right, about our responsibilities to God and each other, and the world around us, especially those needing shelter and belonging. Through very active mission and ministry, we seek to demonstrate the very simple words: “We care.”
Our hope is that you will find that to be true, too.
What is your approach to worship?
Worshipers at VHBC seek to express our gratefulness and awe to God, our love for one another, and our desire to serve God and each other more faithfully through
· the singing of historic and newly written hymns and anthems
· the reading of scripture
· the confession of sin
· prayer for ourselves, our neighbors and our world
· the creative proclamation of the Gospel and the call to commitment.
The congregation of VHBC seeks to make each Sunday’s service a step of progress on the journey of following Christ.
Why is worship at 10 a.m.?
In 1957, a small group of Baptists met to discuss the possibility of organizing a new church in the new Vestavia Hills community. City Hall would be the meeting place. Dr. John Wiley was called as the first pastor of this church with 150 charter members. Since the Presbyterian church met at City Hall at 11:00 a.m., the Vestavia Hills congregation of Baptists elected to hold services at 10:00 a.m., a practice that has continued to this day.
Is there a place for my children?
There is a place for your child at VHBC. We want every child to know they are welcomed and loved. Sunday morning classes for babies through school aged children meet at the same time as youth and adults. Loving and Christ-following adults are ready to care for and guide children in age-group classes.
Preschoolers and children are a vital part of our church family.
Worship Care, for babies - kindergartners, meets during the worship service. Children in the Kindergarten class leave Sunday School to attend part of the worship service with their parents or grandparents and then return to the classroom at the designated time in the Worship Guide, usually around 20 minutes into the service.
Wednesday night is a big night for families. Please refer to the Preschool and Children's pages for Wednesday night programs.
What's your student ministry like?
Student Ministry includes the pastoral care of 7th-12th graders, their loved ones, and college students. We use the word "student" not to emphasize academic identity but because we are students of Jesus. We are trying to learn the abundant life from him. We believe youth are agents, not objects, of ministry and that relationships with them should not be a means to an end, but are invaluable in and of themselves.
Please refer to the Youth and College pages for all the programming details, but in general, teenagers have activities on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, and every other Monday after school. They also go on quarterly retreats and summer trips.
College students gather on Sunday mornings for faith conversations and on a variety of days and times for fellowship and service. They are known to join and serve in many different groups and ministries in our congregation.