West End Baptist Church, 105 St. James Avenue, Suffolk, VA (2026)

03/01/2025

Welcome, Joyce, our newest Deacon.

03/01/2025

Our newest Deacon Emeriti!

09/02/2024

A wonderful day at West End as 4 young people are baptized, outwardly expressing their faith! May the Holy Spirit bless each of you with long-lasting faith, love, and hope.

05/31/2024

Word of Change, Daily Prayer Thought
May 31, 2024
Rev. Dale Peterson

Dear Church Family and Friends,
Beginning Monday, June 3, there will be a change regarding Daily Prayer Thought. We will not write, distribute, receive, and read Daily Prayer Thought five days a week for the months of June, July, and August. The three-month “summer break” from this daily practice will be a big change for both you and me!
The Covid pandemic began mid-March 2020, and we practiced remote worship immediately as a safety precaution for ourselves and our community. In creating ways to stay connected as a church fellowship, we relied on video links, emails, and social media to communicate with one another. In early April, Mary Davies, manager of our church’s page, asked if I would write “a few words of devotional thought” that she could post on Facebook each morning. I wrote the first Daily Prayer Thought on April 6, 2020, for the page and email distribution to our church family and friends. During the first eighteen months, there was Daily Prayer Thought six days a week (Monday through Saturday), before changing to five days a week. As of today, Daily Prayer Thought has served as a means of connection for us for four years and two months!
Many thanks to Mary Davies for posting Daily Prayer Thought to the church page. Many thanks to church office administrators past and present, Madison Blythe, Molly Crow, and Dean Kershaw, who print and mail hard copies to church members who do not use email. Many thanks to all of you for your comments, responses, words of support, and expressions of affirmation for the thoughts I put into words each morning.
As the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the church in Colossae, “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven…. For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1: 3-10)
And now, may the love and grace of God, known to us in our Savior Christ Jesus, hold you and keep you in peace, this day and forevermore. Amen.

Gratefully,
Rev. Dale Peterson

05/30/2024

“Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known: ‘I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.’”
(Psalm 81: 1-10)

The Psalmist calls the people to worship and praise of God! It is a festival day— likely the Feast of Booths, an autumn harvest festival of thanksgiving— and the people are called to make music with voices and instruments (tambourine, lyre, harp) in praise of their great and generous God! God is the source of the people’s joy, the people’s wellbeing and welfare, and the people’s good fortune going forward… so, they should praise their God! As the new moon and full moon mark the days, and as the people reflect on God’s goodness to them— past, present, and future— they are called to sing hymns of thanksgiving and praise to their God! This summons to praise likely comes from a temple priest or worship leader (the superscription to the Psalm seems to offer both a hymn tune and the name of a priestly leader), and the summons is issued to all of the faithful Hebrew people gathered in a celebration marking the harvest season. The Psalmist employs the voice of God to remind the people of God’s faithfulness to them in the past: through the patriarchs Jacob and Joseph; through the Exodus from slavery in Egypt; through the provision of refreshing water in the desert at the place called Meribah. God asks something of the people in return for this faithfulness to them, and that is their faithfulness to God. That is what God asks of them: that they would be faithful in their worship and devotion and loyalty to God (above everything else!), as their heartfelt response to God’s faithfulness to them. And God promises to remain faithful to the people, to continue blessing them and caring for them and helping them— “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it,” God says. “Open wide” because the blessings will be many, plentiful, abundant, and very good! The Psalmist calls us to praise and worship of God, too. The Psalmist reminds us to remember God’s faithfulness to us, too, in the past and in the present. The Psalmist challenges us to trust in God going forward, believing that the God who loves us and saves us will be with us always. The Psalmist invites us to “open wide,” too, to receive all of the wonderful goodness and kindness God wants to give us. Let us worship and praise and sing a song of joy to the God who loves us with an everlasting love!

Let us offer thanks to God today for God’s faithfulness to us as individuals, and as communities. Let us give thanks for God’s good gifts to us in nature, family, church, work, home, and neighborhood. Let us ask God to help us as we seek to live our lives in devotion to God, and in service to our neighbors. Let us ask God to fill our spirits with joy and satisfaction, as we give thanks for God’s love for us now and always.

Let us remember our neighbors near and far who are recovering from natural disasters in recent days. Let us pray for the people of Papua New Guinea following devastating landslides there that left over two-thousand people dead. Let us pray for rescue and recovery efforts underway. Let us pray for residents of Iowa and Texas following devastating storms and tornadoes that resulted in losses of life and property, and severe damage to services and infrastructures. Let us pray for clean-up and repair efforts underway.

In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/29/2024

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bo***ge to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
(Romans 8: 18-25)

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, expresses great hope in the glorious future of nature and humanity and himself! This hope is what keeps him going in the midst of troubles and suffering and sorrow. Paul believes firmly and fully in the activity of God in all of creation— including human beings— and this activity of God is leading to glory! Paul says that he can abide and endure the present circumstances of his life— the bodily imprisonments, interpersonal conflicts, and physical ailments— because he knows that the present circumstances are temporary and not worth comparing with the “glory to be revealed.” Paul believes in God, trusts in God, and holds great hope in what God is doing to heal and restore all of creation, including all of humankind. This healing and restoration, Paul tells us, brings all of creation to its true destiny; to its original and vital and vibrant purposes. This passage of scripture is full of hope, promise, wonder, and amazement… and conveys great wisdom and perception on the part of the apostle Paul. Paul looks around him at the plants and soil and sea and sky, and recognizes that nature struggles to stay healthy and vital. Paul looks around him at birds and insects and mammals and fish, and recognizes that nature struggles to stay alive and fed. Paul looks at himself and humanity around him, and recognizes that we struggle against evil, hatred, sin, destruction, bigotry, and greed. So, all of creation groans in pain and adversity, awaiting the full restoration and redemption that God is bringing about through Christ Jesus the Savior and the Holy Spirit! God does not give up on us, and God does not give up on any part of creation… after all, God made us, God loves us, and God is good!

As we pray, let us give thanks for God’s love, goodness, faithfulness, and grace. Let us ask God to grant us hope for today, and hope for tomorrow, especially as we struggle with the challenges and trials of our everyday lives. Let us ask God to give us a glimpse of glory and wonder each and every day.

As we pray, let us remember our neighbors in need of ongoing medical care, health resources, and health education. Let us pray for the physical and mental health of our neighbors and community, and let us do what we can to support the availability of health services for everyone.

In the precious name of Jesus, Friend and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/28/2024

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
(Romans 8: 26-27)

In this brief passage of scripture from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman church, we learn something remarkable: there is within each of us the Holy Spirit of God! And this Spirit within us is neither passive nor useless; rather, this Spirit is active and useful. Paul tells us that this Spirit has a mind; that this Spirit resides in our hearts; and that this Spirit intercedes for us. What this means is that the Holy Spirit works on our behalf, especially when we are in need of extra help. Paul refers specifically to prayer here, and the way in which the Spirit helps us to pray. The truth is, sometimes we do not know how to pray; sometimes we do not know what to think or feel; sometimes we do not know the best way forward or the best plan of action to take. Life is complicated, and we are complex beings. Sorting out our thoughts and feelings, and making good decisions, can be challenging at times… even when we are talking with God in prayer; even when we are meditating and listening and keeping silence before God. But the Spirit of God knows us and understands us in deeply profound and meaningful ways, and the Spirit of God is within us to help us! When all we have within us is sighing, the Spirit is able to articulate the meaning of our sighs for us. When all we have is a gnawing feeling in the pit of our stomach, the Spirit is able to give voice to the feeling for us. When we are confused and words get jumbled in our minds and on our tongues, the Spirit is able to sort it all out and give expression to what is going on with us. Because this Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God, then all of this sorting and explaining and articulating is from our hearts to God’s ears! Our God loves us, and our God wants us to live in God’s good care and nurture for us. God gives us everything we need to be spiritually well and whole and wholesome. God gives us what we need and more, including Jesus, and including the Holy Spirit. God gives us whatever we need… in fact, all that we need and more.

As we pray, let us keep silence and stillness before our God who loves us and cares for us. Let us offer our thoughts, feelings, and “sighs too deep for words” to God, trusting in God’s presence with us. Let us offer our thoughtful and heartfelt gratitude to God for God’s gifts of life, salvation, and hope.

As we pray, let us remember our neighbors who are grieving the loss of life today, as they mourn the death of a loved one, friend, or relative. Let us ask God to comfort them in these difficult moments, and to surround them with caring companions. Let us pray for the deceased, that they might rest in God’s good grace.

In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/27/2024

MEMORIAL DAY, USA

As an American holiday, and as a day of remembrance, Memorial Day invites us to give thanks for the abundance of goodness in our country; to remember those who died in service to our country and their loved ones; and to pray for our country and all of its people. As we celebrate and reflect today, may we offer our praise to God for God’s many blessings to us; may we honor those whose lives were lost in war and service to their country; may we pray for those currently in active duty service and their families; and may we pray for the days ahead of us in the life of our country and world. May the following words of the Psalm, poem, hymn, and prayer guide our thoughts and reflections and prayers on this special day. A happy and meaningful Memorial Day 2024 to you and yours!
——-
Psalm 104: 24-35

“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and the sea creature Leviathan that you formed to sport in the sea. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to the Lord, for I rejoice in the Lord…. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!”
——-
“In Flanders Field,”
by John McCrae

“In Flanders fields, the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place; and in the sky, the larks, still bravely singing, fly, scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago we lived,
felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from
failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.”
——-
“Eternal Father, Strong to Save,”
by William Whiting

“Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm does bind the restless wave, Who bids the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Savior, Whose almighty word the wind and waves submissive heard, Who walked upon the foaming deep, and calm amid the rage did sleep; O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Holy Spirit, Who did brood upon the waters dark and rude; and bid their angry tumult cease, and give for wild confusion peace; O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power, Your children shield in danger’s hour; from rock and tempest, fire, and foe, protect them where so ever they go; thus, evermore shall rise to Thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.”
——-
“Prayer for the Nation,” The Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal Church

“Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
——-
In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Savior, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/24/2024

“The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. ‘Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly estranged!… Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
(Isaiah 1: 1-4, 16-20)

The name of the ancient Hebrew prophet Isaiah means “the Lord gives salvation,” and God’s salvation for the Hebrew people is the prophet’s message throughout his ministry. Isaiah reminds the people of Israel and Judah that they have a relationship with God— indeed, that they know God and God knows them. In this relationship, God promises to care for the people and to help them. In response, God wants the people to live their private and public lives in accordance with God’s righteousness and justice. When the people live corrupt lives, they are rebelling against God. When they fail to care for one another, they are rebelling against God and God’s ways of holiness and mercy. God invites the people to repent of their sins and start again in trying to live as they are supposed to live. God even invites the people to “argue it out” with him, to plead their case as before a judge. But, in the end, the verdict is clear: they must do good and not evil; they must seek justice for oppressed people; they must care for the most vulnerable people in their society (the orphans and the widows among them); they must defend and protect and provide for the members of their community who need help. If they do this, they will be in keeping with God’s intentions for them, and their life as a community will conform to God’s standards of righteousness and goodness. Their past failings are forgiven, and they are given a fresh start. With God, it is always a new day! All God asks of us is to live our lives day after day in God’s ways of justice and peace and mercy and kindness for all people around us. In that, there is salvation; in that, there is security in the strong arms and tender embrace of our God who loves us always.

As we pray, let us confess our sins to God and ask for God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Let us ask God to guide us in the holy ways of peace and kindness with all people we meet today. Let us give thanks to God for God’s boundless, eternal, and unconditional love for us today, and everyday.

As we pray, let us remember school children and school teachers and school administrators as the school year begins to wind down and draw to a close. Let us pray for safety for those who work in school buildings throughout our area, and let us pray for effective instruction and learning for all who spend the school day together. Let us pray for a sense of delight and wonder as students open their minds and imaginations to education.

In the glorious name of Christ our Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/23/2024

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
(I Corinthians 12: 12-27)

We simply cannot do without one another! That is the message of this passage of scripture from the apostle Paul to his Christian family in the Greek city of Corinth. The message is clear, plain, simple, and emphatic: we need each other if we are going to function as a family… or a body, or a church, or a community of believers. We simply cannot do without one another! The reason why we cannot do without one another is equally clear, plain, simple, and emphatic: because each one of us has a role to play within the whole; each one of us has a function to contribute to the working of the whole; each one of us has a special and unique gift to offer to the whole; each one of us has our own individual contribution to make to the successful working of the whole body. Just as a physical human being needs feet, hands, noses, ears, mouths, eyes, and stomach, so the body of Christ (the church, the community of the faithful, the believers) needs those who sing, those who teach, those who arrange flowers, those who make cookies, those who change light bulbs, those who sweep the floor, those who prepare meals, those who crunch numbers, those who run errands, those who type bulletins, those who write notes and cards, those who make us laugh, those who listen to our problems, those who visit the sick, those who collect canned goods for the food pantry, those who give money, those who play the organ, those who trim the bushes, those who make repairs to the building, those who come up with good ideas, those who provide transportation to church services, those who smile at others and make them feel welcome. And so much more! And so many more! We all make a significant contribution to our shared life in community; to our common commitment in living as the body of Christ; to our mutual love and care of God’s family and God’s creation. All of this is the mighty power of God’s Holy Spirit working in us, through us, and among us… and we are humbled and grateful before God and before one another.

As we pray, let us give thanks by name for our sisters, brothers, and family members in Christ. Let us give thanks for the gifts offered and shared by our family members in our life together. Let us ask God to guide us in offering who we are and what we have in service to God and our family in Christ.

As we pray, let us remember those we know who are celebrating special events in their lives as individuals and as families. Let us pray for those who are getting married, and those who are being graduated from schools, during this Spring season. Let us pray for the happiness and wellbeing of those celebrating milestone events in their lives.

In the loving name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/21/2024

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the authorities, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
(John 20: 19-22)

The enduring legacy of Jesus’s time on earth is the real presence of the Holy Spirit, and the real presence of Jesus’s followers and disciples throughout the world. The Holy Soirit is God’s gift to us and to the world, just as Jesus is God’s gift to us and to the world. God gives us these special gifts in recognition of our deep need of them. We need Jesus to teach us, to show us what love looks like on a daily basis, and to save us from all that tries to harm us and destroy us. We need the Holy Spirit to inspire us, to give us peace, to comfort us, and to keep Jesus alive in our heads and our hearts. The Holy Spirit works in us and through us in ways both ordinary and extraordinary, and the Holy Spirit moves in this world in ways both mysterious and amazingly apparent. We take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit is active around us because we trust that the Holy Spirit is good… as God is good, as Jesus is good. We trust that the Holy Spirit is gentle… as God is gentle, as Jesus is gentle. And we trust that the Holy Spirit is powerful, as God and Jesus are powerful, our one true God— Creator, Redeemer, and Sustsiner— who is mighty and able and strong and glorious! We take great comfort that God is with us always as our heavenly parent, heavenly friend, heavenly advocate. We take comfort that God is God, above us and beyond us, yet God is with us, beside us and within us, to guide us and hold us and keep us… for today, and forever.

As we pray, let us offer thanks to God for the gifts and blessings obviously around us today. Let us ask God to give us awareness of the Spirit’s presence and activity within us and around us, and in the world near and far. Let us ask God’s Spirit to lead us and empower us to live our lives today in kindness and generosity with those around us.

As we pray today, let us remember the needs of our neighbors and friends and relatives. Let us pray for those in our community who woke up hungry this morning and in need of food. Let us pray for food banks, soup kitchens, and food programs providing food and meals for those in our community who are undernourished and underfed. Let us pray for those who staff these programs and provide companionship and support to those in need.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Dale Peterson

05/20/2024

Celebrating Pentecost with Potato and Salad Bar.

West End Baptist Church

03/01/2025

03/01/2025

09/02/2024

05/31/2024

05/30/2024

05/29/2024

05/28/2024

05/27/2024

05/24/2024

05/23/2024

05/21/2024

05/20/2024

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Place Of Worship

Shortcuts

Share

Category