A Brief History of Tomahawk Baptist Church
Tomahawk Baptist Church:
Ø Founded in 1776.
Ø The first "meeting house" was erected in the 1790's at the junction of Tomahawk and Little Tomahawk Creeks (just off what is currently Watermill Parkway in Brandermill in Chesterfield County, Virginia).
Ø The church moved in the mid-1800's to what is today the corner of Old Hundred and Genito roads. A new (second) building was built on this site at the time of the move. The change in locations was made in order that the church might be closer to the center of what was then the Tomahawk community.
Ø As the second "meeting house" became obsolete, a third building was erected on the Old Hundred/Genito site in 1892.
Ø In 1918-1919, the church again changed locations, moving to be closer to the center of its community as the area grew in population and changed. This move was to what is our current church building location at the intersection of 288 and 360 (Hull Street Road). The 1892 building was disassembled and moved from the Old Hundred/Genito site and rebuilt on the Hull Street Road property. Additional buildings have been built and remodeled over the years.
o In 1966, an educational building was built.
o In 1980-1981, our current sanctuary and fellowship hall were erected.
o In 2000, the 1892 sanctuary was torn down and rebuilt as the current chapel, our educational building was remodeled, and additional educational space plus an office suite were built.
At Tomahawk we are first and foremost a church that takes seriously our responsibility to be the Body of Christ in our world, in our place, and in our day. We have always been a church that adheres to distinctively strong Baptist principles. We have sought, throughout our history, to minister to our community by providing a strong Christian presence to the people who live around us. Currently, there are 3 other churches which use our facilities at some time during the week. There are also 7 Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step meetings held at the church each week. We believe in the command of Christ to "go into all the world" with the love of our Savior. Hence, we have a very active, mission-minded ministry, both supportive of missions and doing hands-on ministry projects.
Tomahawk has long-term ties to the Middle District Baptist Association and the Baptist General Association of Virginia. For decades, we were also a strongly supportive part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, with the formation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, we whole-heartedly endorsed that group as our primary national/global mission connection.
Tomahawk has had 33 pastors in its long history. There have been a number of part-time associates on the ministry staff, especially in the areas of music and youth. Since the mid-1980's, the ministry staff of the church has expanded to include several associate pastors, both women and men. Each person who has served in a pastoral capacity has brought to the church his/her own unique God-give gifts, talents, and energy. Since the 1960's, Tomahawk has gone from being a rural church to being suburban.
The hallmark of Tomahawk, in all of its life and settings, has been a commitment to Jesus Christ through serving its community, state, nation, and world in His name!
