I am so glad you decided to seek more information about following Jesus.  This page of our website is designed especially for you.  When a person decides to become a follower of Jesus, it is the most important decision he/she ever makes.  Because of the importance of this decision, the journey should be shared.  Followers of Jesus since the very beginning have been helping new believers get established on The Way.  "The Way" is how first century Christians referred to following Jesus.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

First, please understand that you will never be truly alone ever again.  Jesus said, "I am with you always--even to the end of the age."  When you feel alone, you can just whisper the name, "Jesus," and you will feel his loving presence.  But human companionship along The Way is also helpful.  Walking the journey with another believer gives you someone to help you with your questions.  It will also help you ease into the community of faith.  There is a large community of those who believe and try to follow Christ.  You are not alone.

I would be honored to help you make those first human connections along The Way.  I am Pastor Mark Hughes and my email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. You may also contact me at the church office by calling (804) 733-9331. Feel free to call me with your questions or to explore next steps.

Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples (followers of Jesus), baptize them, and teach them what he had taught his first followers.  Baptism does not save a person.  Praying to accept Jesus as your forgiver and leader is what activates God's gift of salvation.  You should see baptism as a simple step of obedience--doing what Jesus commanded.  It is also the way new believers are added to the church.  Although we would welcome you at West End Baptist, our first concern is that you become an active part of a local church that believes the Bible and follows Jesus faithfully.  If God leads you to another church we pray that you will be well received and will contine to grow in grace.  Again, I would be happy to discuss baptism with you at length.

Finally, we were instructed to teach new believers.  We want to offer you some online resources to help you understand basic Christian teachings.  Through our ministry partner, Right Now Media, we can connect you with streamed videos that are exciting to watch and that are designed for new believers.  These are absolutely free, but you will need to be added as a registered Right Now Media subscriber.  Our church pays for this subscription for all of our faith community.  To get started, follow these steps:

1)  Send me an email to Tim Brendle at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include the words "Right Now Media"

2) He will add you to the Right Now Media subscriber list and send you an email invitation to create your account.

3) You click on the link in that invitation email and follow the on-screen prompts.  That's it!

You will then have access to these basic teachings by Francis Chan and to thousands of other videos for adults, youth, and children.  It's a great resource and it is completely free to you.

Welcome to the journey,

Pastor Mark