Our Mission
At Bacon’s Castle Baptist Church, we are united as the family of God by our commitment:
“Our church family exists to glorify God by making disciples who live holy lives and sacrificially love others.”
What To Expect
What We Believe
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally (meaning the very words) inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, inerrant (meaning without error) and infallible (meaning perfect) in the original manuscripts, and the final authority in faith and life and all matters on which it speaks. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20; Psalm 19:7-9)
The Trinity
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; these three being identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and possessing precisely the same attributes and perfections and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; John 14:16-17,26)
The Person and Work of the Father
We believe that God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all loving and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become Children of God by adoption through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. (Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 4:6; John 1:12; Mark 1:9-11; John 8:42-44)
The Person and Work of the Son
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. This redemption He accomplished by voluntarily giving Himself and shedding His blood as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice on the cross and thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgments against sin. After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (John. 1:1,2,14,18; Luke 1:34-35;Acts 1:9-11; Romans 3:24-26, 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin, God’s righteousness and the coming judgment; that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead, that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them, seals them and bestows spiritual gifts upon them and fills (or controls) those who are yielded to Him. (John 16:7-11, 3:5-8, 14:16-17; 1 Corinthians 12:7- 12; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18)
Spiritual Gifts and Tongues
We believe that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the building up the body of Christ. We do not believe that the gift of tongues, or any other particular gift, is evidence of spiritual maturity or godliness. Instead, we believe that the marks of maturity and godliness are the fruit of the Spirit exercised with godliness. We furthermore reject the idea that tongues, or any other gift, will be given to all or even that we should expect everyone to have any particular gift. Instead, we believe that God gifts people according to how He wills and how He sees a need in the body. Finally, we do not believe that tongues, or any other gift, is “the” evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or of the filling of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:16ff; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 12:7, 11-12, 27-30; Galatians 5:16-26)
The Condition of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God in innocence and without sin, but that in Adam’s sin the whole human race fell away from God, inherited a sinful nature and became spiritually dead and alienated from God. No man is inherently capable of remedying his lost and depraved condition. (Genesis 1:26, 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-18, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is wholly a work of God’s free grace. It cannot be gained by human works of goodness or religious ceremony but is freely bestowed upon all who put their faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work at Calvary. All who trust the Savior are forgiven of their sins and born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. All who have been saved are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession who have no need for any other mediator between them and God other than Christ Jesus. It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer this salvation of God by a transformed new life. (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1:7; John 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 John 5:13; Romans 8:16)
Sanctification
We believe that this new life leads to a turning from sin and a desire to please God. Such a life of Page 7 of 23 faith is by grace, leads to holiness and good works. The overall desire of the Christian is to delight in Christ and in so doing display to a broken and fallen world the richness, goodness and blessings of living in and for God. (2 Peter 1:4-11; Romans 6:1-23, 7:5-6; Matthew 6:9-13, 26:41; Ephesians 4:17-32, 5:1-33, 6:1-20)
The Church and Ordinances
We believe Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all people, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith. The Scripture also teaches the establishment and continuation of the local Church, groups of redeemed individuals joined together for worship, instruction, mutual encouragement and service. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:42, 13:1-2)
Christ has instituted two ordinances for His Church: baptism and His supper. Since baptism is the outward testimony of an inward spiritual transformation, in obedience to our Lord’s command, it shall be administered to those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism by immersion best represents the meaning of baptism therefore all new believers shall be baptized by immersion. (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Lord’s Supper shall be regularly administered as a commemoration of Jesus’ death, the elements being used symbolically of His body and blood. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed at least once every quarter. It shall be open to all self-examined believers regardless of Church affiliation. (Luke 22:19-20)
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal, visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and the subsequent establishment of His righteous rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The first time Jesus came He did so humbly and as a lowly servant in order that He might provide for us salvation, but at his second coming He will be clothed in righteousness, victory and glory as He comes to establish His Sovereign rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. (1 Thessalonians 4:13- 18, Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
Marriage and Human Sexuality
We believe that marriage is an institution ordained by God and is between one man and one woman. Neither polygamy nor SSM (Same Sex Marriage) is the will of God and we consider those unions to be sinful. Furthermore, it is the duty of Christians to marry fellow believers. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a husband and wife and that any sexual intimacy that occurs outside of this relationship is prohibited by God. Therefore, all forms of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexual conduct, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, any use of pornography, or any attempt to change one’s sex, are considered sinful because they are contrary to God’s revealed will concerning human sexuality (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14; Matthew 19 4-6; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 7:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).
Staff
Joel Calfee
Joel grew up in Athens, West Virginia in a Christian home where he professed Jesus as Lord of his life in August 2010. It was at his home church that Joel felt the leading of the Lord and surrendered to full time vocational ministry.
Joel attended Bluefield University where he obtained bachelor’s degrees in pastoral ministries and sports management. He met his wife, Megan, at Bluefield and they were married in 2015.
Megan is from Yorktown and was saved at age 6 at Summit Christian Academy, where she attended K-12th grade. She has her bachelor’s degree in English with a teacher licensure and a master’s degree in education.
After graduation, the Calfees returned to Joel’s home church where he worked as the youth pastor from 2015-2017. In 2017, the Lord saw fit to move Joel and Megan to Fincastle, where they began ministering at Camp Eagle. Joel was hired as the program director and later transitioned to the role of assistant director and the Associate Pastor for Camp Ministries & Camp Director.
Megan homeschools their son, Andrew (1st grade), loves playing dress up with Esther and snuggling with Elias. She also manages her media and marketing company from home.
The Calfees have three children: Andrew (7), Esther (4) & Elias (1).
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is our Associate Pastor at Bacon’s Castle. Before joining us, he faithfully served for six years as the Worship and Music Associate at Lawndale Baptist Church. A native of Roanoke, VA, Michael’s journey led him to Liberty University, where he earned his worship and music ministry degree and met his wonderful wife, Kelley.
He loves spending quality time with his family, including his wife Kelley and their four beautiful daughters. In addition to family time, he enjoys capturing moments through photography, exploring the latest in technology, and connecting with people. His warm and approachable nature makes him a cherished member of our community.
Jenny Sommerfeld
Jenny started working as our church’s administrative assistant in the Spring of 2022. Jenny is married to her husband of over 20 years, Evan, and they have twin daughters, Eleanor and Mary. She is a Virginia Tech graduate and comes from Giles County, Virginia, an Appalachian Trail community. Surry became home in 2011 when she became Ranger of Pipsico Scout Reservation. In 2017 God shook up their lives, moved them to Florida, and then back home again to Pipsico in 2020 but this time with Evan as Ranger.
Elders
Jamey Cowan
Jamey and his wife Nancy have been a part of Bacon’s Castle since January of 2004 and three years later he began serving with us on our elder team. Jamey and Nancy have two grown children, Darin and Meagan and he works for Dominion Power at the Surry Nuclear Plant. Jamey also serves as our worship leader on Sundays. He enjoys golfing and fishing.
Matt Washam
When Matt graduated from the University of Tennessee he moved to Surry to give leadership to a local Baptist camp. A follower of Jesus since his youth, he became a part of the Castle family back in 2008 and in 2012 he married his wife Meredith, a daughter of our church. Today they have six children, Sam, Adah, Alice, Silas, and twins Adelaide and Annette. Matt left the directorship of the camp and today is doing something he’s wanted to do for a number of years—he’s a farmer! Matt enjoys just about anything that has to do with being outdoors.
Elders in Training
Stan Cole
Stan and his wife Lynn joined the Bacon’s Castle body of believers in 2016 after moving into Isle of Wight County. They are the parents of two grown daughters and have five grandchildren. Stan graduated from Virginia Tech and is a retired aerospace engineer, spending his career at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton.
Stan accepted Christ as his savior as a youth. He previously served as a deacon for 25 years at a Baptist church in Hampton. Together, Stan and Lynn have participated in a number of foreign mission projects, including leading the funding efforts for churches in Argentina, Cuba, Malawi, Mexico, and Peru. They both have completed a full cycle (7-8 years) of the Bible Study Fellowship program. Stan and Lynn like to spend time with family, sharing life with friends, bicycling, and occasionally traveling.
Evan Sommerfeld
Evan Sommerfeld, alongside his wife Jenny, is the proud parent of twin daughters, Eleanor and Mary. They reside at the Pipsico Scout Reservation in Surry County, Virginia, where Evan serves as Ranger, overseeing the 900-acre Scout camp and its operations. Raised as a third-culture kid in the Middle East and England, Evan moved to the United States to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech. After nearly two decades of professional experience, he returned to academia, earning a Master of Divinity from Regent University in 2024 and is starting on a doctorate.
Joe Crews
In 2016, the Crews family relocated to Surry County when Joe accepted a position as the manager of a private estate. Two years later, Joe and Anna began seeking a new church home and joined BCBC in the fall of 2018. Since then, Joe has served in youth and children’s ministries and has taught adult Bible study. Anna has been actively involved in leading youth, women’s, and children’s ministries, all while homeschooling their two daughters, Lucy and Maggie.
Danny Gatson
Danny Gatson grew up in Suffolk, VA and came to know the Lord as a child. He joined our church family in 2013 where he met his wife-to-be, Jessica. They got married in 2015 and have been blessed with two children. Danny teaches history at Nansemond River High School and is also the E-Sports coach for the school. He and his wife see the people at Bacon’s Castle as family and seek to serve our church through several different ministry avenues. Two of Danny’s biggest ministry passions are helping people gain control of their finances through Biblical principles and fostering men’s discipleship opportunities.
The leadership of our church family is invested in a plurality of men we call our elders. More and more churches, including Baptist churches, are embracing the Biblical teaching that the church is to be led by not just one elder, the pastor, but by a group of men set aside as an elder team. Our pastor serves as the leader for the elder team, but our church is led by all our elders together.
According to 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 5:17-22, and Titus 1:5-9, God appoints elders to pastor the church as a leadership team. Through out the New Testament the terms Elders, Pastors and Overseers are often used interchangeably of the same office so elders are to pastor and oversee. Specifically the Bible says that elders are responsible to provide leadership to the church by visiting the sick, judging doctrinal issues, teaching, preaching, protecting, exhorting, and praying.
Our pastor is a vocational elder. That is, he is supported full time by the church. The rest of our elder team are non-vocational. Together, under the Lord Jesus, our elders lead us.
No. We have two vocational pastors who also care for and lead with the other elders. However, we believe men can serve as assistant pastors without serving as elders. They will also provide valuable leadership.
Our elders are in agreement with our constitution and our doctrinal statement.
The qualifications for an Elder are listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. A church Elder shall be: “…above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to much wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money, good manager of his household, not a new convert, having a good reputation outside the church, having children who believe, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled…”
Elders serving at the church meet the above qualifications. They are not perfect men but they are spiritual men, demonstrating a Spirit-filled life and a consistent walk with Jesus. They are men who have strong prayer lives, are committed to the authority of Scripture and have a witnessing lifestyle.