Welcome to the Elk Lake Baptist Church website. Here’s some information about us that you might find helpful if you’re new or thinking of visiting. Feel free to contact us if you have questions.

Time & Location
Who are we?
What is our Sunday morning worship service like?
What can I expect when visiting?
What happens after the Sunday morning service?
What do people wear to church at ELB?
Is there something for my kids?
If I want someone to pray for me, is there an opportunity for that?
I know very little about Christianity, where do I start?
Our Story/History
Ministries
Beliefs

Time & Location

Sunday morning service: 10:30am. All are welcome. The building is wheelchair accessible. Unable to come in person? Services can be viewed online by visiting the Sermons page anytime after 2:30pm each Sunday.

There’s a map and directions to our church on the Contact page.

Who are we?

On most Sundays there are about 60 to 80 of us who meet together for worship and fellowship. We have a broad range in age from very young children to seniors. We relish deep relationships and community, and Sunday morning is looked forward to by many as a chance to enjoy time with each other and worship our Lord together.

We desire to be to an outreaching Christian community that is learning to follow the teaching of Jesus and growing together in love of God. We seek to prayerfully listen to God and be moved by his Holy Spirit as we serve Jesus where and how he leads us.

What is our Sunday morning worship service like?

As far as evangelical church services go, ours feels somewhat contemplative. It’s usually around an hour and 15 minutes long. Musically, we have a blend of traditional hymns accompanied by organ and contemporary worship songs led by a music team. The main scripture reading is usually followed by a reflective Taize-style chorus.

There is a flow and rhythm to the service which you’ll probably recognise after a couple visits. We read scripture, sing songs, pray a prayer of confession, bring the prayers of the community to the Lord, and receive the sermon with open hearts. Our young children are invited to the front for a special song before heading out to Adventure Time.

What can I expect when visiting?

You’ll find the folks at ELB generally friendly and happy to meet newcomers. If you arrive a few minutes early you’ll probably be greeted by someone who is also there early, but you’re also welcome to just go in and take a seat if you’re more comfortable doing that. The organist plays quietly for a few minutes before the service starts, and some enjoy sitting quietly in preparation.

What happens after the Sunday morning service?

The service usually ends around 11:45am. One of the very enjoyable aspects of our community is that most of us stick around for coffee/tea/snacks afterwards, and we usually linger long, enjoying relationships within the church family. If you’re new and you want to meet people, probably the best thing to do is stick around in the fellowship hall after the service.

Once a month we usually have a “stay late day”, in which some of us stay even later. It was started by some of the young families to let their kids play together for longer. The adults enjoy it too. Anyone is welcome to bring a lunch and stay, whether you have kids or not.

What do people wear to church at ELB?

It ranges from shorts and T-shirt to what you might call comfortable-formal. Most are somewhere in-between. Generally, people wear what feels most natural to them. Ties are rare, but are sported by a few of the older generation.

Is there something for my kids?

Children stay in the service for the first part, which includes most of the singing and ends with a children’s song with the kids at the front. There is no pressure to join in for that if your kids are shy and don’t want to go to the front. After the children’s song, they scamper out of the sanctuary. During the remainder of the service there’s an Adventure Time program for kindergarten to grade 6.

There is also an unstaffed nursery adjoining the sanctuary with a double-paned glass window looking in. There are usually a couple of parents in there with young toddlers during the second portion of the service. Teens are encouraged to stay in the service for the sermon.

If I want someone to pray for me, is there an opportunity for that?

Yes, there is a prayer room adjoining the sanctuary which you can go to after the service. There will be two people in the prayer room who are there to pray with you, a man and a woman. You’re also welcome to talk to the pastor if you’d like to arrange a time to meet with him.

We always have a time for prayer requests during the worship service, and if you are comfortable voicing your prayer request to the whole community, you are welcome to as well.

I know very little about Christianity, where do I start?

Here’s a short intro, with some suggestions on how to find out more.

Our Story/History

Elk Lake Baptist Church began as a Sunday School. In response to a question posed by eight year old Shirley Lee, in 1943, “Why isn’t there a Sunday School near here for us to go to?”, Miss Minnie Beveridge from First Baptist Church began a Sunday School in her home on Alderley Street, known as the Bevie-Ridge Sunday School ( a play on her name and Cordova Bay Ridge).

As the Sunday School flourished, it wasn’t long before people began to dream about starting a new church in this area. Mr. J.N. Edwards offered to sell a quarter acre of orchard land overlooking Elk Lake for $150 on which to build a church, and in June of 1946 the land was purchased. From these humble beginnings was born the community of Elk Lake Baptist Church.

Over the years the Lord has brought many faces through the doors of Elk Lake Baptist Church, and we have seen seasons change and times of transition. We have always been a simple community, and we can attest through our long history that the Lord is faithful in providing for his children. Today we are based on the same land on which we started, although expanded, and we are blessed with not one but two church buildings, one of which serves our neighbours the All Saints of Alaska Orthodox Church as their meeting place. We look forward to continuing to witness Jesus working in and through our community.

Ministries

See our Ministries page for some of the things we do together outside of Sunday.

Beliefs

You’ll find here a formal summary of what we believe as followers of Jesus.