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What We Believe

We believe there is one God that created the universe and everything in it.

We believe that Jesus is His son and that He is the only way to get to God.

We believe that every word of the Bible is His word and that it is true.

We believe that if you ask God to forgive you and that you have a relationship with Him, you go to Heaven-not because you can do anything to deserve it, but because Jesus died on the cross to make you right with God.

If you have no idea what these things mean, Waters Edge is the perfect place for you, or if you’ve been in church your whole life, you’ll find Waters Edge to be the perfect place to plug in. The messages you’ll hear on Sundays are simple and practical, but also challenging and inspiring. They are applicable to everyone no matter how much or how little you know. You have never experienced church like this.

Our Values

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We give big.

We choose to honor God and the Church when we give BIG, It’s ALL His anyways.

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Church should be fun.

We believe there are enough boring things in life, Church should not be one of them!

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It’s not about me, it’s about others.

We put aside our personal preferences to make sure the needs of our guests are met and the mission of our church is carried out.

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WEC volunteers get it done.

We are scrappy! Our volunteers do whatever it takes to connect people who are distant from God and Church.

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We do a few things and do them well.

We say no to a lot of things so that the things we say yes to are done with excellence. This allows us to be laser focused with our resources.

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Everybody needs a group.

We believe that groups are where you connect, care and grow at Waters Edge Church.

Our Story

The dream of Waters Edge Church began in late 1997. Our Lead Pastor, Stu Hodges, and his wife, Tabitha, walked away from one of their first seminary chapel services and knew that God had ignited in their hearts a passion for starting a new church. For them, it was a passion for a new kind of church…and a desire to do church differently.

50 people started this church in 2002 with a laser-sharp focus to reach those distant from God. That clear vision remains the driving force behind everything we do. We will continue to change the way people think about church.

Our Story Timeline
2002

On December 3, 2002, the start team meets for the first time.

2003

Waters Edge Church holds its opening service on March 16, 2003, at the Victory Family YMCA with over 300 in attendance.

2006

In March of 2006, after 3 years of exponential growth, The Big Dream Spiritual Initiative kicks off. This is a time of deep personal growth for Waters Edge Church. A dream to have a greater impact on the Peninsula was born.

2008

A 6:00 PM service is added in Newport News at the Yoder Barn Theatre in March of 2008.

2009

June 2009 marks the grand opening of our permanent building at 6830 George Washington Memorial Hwy in York County and the addition of a fourth service.

2010

Growth beyond our wildest dreams inspires a major Capacity Campaign in May 2010. The result is a clear vision that our church will go multi-site. We will be one church in many locations.

2011

Renovations begin on the Riverdale movie theater in Hampton in September 2010 with a Grand Opening date of March 6, 2011. Less than 2 months later, a second service is added to accommodate the large crowds.

2012

  • February 12, 2012 Waters Edge responds in a big way to its exponential growth by adding 120 seats at the Hampton Campus and a 4:30 PM service at the Yorktown Campus.

  • The Unstoppable Initiative launches in the spring of 2012 with 1.2 million in funds given and pledged to open a Newport News Campus in the fall of 2012.

  • We become ‘One Church in multiple locations’ on November 4, 2012 with the opening of our third campus. Waters Edge Church Newport News puts us within 10 miles of every single household on the peninsula.

2013

  • Less than one year after its opening, the Newport News campus adds a second service.

  • With Yorktown at max capacity and many other cities to reach, Waters Edge launches a capacity campaign called It Matters in October 2013 that funds the expansion of WEC Yorktown.

2016

On Easter Sunday 2016, Waters Edge Church Yorktown opened a 1300-seat auditorium and celebrated the Grand Opening that summer.

2019

  • In January 2019, we merged our Hampton & Newport News campuses to have an opportunity to make the greatest impact.

  • In partnership with God Behind Bars we launched our fourth campus at Indian Creek Correctional Facility.