Showing The Way, Teaching The Truth,
And Striving to Live The Life
We are a church that believes in true praise and worship, and are dedicated to teaching and preaching the truth of the gospel as it renders Christian service to mankind. We believe in transformation and in living liberated lives of victory.
A Brief History
After much prayer and meditation, in September 2008, God led the Reverend John T. Blackwell, II to start a church. The name of the church was to be The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The name of the Church comes from the scripture John 14:6a which says:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
This name was chosen because the Pastor and the founders wanted to establish a church which would be dedicated to showing the lost in our community the way to God through Jesus, teaching the truth of salvation, and striving to live the life that God would have all of us to live by using Christ as the prototype.
On November 8, 2008, Pastor John and his launch team met at his home to discuss the purpose and vision for the church and also the logistics that needed to take place in order to successfully launch the church that following month. On December 7, 2008 at 3:30 PM, The Way, the Truth, and the Life Church had its inaugural service at W.E Walters Middle School in Portsmouth, VA to the glory of God. Though the numbers were few, those that did worship decided that they wanted to become active members of the church and were willing to work at making the church a success for Jesus Christ. On April 5, 2009, the church officially installed officers and ministries. There have been many events in the Church's history that exemplify the greatness and glory of our Lord Jesus, view our Timeline to get a glimpse of those events.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life Church worshipped at W.E Waters Middle School until June 28, 2009. On July 12, 2009, the Church began worshipping at Southwestern Elementary School in Chesapeake, VA. In 2012, due to renovations at Southwestern Elementary, the Church began worshipping at the Holiday Inn Express on Gum Road in Chesapeake. There, the Pastor and members began to refer to the service as "Church up Close" as the unity between the members strengthened and the number of worshippers grew. In the year of 2014, God revealed to the Church His desire for it to assemble in its own building and on June 1st, 2014 the Church met at 4608 Deep Creek Blvd Portsmouth, VA. There, The Way, the Truth, and the Life Church continues to praise and worship God and grow continuously in His love.
Our Values
We are a church that believes in true praise and worship. We are dedicated to teaching and preaching the truth of the gospel as it renders Christian service to mankind.
Join In Person
Sundays at 11:00am4608 Deep Creek Boulevard Portsmouth, VA, 23701
Reverend John Blackwell, II
Senior Pastor
Our Pastor John
Reverend John Blackwell, II is the pastor and founder of The Way, The Truth, and The Life Church. Hew was born in Durham, NC, the eldest son of John T., and Mary D. Blackwell. At an early age, his family moved to the Tidewater area where he grew up. At the age of 12, Pastor John accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
After he graduated from Crestwood High School in Chesapeake, VA, Pastor John enrolled in Norfolk State University; however, his education was interrupted by military service. After serving in the Army as a military policeman in Germany, he later returned to Norfolk State University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Media.
Pastor John answered the call to preach the gospel in 2002 and was licensed by Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church under its pastor, Dr. Donald F. Taylor, Sr. in June of that year. He was later ordained as a minister in 2006. Pastor John continued his theology studies and earned a Master of Divinity Degree in 2007 from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.