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Roanoke Valley Bible Church (RVBC) is a non-denominational, evangelical church located in the heart of Roanoke, Virginia. Steve E. Hall, who is an alum of Dallas Theological Seminary and Capital Bible Seminary, is the pastor-teacher of the congregation. Founded on November 1, 2009, Roanoke Valley Bible Church meets in downtown Roanoke, and is the closest church to the geological center of Roanoke.

Mission Statement
Roanoke Valley Bible Church’s Mission Statement is: “The mission of Roanoke Valley Bible Church is part of God’s mission in the world - which is to redeem a people for Himself through faith in His Son. To that end Roanoke Valley Bible Church is committed to:  Maintaining an expository pulpit, in Roanoke, Virginia, where the  gospel is consistently applied to the Christian and the non-Christian. The love of Christ that expresses itself in a fellowship that crosses monetary and ethnic boundaries and meets individual needs Discipleship to promote spiritual maturity and to cultivate leadership Evangelical outreach to Roanoke and beyond.”  

History
Roanoke Valley Bible Church was founded by Steve Hall as a church plant from Calvary Memorial Church. The parent church, Calvary Memorial, is itself a plant from Second Presbyterian in Roanoke. Calvary Memorial Church, first called the Franklin Road Mission, began as a satellite ministry of Second Presbyterian Church in 1918/19.

Calvary Memorial Church


The Franklin Road Mission was founded in 1918 after Dr. and Mrs. Walter Michael, owners of a bakery, went looking for their son’s stolen bicycle on Franklin Road, a distressed area of Roanoke. After speaking with many of the residents of Franklin Road, the Michaels discovered that very few of them attended church, due to the lack of clothing adequate for the churches in the posh community of Old Southwest. Mr. and Mrs. Michael started a Sunday School for children, called the Franklin Road Mission.

When their Sunday Schools became popular, the Michaels moved the Franklin Road Mission to a storefront building. The Franklin Road Mission continued growing, as Mr. Michael used his bakery delivery truck to transport families who did not live within walking distance, as well as the chairs needed for the Sunday School. In the early 1920’s, a lot was purchased for construction of the first Franklin Road Chapel. A Sunday morning service was added in addition to the Sunday Schools, as well as a Wednesday evening service. Despite financial challenges, the Chapel continued to grow, and in 1935 they drew up a constitution and became an independent, non-denominational church. Their continual growth led them to purchase a new lot in August 1953 on Colonial Avenue, and voted on a new name for their ministry—Calvary Memorial Church. The Colonial Avenue property is Calvary Memorial Church’s current location.

Roanoke Valley Bible Church is the second church planted by Calvary Memorial, the first being Family Bible Fellowship. The previous pastor of Calvary Memorial Church, Larry Eenigenburg, had a specific vision for beginning new churches. It was his goal to introduce new churches to the Valley of Roanoke over a hundred year period. Although Pastor Larry Eenigenburg died in 1999, RVBC is a fulfillment of his vision, and a continuation of the long heritage of church planting begun by Second Presbyterian in the beginning of the 20th Century.

Elm Park Estates
Up until August 2012, Roanoke Valley Bible Church met in the chapel of Elm Park Estates; an independent retirement community owned by Holiday Retirement.

Campbell Avenue Location
Roanoke Valley Bible Church currently meets on Campbell Avenue in the Downtown Roanoke Historic District Farmers Market Square. Their current building, built in 1930 as a Virginia ABC store, was renovated in July 2012. The building is listed as part of the Historic Market area, and has a distinct Art Deco flare. Roanoke Valley Bible Church’s first service in their current location was on August 12, 2012.

Distinctives

 * The people at Roanoke Valley Bible Church believe in the authenticity of the Bible, and teach the Bible through reading, expository preaching, song, and prayer.
 * RVBC is focused towards building a community of people who love each other, and who strive to build each other up by showing compassion and grace.
 * RVBC is age integrated: they do not segregate members, whether children or adults, into age specific categories. RVBC incorporates family-style classes on Wednesday nights, which are open to all age groups. They are currently teaching through the 2-7 Series, published by the Navigators.
 * The church's power rests on the giftedness of the members:
 * Thus everyone can influence each other for their good, leading towards the building up of its people
 * Thus everyone can be be a part of ministries and direct their focus to areas where they are interested in.


 * Music at Roanoke Valley Bible Church is directed away from performance and focused on excellence.