Eastminster Presbyterian Church
“Your spiritual life matters.”
Who needs an accountant or bookkeeper?
The obvious answer is a business creating financial transactions, but any organization, including non-profits, that employ people may benefit from outsourcing their bookkeeping and payroll. We have clients from many industries, including those in the business of saving souls.
EPC’s Pastor - David Zavadil
Our client interview today is with David Zavadil, pastor of the Eastminster Presbyterian Church (EPC) located in Virginia Beach. David grew up in Virginia, attending schools in Virginia Beach and Woodbridge. Being a member of a Navy family meant moving when the military needed your father elsewhere. David knew he wanted to come back to Virginia Beach one day and returned with his wife, Cathy, and children 12 years ago.
David and Cathy Zavadil
David became a Christian while attending the University of Montevallo in Alabama. He was involved with a ministry based out of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. While there he worked in a children’s home as their first male parent. He experienced other firsts while at the children’s home. He and his wife met at the home and were the first married couple, and then they were the first couple to have a child while working there.
Pastor Zavadil has a B.A. in Psychology and an MDIv from Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been a pastor since 1993 and has led congregations in Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia.
A Little EPC History…
EPC has its own rich history and at its peak once had 1,500 members. The church was originally named the Armstrong Memorial Presbyterian after a Presbyterian minister of the civil war. Story has it that he selflessly stayed behind in the city during an influenza outbreak to minister to the people.
One of the buildings on the property is located on the line that divides Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. If you stand in just the right place, you can be in two places at once!
EPC Services and Community Outreach
When asked what excites him most about EPC, Pastor Zavadil replied, “I’m a nerd, statistics type of person. I’m excited for the opportunity around here for a church. Statistically, there isn’t a reason why any congregation in this area should be under 100 members. The population is dense enough. There is one church for every 35-40,000 people in the area. There exists an enormous opportunity to do good here.”
“People are not asking the questions that traditionally have led them back to churches. They are finding their religion in technology, humanism, relativism, or other ways. Talking about life means also talking about death and pain. These issues need to be addressed. There’s work involved and it’s hard.”
EPC ministries and community involvement
EPC’s services are blended services - traditional Protestant services with a variety of music. - classical hymns, rock, blue grass, contemporary, etc. For those that can’t make it to the services, services are streamed live and recorded on their Facebook page (see below for more info.)
Despite this being a time when people are not asking the questions that traditionally would have led them to churches, EPC is diligently working towards diversity and inclusive ministries and outreach by sharing their building facilities and/or providing programs and support to others.
They have built a relationship with the Joy Reformed Presbyterian Church in Nakuru, Kenya and help to support them. With EPC’s support they have been able to install new windows in their building, a cistern for water, provide computers, and other important amenities.
Organizations that currently meet in the building:
Homeschool Out of the Box - https://hsobx.org/
Hampton Road Scholastic Chess Club - http://www.hrchessclub.org/
New Genesis Baptist Church - https://www.newgenesischurchva.com/
EPC offers many opportunities for education and fellowship through participation in their ministries. Currently, there is a ministry for fitness, music, caring (for the sick, elderly and homebound), women, small group bible studies, and many more. They even have a competitive Powerlifting Team whose members hold state and world records in the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation!
Future ministries may include a community garden, and arts academy.
Pastor Zavadil considers himself a life-long student and heartfully ponders and prays for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of his congregation. He encourages us to consider the scripture John 16:33.
“Doesn’t matter how much money you have, even folks with lots of money die from cancer, but [attending to your] spiritual life can give you peace, and strength to carry you through the hard times.”
Pastor Zavadil and the EPC members would like to invite you to visit Eastminster Presbyterian Church. Upcoming events include a disaster relief seminar to be held on May 18, 2019, time to be determined. You can view their calendar for more information on future events on their website.
Do you want to know more about Eastminster Presbyterian Church? Visit them here:
Bottom Line’s Bottom Line
Knowing where to turn when you have questions is the key to getting good answers! If you have questions about the financial health of your business, you wouldn’t ask the owner of your favorite restaurant how to keep track of your numbers, but you might ask him who his bookkeeper is!
Eastminster Presbyterian Church and their staff were so welcoming when we visited the church to interview Pastor Zavadil! It has been a pleasure working with EPC and we wish them well on their mission for continued growth and enlightenment.