Richmond, VA

Contact: Erwin Tamayo or John Hartke
Address: The Church in Richmond 130 S Cherry St, Richmond, VA 23220
Email: churchinrichmondva@gmail.com
Website: http://churchinrichmondva.org/our-meetings/

The Church in Richmond

Over the years, there have been many saints living and meeting together in Richmond. In 2011, a concerted effort was made through GTCA to establish and strengthen the church in Richmond. It paved the way for more saints to migrate into the area, with one couple, in particular, moving into a house right next to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The church has been meeting in this house since then. In 2019, the church in Richmond officially purchased this property, and it is now not only the meeting place of the church but also a brothers’ house and the base of operations for the campus work. On the Lord’s day, there are roughly 47 saints meeting, including 10 children and seven young people. Currently, most of the saints are clustered in the suburbs around the city, particularly in Glen Allen and Chester.

In fall 2019, four saints began serving full-time on the campus at VCU. There is an on-campus Bible study on Tuesday afternoons in the student commons and a college meeting with dinner and fellowship at the campus house on Thursday nights. Prior to the arrival of the full-time team, there was a Christians on Campus club, but only one or two students were consistently meeting. However, in the first semester of having a team, the Lord increased that number to about 24 students meeting consistently in either appointments or meetings.

Location, Climate, and Health

Richmond, the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is located just off the central coast of Virginia. Driving times to neighboring localities are as follows: Charlottesville, VA––1:15; Dunn Loring, VA–– 1:45; Fairfax, VA–– 1:45; Washington, DC––1:50; Virginia Beach, VA–– 1:45; Newport News, VA––1:10; Raleigh, NC––2:30; and Durham, NC––2:15.

Richmond’s temperate climate offers cool fall days with spectacular foliage. Spring is typically pleasant, and winters are generally mild, although snow is common. Temperatures in the winter usually average in the 40s. Summer is often hot and humid, with average temperatures in the 80s. Richmond averages 44 inches of rain and 11 inches of snow per year.

The Richmond region has more than 4,100 physicians and 19 acute care and specialty hospitals with nearly 4,000 staffed beds. The largest medical systems include the VCU Health System, with more than 650 beds, and the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, with 399 beds. VCU Health is the most comprehensive teaching medical center in Virginia and is regularly ranked among the top hospitals in America. Its medical school is one of the nation’s largest, and it houses one of the nation’s oldest transplant programs.

Demographics

The population of the Richmond metro area is over 1.3 million. The area’s racial makeup is 62% White, 30% Black, 3.7% Asian, and 4.9% other. The city of Richmond has a population of 204,214 people with a racial makeup of 50.6% Black, 40.8% White, 2.3% Asian, 4% other, and 2.3% of two or more races.

Economy/Employment

Richmond’s economy is primarily driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state, and local governmental agencies and notable legal and banking firms located downtown. The city is home to a U.S. Court of Appeals (one of 13 in the nation) and a Federal Reserve Bank (one of 12 in the nation).

The following are some of the top employers in Richmond:

*corporate headquarters located in Richmond

Transportation

Richmond International Airport (RIC) is the primary airport in central Virginia and the third busiest in the state. RIC hosts seven major air carriers; each offering non-stop flights to major domestic destinations and connecting services to points around the globe: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air.

The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) is a bus system that serves the city of Richmond and a very small portion of the adjacent counties of Henrico and Chesterfield. The GRTC Pulse, a rapid transit line, operates along West Broad Street, the main connector for major parts of Richmond.

Driving by car is still the primary mode of transportation for getting around the greater Richmond area. Two interstates intersect in Richmond: I-64 and I-95. State Routes 76 and 195, connected to I-95, provide more direct travel routes to the surrounding counties of Chesterfield and Henrico from downtown Richmond.

Interests

History: American Civil War Museum, Richmond National Battlefield Park

Arts: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond Symphony, Richmond Ballet

Outdoors: Virginia Capitol Trail, Belle Isle, Canal Walk, T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, Maymont Park, Pocahontas State Park

Professional Sports: Richmond Flying Squirrels (minor league baseball), Richmond Kickers (USL League One)

Campuses

Richmond’s main university is located downtown, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). VCU is a public research university. Currently, more than 31,000 students are enrolled; of those, 24,000 are undergraduates.

University of Richmond (UR) is a small, private liberal arts university with just over 4,000 students. It is located six miles west of downtown.

Virginia Union University (VUU) is a private, historically black university with a student population of 1,700.

John Tyler Community College and J Sargeant Reynolds Community College are the two junior colleges in the Richmond area. Each has multiple campuses with about 14,000 and 9,000 students, respectively.

Schools

Public schools
Richmond Public Schools is a school district located in the city of Richmond with about 24,000 students enrolled in 40 schools (25 elementary schools, seven middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, and three specialty schools).

Chesterfield County Public Schools is the public school system in Chesterfield County, which is south of the city of Richmond. There are about 59,000 students enrolled in their 63 schools (38 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 11 high schools). Additionally, high school students can enroll in one of 13 specialty centers, two technical centers, and two Governor’s Schools (magnet schools).

Henrico County Public Schools is the public school system in Henrico County, which is north of the city of Richmond. There are about 50,000 students enrolled in their 72 schools (46 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, nine high schools, two Technical Centers, and two Program Centers). Five of their schools are also part of the International Baccalaureate program.

Most of the saints’ children are enrolled in either Chesterfield County or Henrico County public schools.

Private Schools
Richmond has several private schools in the area, a good number of which are Christian: St.Christopher’s School, St. Catherine’s School, Veritas School, Trinity Episcopal School, St. Gertrude HighSchool, Elijah House Academy, and Collegiate School.

Homeschooling
In the state of Virginia, nearly 40,000 students are homeschooled, and that number is growing every year. Most families who homeschool in Virginia choose the option outlined in the Virginia Home Instruction Statute. This statute mandates four primary requirements for homeschool families:

A notice of intent to instruct a child from home
Evidence of at least one of the following: the parent holds a high school diploma or equivalent (or higher), the parent holds a teacher certification, the student will be enrolled in a correspondence course/distance learning program, or the parent can provide adequate education for a child
Submission of a list of subjects to be studied in the coming year
Evidence of academic progress submitted by August 1 of each year

They also must comply with immunization requirements. Over the years, relaxed state laws, growing options for a print and digital curriculum, and the increasing popularity of individualized education have contributed to the rise of homeschooling in Virginia.

Housing

The church currently meets in downtown Richmond, right next to the VCU campus. The city has a mix of historic homes and newer apartments. Those who choose to live in the city of Richmond itself are generally college students and young working professionals. In the city of Richmond, the median home value is $209,200, and the median rent is $942. Neighborhoods within the city include (median home value/rent):

Oregon Hill ($222,700 / $1,619)
The Fan ($421,676 / $1,074)
Manchester ($159,482 / $937)
Forest Hill ($272,921 / $1,071)
Shockoe Bottom ($348,946 / $1,136)

Most of the saints with families and older saints live in the suburbs outside of the city, with a commute time of around 20 minutes to the meeting hall and campus. The table below offers suggestions of some neighborhoods where saints now live with some basic data about those neighborhoods:

Neighborhood	Median home price/rent	Families nearby	Mins to meeting hall/VCU	Public schools	Family friendly
Glen Allen	$227,200/$1,306	5	20	B	A
Short Pump	$397,800/$1,309	3	25	A+	A-
Powhatan	$264,300/$983	1	38 (with toll) to 50	A+	A+
Woodlake	$264,000/$1,418	1	30 (with toll) to 38	A+	A+
Midlothian	$117,675/$897	1	20 (with toll) to 30	C-	C+
Chester	$207,600/$1,148	2	20	B+	A-
Tuckahoe	$290,800/$1,082	1	20 (with toll) to 25	B	A+