History of ELWC
Drs. James and Priscilla Hodges are the founders of ELWC. They currently serve as Pastors of the church.
The first service was held January 1999 in their home with only four people in attendance, the church was then named Eternal Life Evangelistic Church. After serving under that name for two years, the church decided with the leading of the Holy Spirit to change the name since we are a fellowship of believers dedicated to worship and the foundation of the family, the name of Eternal Life Family Worship Center seemed more appropriate. Once again by the leading of the Holy Spirit the church decided to change the name to Eternal Life Worship Center to reach all people.
There were many instances when God changed the name of someone as he moved them to the next level in their ministry, i.e. Saul to Paul (Acts 13:9), Abram to Abraham (Genesis 17:5), and Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28). Our name is indicative of who God says we are. ELWC currently has an average weekly attendance of seventy five to one hundred people and we continue to grow.
We are currently renting the buildings where our services are held. The church moved from the Pastor’s home to 707-C S. Military Highway in the city of Virginia Beach. This location was about ½ mile from the Norfolk border. The church quickly outgrew this 50-seat facility and moved to 5665 E. Virginia Beach Blvd in the city of Norfolk; in of March 2009 we moved to 5291 Greenwich Rd suite 1, in the city of Virginia Beach; and in June of 2012 we moved to our current building 865 Woodstock Road in the city of Virginia Beach.
This facility affords us the space to have our sanctuary, and our Christian education classes. We also have a leadership and discipleship-training program to maximize the potential of everyone at ELWC so that they can become kingdom-minded workers and advance God’s kingdom in the earth.
In 2012 the ministry established an online bible training school that will provide classes for those who desire to continue their Christian education. Later in 2014 we changed the name of the school to Eternal Life Bible College. The school website is
Television Ministry
ELWC is a ministry that has used the arena of television as a form of evangelism and outreach. Our television ministry PRL (People Redeemed by the Lord) is temporarily in hiatus. The name of our television ministry was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are committed to bringing about change in the lives of people through a personal touch from Jesus Christ and teaching them that we are now able to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because we have been redeemed by the Lord. “They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the Lord. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.”
Isaiah 62:12