Peoria, IllinoisIndependent BaptistSince 1949
The view from
El Vista is
a Bible open on your lap.
a Sunday School class that saved you a seat.
a hymn you are still humming on Monday.
a bus that stops on your street.
every word of the sermon, signed.
un servicio en español, a las 10:30.
a preacher who has been here since 1986.
El Vista Baptist Church has preached the King James Bible on the north side of Peoria for 77 years. Come as you are — Sunday School at 9:30, preaching at 10:30. Somebody will be glad to see you walk in.
This Sunday
6301 N. Syler Street
- Sunday School
- 9:30 a.m.
- Morning worship
- 10:30 a.m.
- Prayer & choir
- 5:00 p.m.
- Evening service
- 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday prayer & Bible study
- 7:00 p.m.
Never been to a church like this?
Here is exactly what a Sunday morning looks like, down to what people wear.
Plan your first Sunday →Need a ride?
Our buses have run routes in parts of Peoria since 1965. Call the office and we will tell you whether there is a stop near you.
Call (309) 692-8675 →¿Busca una iglesia en español?
Escuela Dominical, servicios de mañana y tarde, y estudio bíblico entre semana.
Ministerio Hispano →
A word from our pastor
Come as you are. Bring your Bible, or borrow one of ours.
Pastor Joey Watt grew up in this church, left to be trained, pastored in Indiana, and came back to Peoria in January 1986. He has been here ever since — which means the man in the pulpit has known some of the families in these pews his whole life.
We are an independent Baptist church. We preach out of the King James Bible, we sing the old hymns, and we still go door to door on Saturday mornings. None of that is meant to make a visitor feel like an outsider. If you have never been to a church like ours, you are exactly the person we are hoping walks in.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.
Romans 1:16
Our week
Doors open more than once a week
Sunday
- 9:30 a.m.Sunday School
- 10:30 a.m.Morning worship
- 5:00 p.m.Prayer & choir
- 6:00 p.m.Evening service
Through the week
- Wed7:00 p.m.Prayer meeting & Bible study
- Wed7:00 p.m.Patch the Pirate Club
- Wed7:00 p.m.Teen Power Hour & prayer time
- Fri10:00 a.m.Everlasting Nation Fellowship
- Sat10:00 a.m.Soul winning
Ministries
There is somewhere here for everyone in your house
Sunday School
Sundays at 9:30 a.m. sharp
Graded classes from the nursery up — and three classes for adults.
Read more →Nursery care
Sunday mornings
Safe, clean and well-staffed, during both Sunday School and worship.
Read more →Music
Choir practice Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
A conservative style, a choir and an orchestra, and room to serve.
Read more →Patch the Pirate Club
Wednesdays, 7:00 – 8:10 p.m.
Songs, Scripture and a good time for kindergarten through 6th grade.
Read more →Youth & teen group
Sundays 9:30 a.m. & 4:30 p.m. · Wednesdays 7:00 p.m.
A full schedule of activities and spiritual training, all year.
Read more →Ministry to the deaf
Every service
Services interpreted, a weekly class, and activities through the year.
Read more →Ministerio Hispano
Domingos 9:30 & 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School, morning and evening services, and midweek — in Spanish.
Read more →
El Vista Baptist Academy
A Christian day school, in this same building, since 1981
Grades
K4 through high school
Curriculum
Abeka & A.C.E.
Opened
Autumn of 1981
Mark your calendar
What's coming up
Tuesday, August 18
El Vista Baptist Academy — first day of classes
Classes begin for the 2026–27 school year. Registration fees for the year are due.
El Vista Baptist Academy
August 29 – September 12
Fill America with the Gospel
Another round of the Fill America with the Gospel campaign. Pick up a supply of tracts and give them out through the two weeks.
October
Annual missionary conference
Our yearly conference, with missionaries in the pulpit and the Missionary Closet stocked before they arrive.
What we believe
Plain about where we stand
The Bible
We believe God has preserved His Word for us in the King James Version, and we use it throughout our ministry.
Believer's baptism
Baptism is for believers, and should promptly follow one's accepting Christ.
The Lord's Supper
Observed once a month as a memorial of the sacrifice Christ made for our sins.
The most important question on this website
Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?
El Vista has handed out this tract for years. It is short, it is plain, and it is the reason this church exists. Read it before you read anything else here.
Missions
Missionaries at home and around the world
A Faith Promise plan, a Missionary Closet stocked before they arrive, flags for every field we support, and a conference every October.
On the air & online
The View from El Vista
Our broadcast airs on WPEO Sundays 8:05 a.m. & 8:30 p.m.. Sunday services stream on Facebook and YouTube, and most are available on CD for a few months afterwards.
Find us
On the north side, one block off Creighton Terrace
Questions? Call Pastor Watt and the office on (309) 692-8675.
77 years in this city, and still saving you a seat
Let’s impact Peoria for Jesus Christ in 2026.