ABOUT BAY HAVEN CHURCH
Our History
As the world shut down in early 2020 due to a global pandemic, Christians everywhere started attending virtual services; this also left many believers desperately desiring tangible fellowship beyond a screen. Amidst the sobering and difficult circumstances that were brought to us by the pandemic, and probably because of them, the Holy Spirit was on the move building the Lord’s church. A group of believers, feeling their desperate need of God’s grace, started having an outdoor worship service in June 2020. It was intended to last only a few months. Those few months went by and it became clear that the Lord had sprouted up a new church in Tampa. In April 2021 we became an official church plant of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Our Name
Our name “Bay Haven Presbyterian Church” seeks to convey important meaning about who we are as a church family.
BAY
…is a personal reminder that our homes, neighborhoods, work places, and our mission as a local church are here in the Tampa Bay area. We want all people in the bay area to know this church is for you and you are welcome.
HAVEN
…because we desperately need to hear and embrace God’s words of reconciling peace in Jesus Christ. We desire to be a shelter for sinners to flee to and cry out to their glorious God and find comfort, grace, and peace.
PRESBYTERIAN
…because the Bible teaches that Christ our King governs his church through godly, wise, and gifted men whom he has qualified, called, and equipped for this purpose. The Bible calls these men “elders” (or in Greek “Presbyters”) of the church and calls them to rule with humility and integrity according to the teachings of Scripture (I Timothy 3 and Titus 1).
CHURCH
…because we believe that all who profess saving faith in Christ, and who promise submission to his commands, belong to the visible kingdom that he has assembled. The word “church” refers to “a called assembly.” God calls his people to assemble together to worship him, encourage one another, and spread the good news of his kingdom throughout the world.
Our Beliefs
The Bible says “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thess. 2:15). At Bay Haven, we confess the Ancient and Reformed Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms of the church as a faithful summary of “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
Ancient Creeds
Reformed Confessions & Catechisms
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Our Leadership
Rev. Daniel Halley
Daniel Halley was born and raised in Bridgeton, NJ, and graduated from Grove City College in 2005. After graduating from Westminster Seminary California in 2008, he then went on to serve as a Youth and Family Pastor and then as an Associate Pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
In 2018 Daniel was commissioned as an Air Force Chaplain. While stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, he began to lead an outdoor worship service in 2020 as many local churches were closed due to Covid-19. The small gathering soon became a growing congregation. In 2022 that congregation, which is now Bay Haven Presbyterian Church, called him to serve as their senior pastor.
He and his wife, Stacy, married in 2013 and live happily in Tampa, FL with their four children; Samuel, Deacon, Micah, and Zoe. In his free time, he enjoys board games, soccer, the outdoors, and spending time with family.