Living the Mission: Homeless Ministry

A family from our church shared their experiences Loving God, Loving Others, and Living the Mission:

Roughly 600 homeless people live in Norfolk. Three out of four are men, and nearly two hundred are veterans. Many homeless live in shelters, transitional housing, borrowed couches, and back seats of cars. A smaller group of them has exhausted all resources and has no reliable support system. They use cardboard boxes as their mattress and a section of concrete curb as their pillow. Some have blankets or sleeping bags; others use their coat or more cardboard for their nighttime covering.

The idea to do something as a family to make a difference started as a Big Serve project. We filled 25 bags with juice, bottled water, canned meat, snacks, an inspirational pass-it-on and hygiene items. On Big Serve Sunday morning we purchased breakfast biscuits and passed those out with the bags to homeless men. We decided to make this a monthly outreach. On our next visit we added hot coffee and a comprehensive listing of service agencies. It was sobering to find a mother and her young daughter sleeping on the sidewalk. Winter plans include adding a knit hat, gloves and socks to the bags.

The bags and breakfasts one day a month will not end homelessness for these people, but we pray that these items will make their day a little better as we demonstrate God’s love to those in need.

Opportunity to serve our Marines

One of our staff members shared the request below. If you are able to help with a box or boxes, please email rhannas@firstnorfolk.org. Thank you!

A young Marine wife affiliated with our church wrote:
My husband is the Platoon Sgt. for 9th Engineer Support Battalion 3rd Division Motor T Maintenance. Some of his guys left on an early deployment in October. A few weeks later the rest of the battalion including my husband joined them. These men and women will spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years away from their families.

My husband has asked if he could get care package boxes to his Jr. Marines E-4 and below during their 7 month deployment. I know First Baptist can handle this large but special request for 36 boxes. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of these Marines and I know it would mean the world to them. They ask for nothing particular but things like tuna fish (with a pop top), playing cards of any type, gum, mints, and other snacks would be wonderful. Devotionals or Bibles would also be helpful as it is sometimes difficult for them to go to Chapel. A personalized letter of encouragementwould be nice if possible. I know there are many military families and members at First Baptist so asking them for what to send is a great idea. Please help my husband ensure each one of his Marines that they are loved.

Living the Mission: God’s Amazing Work in the Vietnamese Community of Hampton Roads

The Vietnamese Fellowship is still meeting monthly for regular worship and Bible study at Crossroads Center. The Lord’s favor continues to be upon this ministry as new people are attending and relationships are being strengthened.

At the recent Thanksgiving Celebration, there were fifty-four in attendance and five made decisions to give their lives to Christ! Nine people have made professions of faith in the first twelve months of this Fellowship. “To God be the glory for great things He has done!”

The Fellowship has also been ministering to those in need in the Vietnamese community and we pray that the love of Christ is evident as we support those who are going through difficult times in their lives. As we take action to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we trust hearts will be softened in order to receive the Good News.

Please continue to pray for the Vietnamese Fellowship, and our core members, as we strive to see a viable church plant birthed in the Vietnamese community. Please also pray for the ministry of the team from our church which will serve in Vietnam over the Christmas holidays.

Christmas Cards

A church member made us aware of the situation below and we wanted to share this with you...

A little boy named Max from a Lutheran church in Belle Vernon, PA. is eight years old and battling Leukemia. He is not winning. His Christmas wish is to see how many cards he can get. Please help inundate him with warmth and cards!!

Here is his address:
Max
c/o Hailey Remish
417 Jones Street
Belle Vernon, PA 15012

Christmas Opportunity @ Gosnold Apartments

Volunteers are needed to 1) prepare food, 2) set-up for dinner, 3) serve dinner, or 4) clean-up for a Christmas meal at Gosnold Apartments on Sunday, December 18th. Set-up is at 3:00 pm; dinner is served at 5:00 pm, and clean-up begins at 5:45 pm.

Contact: Wilma Gerald (beachsistah@aol.com)

Living the Mission: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

My name is Jessica and I am serving with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. InterVarsity is a campus ministry located at colleges and universities across the United States and the world with a vision to see students’ lives transformed by Jesus and see them developed into leaders who are passionate about changing the world.

It is so exciting to see what Jesus is doing in the lives of these students. Morgan* is a freshman who came into college not interested in Jesus. After new friends invited her, she decided to check out InterVarsity and plugged into a small group. Over the last couple months she is starting to think about a relationship with Jesus. Eric* is a senior who also came to college not interested in Jesus. His freshman year, he became a Christian and his life changed significantly. He became a leader in InterVarsity and has grown tremendously. When Eric graduates in May he is pursuing a job at a non-profit fighting human trafficking. Please pray with us that Morgan comes to know Jesus and for Eric as he pursues what God is calling him to do.

If you are interested in getting involved in InterVarsity, please contact me at jmolz001@gmail.com. Thanks!

*Name changed