Below is an opportunity to work with ForKids. This is not a Christian organization, but we are open to working with them because they are not opposed to offering Christian guidance. Here are the details:
First and foremost, thank you so much for all of the donations and help you have given us in the past! As you no doubt already know, ForKids is an organization that takes in homeless families in Hampton Roads and helps these families get back on their feet. This July, we are finally opening our long-awaited thrift store! Good Mojo will sit at the intersection of 25th Street and Granby Street in Norfolk. The purpose of Good Mojo will be twofold. Firstly, the families currently in the ForKids program can use the vouchers they earn as a part of the program to “purchase” various donated items. Secondly, the funds generated by selling these donated goods to the community will help support the entire ForKids program. Good Mojo will allow us to better serve our families and the community as a whole, as well as providing endless volunteer opportunities!
Before the store opens in July, we are looking for lots of volunteers to come in and help us sort through all of the generous donations we have received! Until Good Mojo is open, the volunteer hours during the week will mainly be from 9:00am to 5:00 pm. However, if there are any volunteers who would like to work or are only available on the weekend, we would love to have your help as well, just give me a call and we can discuss getting you plugged in! Below is the link to our website if you want to learn more about all that ForKids does for the families of Tidewater!
Thank you so much,
Kirstyn Lazar
Volunteer Coordinator
P.O. Box 6044 Norfolk, VA 23508
(p) 757.622.6400 x137 (f) 757.622.3837
www.homesforkids.org
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
New York City team updates
Day 1 - (Sunday) we went through registration, had our orientation, and concluded the day with an amazing worship experience. The team is tired but excited to hit the streets of NYC with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Pray for strength and wisdom as we minister in areas outside of our comfort zones.
Day 2 - (Monday) we began our day in corporate worship and then training on our ministry of the day. Our team was part of a ministry called the Futures' Project. We were to ask those we met if they would participate in a community arts experience. If the answer was yes, we would ask them to answer two questions on a form - one, what were their plans for tomorrow and two, if there was no tomorrow, what would they do differently today? We were blown away with the number of people who agreed to participate - more than one hundred. If they answered these two questions, we asked them if they would like to have their picture taken by a professional photographer and consent to have their picture and their responses to the questions displayed at the free art show being held on Wednesday at the Gallery Church. Please pray that many will attend this art show so that relationships can be formed and the Good News shared.
Day 3 - (Tuesday) this was an extremely taxing day physically. After morning worship, we packed invite bags with gum and an in invitation to the church. We packed tens of thousands of these packages and then passed them out in the afternoon - between 35,000 and 40,000! We were blessed with meaningful conversations and one young man went home with pastor Freddy for dinner and spiritual conversation! Pray that many will visit the Gallery Church as a result of this labor in the field.
Day 4 - (Wednesday) another challenging day as we were confronted with the appropriate response to the HIV/Aids crisis in NYC. We worked with three medical clinics in encouraging people to be tested for HIV. For every one infected with this virus who changed their behavior, as a result of testing, over 2,000 others would be possibly spared the trauma of being infected. Our trainer today was someone who came out of the homosexual community and lifestyle to embrace the forgiveness of our Lord! He's a great witness of the transforming power of Christ! Pray for Greg and Gallery Church as they offer a Christ-like response to those who so desparately need the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Day 2 - (Monday) we began our day in corporate worship and then training on our ministry of the day. Our team was part of a ministry called the Futures' Project. We were to ask those we met if they would participate in a community arts experience. If the answer was yes, we would ask them to answer two questions on a form - one, what were their plans for tomorrow and two, if there was no tomorrow, what would they do differently today? We were blown away with the number of people who agreed to participate - more than one hundred. If they answered these two questions, we asked them if they would like to have their picture taken by a professional photographer and consent to have their picture and their responses to the questions displayed at the free art show being held on Wednesday at the Gallery Church. Please pray that many will attend this art show so that relationships can be formed and the Good News shared.
Day 3 - (Tuesday) this was an extremely taxing day physically. After morning worship, we packed invite bags with gum and an in invitation to the church. We packed tens of thousands of these packages and then passed them out in the afternoon - between 35,000 and 40,000! We were blessed with meaningful conversations and one young man went home with pastor Freddy for dinner and spiritual conversation! Pray that many will visit the Gallery Church as a result of this labor in the field.
Day 4 - (Wednesday) another challenging day as we were confronted with the appropriate response to the HIV/Aids crisis in NYC. We worked with three medical clinics in encouraging people to be tested for HIV. For every one infected with this virus who changed their behavior, as a result of testing, over 2,000 others would be possibly spared the trauma of being infected. Our trainer today was someone who came out of the homosexual community and lifestyle to embrace the forgiveness of our Lord! He's a great witness of the transforming power of Christ! Pray for Greg and Gallery Church as they offer a Christ-like response to those who so desparately need the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Living the Mission: Let's Do Lunch [Norfolk Public Schools Edition]
On Saturday, June 11th, First Baptist Norfolk hosted a lunch for pregnant teens and young mothers in the Norfolk Public Schools system. Many of the girls came with their babies as well as other family members. Attendees were served lunch by volunteers from our church as they celebrated their accomplishments—choosing life for their baby, finishing the school year, and (for seniors) graduating from high school. This event gave the girls a chance to meet those from other schools who are in their same situation and reach out to each other, as well as to obtain information about resources (health, jobs, counseling, etc.) that can be of use to them in the summer while school is not in session. They received gift bags filled with donations of baby supplies given by church members, as well as information about upcoming programs at our church. Some of the young ladies wrote down prayer requests on cards that were provided and we have been able to partner with them in prayer. This lunch was an opportunity to show the girls the love of Christ in a tangible way. We hope this will be the beginning of a sustained relationship with these girls.
If you are interested in volunteering with this ministry, please contact the missions office at 466.5181 or sluttrull@firstnorfolk.org.
Union Mission Women and Family Shelter: Items needed
The Union Mission Women and Family Shelter is in need of donations of the following items:
Undergarments
Socks
Pillows (standard size)
Diapers size 4,5,6
Childrens pajamas ( all sizes)
Adult Pajamas (all sizes)
4 plug-in sesored night lights
4 small humidifiers for family rooms
1 new infant car seat
1 new toddler car seat
1 new child car seat/booster seat
If you are able to help, please contact the Union Mission at (757) 466-4470. Thanks!
Undergarments
Socks
Pillows (standard size)
Diapers size 4,5,6
Childrens pajamas ( all sizes)
Adult Pajamas (all sizes)
4 plug-in sesored night lights
4 small humidifiers for family rooms
1 new infant car seat
1 new toddler car seat
1 new child car seat/booster seat
If you are able to help, please contact the Union Mission at (757) 466-4470. Thanks!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Living the Mission: North Suffolk Fellowship Memorial Day Weekend Bash
Sixteen children and adult volunteers cooperated to live the mission by providing various services using our block party trailer, face painting, balloon animals, and other gifts in North Suffolk at the Riverfront Swim Club on Memorial Day weekend. While painting faces and caring for children on the inflatables, our members heard repeated comments such as:
"What a great idea for a church to serve the residents of our community! Thank you for doing this for our family."
"We visited your church before and loved it, but we really need something closer to where we live for regular fellowship."
Please pray for our members who live in Suffolk as they seek to reach their neighbors and the many residents who have expressed a desire to worship where they live. Pray also for surveys we are conducting in North Suffolk neighborhoods to inform residents about our plans and to get to know them. Pray for a leadership team that will seek to reach this area for Christ and for our church’s involvement in upcoming events in which the Swim Club has invited us to participate.
For more information about our work in North Suffolk, contact the missions office or join our North Suffolk Fellowship Facebook group.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Cuffee Community Center Update
A big thanks to everyone for all your help this school year with Wild Wednesdays! It has been challenging at times, but it has been a huge blessing to be part of God's work there! We were able to celebrate a salvation during our time there last week, as Craig Clayton was able to pray with Keonte, one of our 4th grade boys, to receive Jesus into his heart! Mr. Mike is going to try to continue to connect with Keonte and work through the New Believers' book for kids. This is so exciting!!!
Melody McMahan did an awesome job sharing her testimony last week with the whole group, and Jay explained what it means to follow Jesus! Nikki Brownfield was able to share the plan of salvation with another little girl and her mom as well, and every child and teenager went home with a tract about becoming a Christian! Lots of seeds have been planted!
The library staff and rec center staff were very appreciative toward us and hopeful that we will be back in the fall. We are planning to return to our weekly program in September, but we don't want to completely disconnect from the people there over the summer and lose the ground we've gained.
We have been talking with the library staff about a few special events we would like to host over the summer and are waiting to hear back from them about details. We are also hoping to bring some of the Cuffee kids to our VBS, so if you would be willing to give kids rides during that week, please let us know. We are planning to scholarship a few children to go to our worship dance camp in July and children's camp in August, so if you are interested in contributing to that, please let us know. You can also stay connected with children and teens there by just hanging out or volunteering at the library or rec center throughout the summer. The children will most likely be there all day everyday, so it would be a good chance to connect with them one-on-one.
Please contact the missions office for more information about ways to serve at Cuffee.
Melody McMahan did an awesome job sharing her testimony last week with the whole group, and Jay explained what it means to follow Jesus! Nikki Brownfield was able to share the plan of salvation with another little girl and her mom as well, and every child and teenager went home with a tract about becoming a Christian! Lots of seeds have been planted!
The library staff and rec center staff were very appreciative toward us and hopeful that we will be back in the fall. We are planning to return to our weekly program in September, but we don't want to completely disconnect from the people there over the summer and lose the ground we've gained.
We have been talking with the library staff about a few special events we would like to host over the summer and are waiting to hear back from them about details. We are also hoping to bring some of the Cuffee kids to our VBS, so if you would be willing to give kids rides during that week, please let us know. We are planning to scholarship a few children to go to our worship dance camp in July and children's camp in August, so if you are interested in contributing to that, please let us know. You can also stay connected with children and teens there by just hanging out or volunteering at the library or rec center throughout the summer. The children will most likely be there all day everyday, so it would be a good chance to connect with them one-on-one.
Please contact the missions office for more information about ways to serve at Cuffee.
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