Give faithfully this summer through recurring giving

Summertime means increased outreach opportunities through Vacation Bible School, camps, and mission trips. Summertime also means vacation travel leading to decreased attendance in worship and LIFEgroups. For many, this also means a decrease in giving when their giving is tied to their attendance.

Have you considered the importance of ensuring that your gift is present even when you are not? Your gift helps our church continue its mission each and every day through the summer. To ensure that your gift is here even when you are not, set up your recurring gift through 1) the First Norfolk App or, 2) by texting firstnorfolk to 77977 or, 3) by navigating to www.firstnorfolk.org/give.

Each of these resources will provide a recurring gift option. Thank you for your generosity!

September 2017 VDOT Update

Read the I-64/I-264 Interchange September 2017 VDOT update here.

Church approves motion to accept lease agreement for Volvo Parkway property

During the Sept. 17 Campus Catalyst Meeting, the church discussed and voted to approve a three-year lease agreement for a property at 1516 Volvo Parkway, Chesapeake, as our second location. Launching this new location is a part of our Ten-Year Vision, and more specifically, our One-Year Goal:

First Norfolk Advance: Between January and December 2017, we will launch a new location in our multi-site strategy.

This building on Volvo Parkway began as a church plant more than 10 years ago, but the church plant went out of business and a finance group purchased the partially-finished facility. The building has never been used and is in great condition. This facility works well for our purposes as it already includes a worship center and has three stories (plenty of space for student, young adult, adult, children, and preschool ministries). There are some construction projects that the owners will finish, and this will leave us to furnish the space with things like lighting, sound, furniture, and technology.

There are 170 parking spots for the building, which could present a potential challenge for significant future growth. However, this many spots give us parking for approximately 400 people. If/when we have more than 400 people attending church, we would then move to two gatherings at that location.

Our lease ownership begins on Oct. 1 (we are leasing this building, not purchasing it). Pastor Eric said that we plan to use October to finish and furnish the facility, and then plan a “soft launch” of the campus in November as we get our leadership teams (staff and lay people) in place. We plan to host some events at the location to help acclimate those who attend the church and people in the community to this new campus. We are planning for a “hard launch” of the new campus in January 2018. Currently, we are calling this location “First Norfolk on Volvo Parkway.” Brent Wilson, Minister to Young Adults, will be the pastor at this location.

In other news, we have a new trial date with VDOT for May 7-11, 2018. In July, VDOT’s continuance request was granted. We are still hopeful for mediation in the near future.

CALL TO PRAYER

• Pray for God’s glory to shine through us to the seven cities.
• Pray that hundreds of people far from God would be saved during this journey.
• Pray for the Volvo location.
• Pray for VDOT negotiations.

Volunteers needed for Hurricane Harvey & Irma Disaster Relief teams

By Bob Williams

Volunteers are needed for Southern Baptist relief efforts following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to prepare thousands of hot meals and perform flood recovery, tree and debris removal, and cleaning services to restore survivors’ homes. Southern Baptist volunteers bring hope to affected persons through presence, humanitarian relief, emotional solace, and spiritual care (affirming or sharing the Living Hope of Jesus).

Will you serve for a week on one of the disaster relief teams being formed? First Baptist Church of Norfolk undertakes disaster relief activities through the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBCV). Volunteers may be certified/credentialed Southern Baptist disaster relief (DR) workers or Southern Baptist Send Relief volunteers. All volunteers must either be credentialed as a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responder or complete a 2.5 online training course to be a Send Relief worker. If you will volunteer, please take one of the following three actions to register for service:

1.    If you are a DR worker with current credentials, please register at this website:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c48afa729a4ff2-credentialed

2. If you’ve been previously trained in DR, but your credentials have expired, please register at this website:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c48afa729a4ff2-noncredentialed

3. If you have never been trained in DR, but desire to go as part of a team in partnership with Send Relief, please register at this website:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c48afa729a4ff2-send

For DR workers who are trained and current, you will be on the first teams deployed and some of you will be asked to provide leadership to those who are untrained and part of Send Relief.

For DR workers who are trained but not current, you will need to complete the online training course at this website:

https://www.udemy.com/sbcv-introduction-to-disaster-relief/

Be sure to use the discount coupon code SBCVDR so that there will be no cost.  You will be placed on teams with both DR and Send Relief volunteers.

For those who have never been trained in DR, you also need to complete the online training course at this website:

https://www.udemy.com/sbcv-introduction-to-disaster-relief/

Be sure to use the discount coupon code SBCVDR.  You will be assigned to a team with SBCV DR.  You will be assigned a specific task that is related to the online training.  Since you are not fully trained and credentialed (which includes a background check), you will be assigned to a team after the first week or two of response (as part of our agreement with FEMA).  Also, you will not be able to operate certain equipment (like chainsaws), but will be assigned other vital tasks within the team.  You will be assigned to a team and be expected to follow the instructions and direction of the team leader.

There will be opportunities to respond for many weeks and even months.  If you desire to go, we will find a team for you to serve on.

Please be in prayer for:

• families affected
• first responders and National Guard
• all agencies that prepare and plan
• teams and volunteers as they go

We are pleased to announce that to date, First Norfolk has donated more than $11,800.00 toward Disaster Relief response for Southeast Texas/Louisiana relief from Hurricane Harvey. These funds will be used for providing meals for those in need and support for teams serving in our mud-out units helping clean out homes that were flooded during this storm in order to minimize further damage by allowing them to be dried out for future repair.

For further information, contact Bob Williams at RobertFarrisWilliams@Cox.net or call 757-641-4557.

August 2017 VDOT Update

Read the I-64/I-264 Interchange August 2017 VDOT update here.

Time-lapse images of construction

Image via VDOT’s improvements website

At the beginning of August, VDOT installed a time-lapse construction camera to allow the public to view the progress on the I-64/I-264 interchange project. Our church is featured prominently in this time-lapse view. You can watch the time-lapse video on VDOT’s project website homepage here: http://www.i64i264improvements.org

Ministry Spotlight: Project Comfort

 

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Since its beginning 10 years ago, Project Comfort’s mission has been to bring comfort to people — whether that’s a making a pillow for a woman with breast cancer, an outfit for a newborn in need, a crocheted hat for a homeless person, a stethoscope cover for a medical missions trip, or a lap quilt for a veteran in the hospital. This sewing ministry is all about “paying it forward,” said Debbie Allen, one of the women who helped start Project Comfort.

On any given Tuesday, if you stop by the Cross Roads Center’s second floor, you’ll find anywhere between 6 to 26 volunteers from First Baptist Norfolk and other local churches sewing, ironing, cutting fabric, crocheting, or stuffing pillows. This group has made bibs for disabled children at St. Mary’s Home; helped start similar sewing ministries in Peru and South Asia; created items to send with our Mission Journey teams; provided baby quilts for pregnant teens; created backdrops and table cloths for our own church; and much more in the years since it began.

“Not only are we able to serve our local community, military community, and reach out across the oceans, we are also able to minister to our own right here as we work to serve others,” Debbie said.

Project Comfort is an unpaid volunteer ministry that is completely self-funded through donations. There is much work to be done, and you can be involved! If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to Project Comfort, please contact Debbie Allen at djallen1059@gmail.com.

Learn more about First Norfolk Women’s Ministries here: www.firstnorfolk.org/women