Such a time as this?

"If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

We love to romantically quote this verse with little thought for what it really implies. Our church has been in the book of Esther considering the challenges that this brave woman faced in her faith. The implications of this passage are really:

You and your family might die...or God could do something truly miraculous!

Isn't it amazing how we romanticize this so much that we take little time to appreciate the weight of facing death for our faith? This is much, much more than a romantic notion. It is radically embracing the faith realizing that death could be the outcome. I have friends that do that on the mission field regularly, but, sadly, we do not realize in our comfortable contexts that God calls us to do the same.

Whether it is speaking an uncomfortable word to someone on the street or taking a bold step of faith to reach the people of North Suffolk by jumping in with both feet to labor in the harvest that is North Suffolk Fellowship...the time is now. The fields may not get any more ripe unto harvest. We are called to pray for the harvest, but we are also called to be "crucified with Christ." (Galatians 2:20) I do not have a problem with those who are praying for laborers in the harvest, but I pray that those that God is calling will not resign themselves to praying for someone else to be called.

That's a bit complicated, but what I am saying boils down to the fact that we are a blessed church who has been given the supreme opportunity to labor in the harvest. We must not pass the ball off to a church planter, a seminary trained layman, or a similar personality. We must hear God's word saying to us, "perhaps you were made a missionary follower of Christ for such a time as this?"

If you are that person, the first thing that I want to say to you is: I don't have all of the answers, but I believe in a God who does. We are engaging the people of North Suffolk as the body of Christ laboring to seek and save those who are lost. I have resisted every temptation at developing a marketing strategy, seeking major funding, or even having a church planter out here full time because I believe that this work is possible through the labor of our people. If there is anything that Big Serve and the missions efforts of our church have taught us, it is that God's people doing things God's way can accomplish God's tasks.

That means that we must work together for the greater goal of reaching North Suffolk for Christ. We need a team of people from our church and the community who believe that the churches that were planted in the book of Acts by people who loved Jesus can still be planted today. That team is forming now, but it will take more people who have tasted and seen God's glory and are passionate to share that glory with others in North Suffolk...could that be you for such a time as this?

A Famous Faith

As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10, NLT

This whole concept of "a famous faith" took root in my thoughts last night as we studied the book of 1 Thessalonians at First Norfolk. At first glance, the knee jerk reaction is to say, "We are not faithful for the purpose of fame!" To that, I would say, "Amen!" But when you take this passage in context, it overwhelms me with the reality of Matthew 5:16 that says,

"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

I think of all that God has done through the people of First Norfolk over the past two weeks and I am just amazed! We were able to see about 1,000 children pass through our halls for VBS and then we took VBS to disabled children every afternoon at St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children. We hosted four nights of family friendly comedy for the Hampton Roads community by taking this opportunity to Norfolk, Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. We conducted a medical clinic at the Union Mission in which over 30 people received health care and at least one person made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ! We held a cookout for the residents of the Gosnold apartments who are recovering from chronic homelessness. And the list goes on and on.

When a church is famous for being faithful, it is the body of Christ that is receiving the fame! Much like the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 115:1,

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness." We do have to wage war against the pride that so easily entangles our souls and make sure that we are delighting in God's glory over everything else. There is not a litmus test for such, but rather it is a personal, Holy Spirit guided and controlled, examination that we undergo as we take up the cross daily and follow Christ.

So the question remains...do you have a famous faith? Are you pioneering into new territory in your spiritual life or have you become rather comfortable in the status quo? As you hear our current series on being "STRETCHED," how does that apply to your life? We have a significant opportunity to make a great impact in Hampton Roads by reaching out to the people of North Suffolk. It may require the abandonment or partial abandonment of some of our comforts so that God's fame might spread...but isn't it worth it?!

I love what has become the theme for our first t-shirts at North Suffolk Fellowship:

"...as long as the sun shines, may his fame increase." Psalm 72:17

May we always be missionary followers of Christ who wholeheartedly seek God's glory and fame through faith!

Don't forget to join us on July 29th at the Riverfront Swim Club from 6-9p.m. for a great time of fellowship and prayer towards the future of North Suffolk Fellowship.

Jesus Hangover

It is the next day after our Laugh All Week event and my cup is running over with joy as I meditate on all that God did last night at the Regal. I'm sure many of you are wondering why in the world would I entitle this post "Jesus Hangover?" Well, when we arrived, the digital marquee above our door said "Hangover 2" directing people to the movie that typically plays there during the past week. Graciously, the manager changed the marquee to read "Comedy Show" for our group, but we laughed about the irony of that happening with a Baptist Church coming in to have an event!

Well, I must admit...I have a hangover this morning. It is not alcohol induced and it does not involve any unpleasant trips to the bathroom. Rather, it is a Jesus hangover. We saw over 100 people attend our night with Brad Stine in Harbourview who were not affiliated with First Baptist Church Norfolk! While some will surely have church affiliations, I can't help but think that there were many who do not have a church home and are open to joining us on the journey that is North Suffolk Fellowship!

In my daily Bible reading today, I read Revelation 3. It brought back fond memories of a time in my life when I was in High School and on mission in Canada. I read 3:16 that says, But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Reading Jesus words and considering the path of my life as I prepared for college, I knew that I did not want to make God nauseous by my life choices. So I resolved to be on fire for God as much as possible and not allow apathy to creep in causing a life of lukewarm faith.

This has been a journey of mountain tops and valleys for me, but God has been faithful to speak through his word and move mountains when I actively place my faith in him (aka trust him). Our work in North Suffolk is no different! I hunger and thirst for God's glory to shine brightly among the people who live in this area, but I know that it is in his timing. If I try to do it all in my strength by using clever church growth strategies or gimmicks it will surely fail. Or even worse, we could grow a large gathering of people who could have little sense of what it means to truly be missionary followers of Christ.

Anyone who has ever built a fire knows that it takes a strategy. If you try to build with only a few pieces of bad wood and lighter fluid, it will flame for a moment...then die. I want to see a substantial growth among the people of Suffolk that will grow and thrive for God's glory. I want to see God move in the lives of his people in such a way that the body of Christ that is the members of First Norfolk are willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of reaching their neighbors. I want to see people who have no church affiliation experience the life transformation that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. I want to see what can happen when men and women resolve to not settle for a lukewarm faith experience, but embrace the road less traveled by living radical lives of faith in Jesus Christ.

So yes, I have a Jesus Hangover. It doesn't sound pleasant, but it is actually a joyful celebration of all that God is doing in North Suffolk, across the United States, and around the world! I have to keep looking in the mirror and saying, "Me, Lord? I get to be a part of this?" And it only gets better. We have great plans for July 29th at the Riverfront Swim Club as we will have a gathering for an Open Swim night from 6-9p.m.(Invite your friends!) We are also planning toward another block party event at the swim club on Labor Day as we have been graciously invited to provide inflatables, face painting, etc. for their celebration.

Please join us as we continue to seek opportunities for Bible study and the formation of Life groups in North Suffolk. Let me know how you are praying and/or any questions that you have about the ministry that is growing in this region. Join me in resolving to Love God, Love Others, and Live the Mission in Hampton Roads and around the world!

Laugh All Week

Takeaway Card Front- NSuffolk

Laugh All Week

Takeaway Card Back- NSuffolk

Are you ready? We're excited!

So have you noticed that I get excited a lot? Especially when I see God moving and working and opening doors for our work in Suffolk! The week of July 4 is no different.

We have another great opportunity to serve and share with the people of the Riverfront Swim Club about the work that we are doing in their neck of the woods. As we provide a block party for the families present, we will also have some great opportunities to tell them about our church and the most important freedom there is...faith in Christ! So we are once again looking for volunteers who will step up and serve on this great day. We are not looking to provide as many services as Memorial Day weekend, but I told the director that I would put the invitation out and see how God moves our members to serve. Please let me know as soon as possible if you anticipate serving.

During this event, we will also be spreading the news about Laugh all week! In case you have been hanging out at the light rail station waiting for the Tide to crank up and missed the news...we are having a BIG comedy bash across Hampton Roads during the week of July 5-8!!! This is going to be a significant opportunity to provide a family friendly opportunity to reach out to the people of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and...Suffolk! We will be at the Harbourview Grande theater at 7pm on July 7 and it is going to be a blast. Be sure to grab that ONE special friend and join us for a great evening that is absolutely free and will even include some pretty sweet surprises! Ok, I have just about reached my limit on exclamation points, so I am going to have to bring this to a close.

Bottom line...we're excited! Not just excited about events, programs, yadda yadda. We're excited about Jesus and we want to share that excitement with others. Will you join us on the journey and make this dream become a reality? Share this vision and let's see God do some incredible things in the days ahead as his people are found faithful in the fields that are ready for the harvest!

Live the mission!

If the Lord of the harvest called, would you know?

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."

Matthew 9:38

I have been praying for you. Some of you have been prayed for directly and others indirectly. I have been praying to the Lord of the Harvest that he would send you to serve. Doors for the gospel are opening daily, but I can't do it all. One dear lady once asked me, "Why don't you do it?" Referring to a need that I saw at the Judeo Christian Outreach Center for someone to lead Bible study. While I wish that I could do everything, I have had to come to the realization that I cannot. Even though I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. I will continue to seek to find those open doors for the gospel and see our members serving joyfully.

Would you recognize the call?

Many people have cellphones today that have special ring tones assigned to friends and family. I purchased the song "She's a brick house" by the Commodores for my wife, but it was not a ring tone. So I found another song for her, "Love me do" by the Beatles. Wouldn't it be easier if God had a ring tone? We have to abide in Christ so that we might recognize God's voice and hear his call. I believe that those who are walking closely in faith will hear the call to the harvest and develop the heart of the Father for his creation.

What happens when you receive the call?

My favorite illustration about God's call upon a person's life is from Rick Warren's Purpose driven church book. In the course of his experience he views God's work in the life of a believer much like that of a surfer on a wave. You are ready for the perfect wave, you catch the wave, and then you ride the wave. The glory of laboring in the Lord's harvest is that he does most of the work if we are truly laboring in faith. We guide people on the experience and help them to obediently surf the wave, but the Holy Spirit does most of the work.

Are you ready?

The joy of serving in the harvest is the essence of Psalm 34:8 as we taste and see how good our God really is. He can take our work and make it joyful. He can give us a holy addiction or a Christian hedonist (according to John Piper) perspective in such a way that we can't get enough of this L3 (Love God, Love Others, and Live the Mission) experience.

I can't tell you all that God is going to do in missions and especially in North Suffolk, but I believe that it is good. No, it's not good. It's beyond anything that your human intellect can think or imagine. His ways are higher than your ways and thoughts are higher than your thoughts. But you have to ride the wave. You have to taste how good our God really is. You have to answer the call. Stay tuned for more exciting opportunties to live the mission in North Suffolk!

The Love-Hate Relationship that We Have with Surveys

While I am not a fan of surveys (either administering or responding to them) I cannot deny that people have been reached through a simple survey and a subsequent invitation to church. While we are doing various things to reach out to people through prayerwalks, block parties, and other gatherings, the simple act of getting to know people through a survey shows them that we care about what they think.

In the next few weeks under the leadership of our Missions Intern, Josh Herring, and one of our members who is passionate about this type of work, Wayne Laughinghouse, we will be conducting various survey blitzes with the goal of reaching out to more Suffolk residents directly. In the course of this work we are going to ask four simple questions.

• What is your church background?
• In your opinion, what are the top three reasons people do not attend church?
• When you hear the word Church does it have a positive or negative association, and why?
• How long have you lived in the Suffolk area?

This Sunday we will plan to meet at the Crossroads Center and travel together to the North Suffolk area prepared to conduct surveys, pass out information from our church, and pray for the people that we encounter.

As always, we are praying that the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers into the harvest by providing people to join us this Sunday. Those who are interested may respond to our Facebook group or email Josh at josh.p.herring@gmail.com. If you are unable to join us, please pray for the intersections that we will have with the residents of Suffolk and that God will cause those seeds to grow in His time.

May we continue to be a church who loves God, loves others, and lives the mission!

Memorial Day Bash Reflections

I have finally recovered enough to jot down some thoughts from our time yesterday at the Swim Club. These will be brief as today is a "holiday" and the circus will be rising soon! I just couldn't wait another day to share why my heart is so full (and overflowing) after yesterday's event!

-The beauty of the body of Christ- Seeing our 16 volunteers pull together and serve was once again a great blessing to me. Children and adults shared the work and served the people of Suffolk. Glorious!

-People of peace- God is connecting us with people who know people who know people and they are talking about our Fellowship. Some are believers and some are not. We have found favor with the Swim Club to the extent that they not only invited us back for the next two holidays, but offered to put our flyer in the Swim Club for everyone to see on a regular basis.

-It takes a village- While God gets all of the glory, it was two of our members who helped make this a reality. They have been instrumental in taking this ministry to the next level and I praise God for their hearts for ministry and the mission! We are also seeing a team form among the people of our church to reach the people of North Suffolk and it is going to take a passionate commitment from each one if we are going to see a movment of God in this area.

Need affirmed- We continue to hear from the residents that there is a need in this area for a church with our doctrinal background and heart for the gospel. Some shared with us yesterday that they had visited First Norfolk before but the commute was too much for them. Others shared that they are attending churches in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, etc. but would really like to have a church that was more accessible to Suffolk for regular fellowship. Still others were not involved at all in a church, but were so impressed that our members would take a holiday weekend to minister to their families.

Prayer- We need to be a people of prayer now more than ever as we see God opening doors of ministry in Suffolk. Much like the flying of a kite, the wind is picking up...will we be ready?

Leadership- It may sound a bit redundant, but I can't do this alone. It will take fellow believers who are committed to reaching the lost and seeing God do a new work in North Suffolk. My prayers are intensifying toward a team who will help take leadership of this ministry.

Well the circus is partially awake and I need to go. I hope that you can see from this post that I am excited about all God has in store for us in North Suffolk and I invite you to join us in this journey. There will be more plans posted soon. We are praying towards Bible studies and additional block parties in strategic areas to reach out to the people of Suffolk. May God continue to guide us by his grace.

Memorial Day bash this weekend!

We are less than a week away from the Memorial day bash at the Riverfront Swim Club and I am so excited about all of the ways that God is providing and preparing us for this event!

-We have a great group of volunteers coming together! Please make sure that you have confirmed on our facebook event page for the "Memorial Day Weekend Celebration." The club has asked us to limit our team to 15 people, so we need to try to honor that request as much as possible.

-Some great materials are on the way! We have ordered sun block and shopping bags with North Suffolk Fellowship on them and we will be unveiling our first T-shirt! We would like for all volunteers to wear their NSF t-shirt if possible and a $5 donation is always appreciated to offset the costs involved.

-Many pieces of the puzzle have come together, but there remains a few that I would still like to see fall into place. One big one would be to have two classes offered for those in attendance. An "Art of Marriage" class and a "Truth Project" class would be great for connecting with residents. There are many other women's studies and other ideas available if you are interested. These could take place in a home or we could explore other locations. I hope to have surveys available for people to express their interests.

-Prayer! Keep praying for this event that work that we have in the Suffolk area. I would love to have a prayer walk on Thursday evening around 6pm with anyone who would like to walk the neighborhood. I am working out logistics, but hope to be there and pray toward all that God is going to do!

Let me know if there are any other questions or ideas that you have as we look forward to a great weekend. May God continue to guide each step that we take toward reaching the people in North Suffolk!

Craig

Back in the Saddle

It feels like forever since I have been out to North Suffolk with my friends out there. Preparation, service, and recuperation from Uruguay have demanded much, but we had a fantastic time serving among the people of Rosario, Uruguay and the surrounding area. As I return, I would like to share just a few brief thoughts as we pray for North Suffolk.

Prayer- We spent two whole days on Monday and Tuesday praying through the neighborhoods of Rosario. Our culture has often neglected the importance of prayer when seeking to reach people with the Good News, but we need to renew this fervor! I am already looking at the calendar to schedule more prayer walks as we get ready for the Memorial Day party at the Swim Club.

Church- We worshiped in various places and ways in Uruguay as we studied God's Word and shared the faith with people. Our worship is often limited to a building, but God wants us to reach beyond this religious mold to realize that God is much bigger than a meeting place. As Isaiah 66:1 says, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?"

Open doors- While we arrived in Uruguay with an agenda for ministry, God sometimes had other plans. Our plane was struck by a luggage truck on the tarmac of JFK airport delaying our flight by one day and causing us to miss two significant opportunities. Although this was distressing, we saw God's hand at work as we were able to visit the family members of one of our teammates while in New York and share with them why we were going to Uruguay. We also saw God open doors for the gospel that we did not expect as we were invited to serve twice in a hospital that was one of the largest in the city!

There is so much more, but the greatest conviction that I have is that we would be the same people in Hampton Roads as we were in Uruguay. This means that we must live the mission while God has given us breath to praise Him! May we take seriously the call for us to reach North Suffolk with the Good News of Christ.

I am attaching below a slideshow of photos from our journey for you to pray for the people of Uruguay. Remember them especially on Wednesdays as that is the primary day of follow up and Bible study in Rosario.

Memorial Day Celebration at the Riverfront Swim Club!

We are looking forward to a great day on Sunday, May 29th from 12-3pm at the Riverfront Swim Club! This will be a great day of swimming (bring your bathing suit!), food, and fun. Our church has been invited to bring the block party trailer and coordinate games, inflatables, face painting, and balloon animals for the residents in attendance.

We will need help with the following:

Someone to pick up and transport the trailer who has a truck/suv with a hitch.

Some strong backs to help with setup for the inflatables. One weighs about 500lbs.!

Others to help oversee the inflatables and games.

Artists who can help paint faces. (advance training will be made available)

Artists who would like to make some wacky balloon animals.

Others to greet people at our North Suffolk Fellowship table.

This is going to be a great day to live the mission in Harbourview and we are praying that we will be able to connect with many families. Please register with the missions office if you plan to serve as the organizers have asked us to limit our volunteers to 15 people. We are also praying that there will be some bible studies that we can direct people to even though we do not have worship gatherings to invite them to just yet.

Join me in praying toward this great event in North Suffolk on Memorial Day weekend!

Save the date! Daddy Daughter Date Night

Next Monday, April 18 is the Daddy Daughter Date Night at Chickfila! There will be a lot of activities for Dads and their little girls to do on this great night. We are also hoping to partner with Chickfila in some special addition to the evening's activities. So stay tuned!

This Saturday!

Well the rain threatened, but never really arrived yesterday. When there's a 55% chance of rain...there is still a 45% chance that it will not rain. Yesterday was a 45% kind of day. Regardless of the unpredictability of the weather in Hampton Roads, we know that God is still faithful 100% of the time.

We are excited about the opportunity to serve this Saturday at the Eggstravaganza at Bennett's Creek Park! It will be a great time of games and interaction with families on Saturday morning from 9:30a.m.-12p.m. We have a team of 15-20 students and adults who are planning to serve by volunteering wherever they are needed.

I am so proud of our church for accepting the challenge to serve in this great opportunity. I trust that we will have other North Suffolk friends who will come out and join us. I want to encourage you to prayerwalk as you are there and pray for the families who participate. We believe that God is beginning to move in this region and we just want to join him!

Picnic in the park! No bears allowed!

Hey Boo boo! We are having a picnic this Tuesday at Bennett's Creek Park. Come out and join us for a fun time at the playground and fishing! Bring your own pic-nic basket and have a blast. We will be there from 4 until about 7, but you can come and go as you please.

Keep praying for all that God is doing in North Suffolk and opportunities that we are exploring for block parties, community groups, and other great gatherings!

P.S. All of the bears have gone to Virginia Beach!

We believe God is leading us (First Baptist Church of Norfolk) to begin a new work in Suffolk. Much like the believers in the first churches heard the Macedonian call (Acts 16:6-10), our members are beginning to sense a call to reach those in this section of Hampton Roads. We are serving in a manner similar to the ministry in Chesapeake as we begin with a core group of First Baptist Norfolk members and other like-minded individuals to begin Community groups. We pray that this will grow in time to become a Fellowship (or church) that serves as an extension of our church within a few short months.