Ministry on the Margins At Gloucester-New Life
Vision Creates Vitality
When my family and I changed seasons of ministry in September of 2018, we went from serving as pastors of a thriving youth group in the City of Richmond to serving as a senior pastor in a more rural setting in Hayes, Virginia. We weren’t quite sure what we were doing but knew if we poured all we had into the body of New Life Ministry Center and showed love and vision that the Lord would work in the midst of our leadership.
What we experienced was a congregation that desired guidance but, more important, a vision. The people and property needed a move of God’s favor and blessings, and what He has done has been more than anyone expected. The Lord truly does give us “more than we can ask or think.”
In 2019, we saw the Lord bless the church through His guidance and the unexpected blessings of doors opening. We witnessed His favor allowing us to replace our roof, repair the interior walls and ceilings, as well as the restrooms and nursery.
We converted the church from fluorescent lighting to LED and had a 35,000-foot parking lot laid. We also completed much-needed repairs on our HVAC system and replaced the flooring in our nursery bathroom. Our total cost for all of that came in around $135,000. Yet God continued to show us that He was faithful and opened up doors that allowed us to testify that we were debt-free in less than 18 months.
The church had a 15-passenger van that had not been used in some time and was rusting with damaged body parts and electrical problems. Last year, we had a family that joined the church, and the husband asked if he could take the van and “repair" it. I said, "Yes." About eight weeks later, we had a van that had body panels replaced, electrical repaired, body repainted, clear coated, and re-lettered. Then the family notified us that they were donating all the parts and labor to the church! Again, God gave us more than we could ask or think.
VISION FOR YOUTH
We had a handful of youth when we arrived at the church, and a couple rose to the occasion to serve as our youth pastors. Through their dedication and now a church van that was safe and operated flawlessly, I threw out the challenge to use what God had given us. We saw the van fill up with young people, and on Sunday mornings the church has had 20+ children and teenagers.
A family in the church donated a swing set, and our youth pastors bought the material and built a gaga ball pit for our kids to enjoy.
VISION FOR THE BODY
I believe the desire to work and improve the house of God and the property, in general, has built excitement in the body. The attitude of our congregation on a typical Sunday is infectious. The love and fellowship are visible during their interaction before service and while many linger 30-45 minutes after service has ended.
We also had monthly cookouts last year, with 50-60 people coming out to fellowship on a Saturday. We have monthly men’s breakfasts, women’s ministry meetings, and a food bank ministry that allows our congregation to meet and serve on a regular basis.
VISION FOR THE COMMUNITY
As we have sought to increase our influence and serve the community, the Lord has opened doors that have brought many visitors. We also have our "helping hands" ministry, which has provided blessings like prayer blankets for various needs as they have been presented to the church.
Our women’s ministry has helped through financial support, which allows us to complete many projects that speak a testimony to our community. Our foodbank ministry has grown from three volunteers to nearly a dozen and has been able to grow from serving about twenty to almost one hundred.
The church seeks to add several more ministries for outreach to cater to various segments of the community.
A side note on one of our ministries: We questioned what would become of our food bank in this season of COVID-19, with many fearing the lack of supplies. I talked with the ministry leader and stated, “since this is our most needed outreach at this time, God will provide, if we are willing to serve and trust Him for the need.” Within a week, we got word that the Food Bank that we get our goods from had given us a $500 quarterly grant that has allowed us to nearly double the size of our ministry at no cost to the church! God once again showed us that He will do exceedingly above what we ask or think.
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
As the congregation’s zeal for witnessing and inviting people to New Life has grown, we have seen a twofold growth in our Sunday Morning service and a fourfold growth in our mid-week service. The youth ministry and food bank at New Life have increased 600%, and a nonexistent children’s church now sees a dozen or more kids on a weekly basis. We were also blessed to see thirty people join New Life last year with over a dozen being water baptized and many others receiving salvation and restoration.
Over the next few weeks, the church will have a new marquee, a soundboard for our audio needs, and a new shed for storage and lawn equipment due to the faithfulness of the body. All of these speak to the community that God and the church are alive and well in Hayes, VA, and we hope it piques their interest to see for themselves that God is doing exceedingly above what any of us could ask or think.
Senior Pastor Tom Lindsey