Missions


THE MISSION OF MISSIONS


But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.  (Acts 1:8, NKJV)

The people of First Norfolk have taken God’s great call to live the mission as something greater than a romantic notion or a warm, fuzzy feeling while traveling internationally. They have embraced the great command to love God and love others and in doing so, they have accepted the challenge to live the mission as they are mobilized by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

We pray that you are able to see more than a gathering of events, journeys, and overall good deeds.  We pray that you find a fellowship of people (aka “the church”) who are passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as Acts 1:8 calls them to do. As you read, connect the dots of ministry needs with those who are called to serve (every missionary follower of Christ). For more details on our Missions Ministry, please contact missions@firstnorfolk.org

FILL OUT THE MISSIONS APPLICATION

DISASTER RELIEF


disaster relief

Our Disaster Relief ministry allows us the opportunity to serve communities during times of crisis. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief meets immediate physical and spiritual needs while sharing the love of Christ. You can be the hands and feet of Jesus by loving those in life-altering situations.

MORE ABOUT DISASTER RELIEF

To participate in Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministries, volunteers must complete 4 hours of training in advance of service and have a criminal background check after completing training. After successful completion of these two items, a uniform and identification badge will be issued.

MORE ABOUT TRAINING


SERVE


We serve the community through different projects throughout the year. Find out more at the Serve page.

SERVE

2024 MISSION JOURNEYS


  • Montreal - Working with our church partner La Chapelle in Canada. Date: October 2024
  • Vietnam - Date: September 2024

  • 2025 MISSION JOURNEYS


  • Malawi – Focus: Medical missions, evangelism, working with church plants. Date: Summer 2025
  • Cuba – Focus: Evangelism, training, and discipleship with a church plant. Date: Summer 2025
  • Congo – Focus: Visit, leadership training, and evangelism with church plant we are helping to launch. Date: Fall 2025
  • Rwanda – Focus: Working with three church plants. Date: TBD
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    MISSION JOURNEY STORIES 


    Jaine Lindo: Alaska


    Jaine - Alaska story - It all started in late 2021 when Curt Breland pitched an idea to me for a soccer camp in Alaska at a time when I'd never been on a mission trip and never led a soccer camp. Fast forward to July 2022 when Curt, Randy Morton, and I went to Alaska for the inaugural FBC Palmer x First Norfolk Soccer Camp with no idea of how it would go, but God provided and allowed us to share the love of Jesus and soccer with roughly 30 children and their families. That trip was bittersweet as it was one of Curt's last mission trips. It was a blessing and an honor to serve alongside him and witness his passion for missions firsthand which inspired me to keep going on mission. In June 2023, Jason & Jenna Hickman and I were able to serve roughly 60 children and their families from kindergarten to middle school ages which included a Family Night to share the Bible lessons and soccer skills learned during that week. In June 2024, the third soccer camp took place with the team of my wife Chelsea, our "nephew" Ian Mulcahy, and I. There was a waitlist of 100+ children and we were able to serve roughly 70 children by sharing the love of Jesus and soccer with them from Monday to Thursday which included a Family Night on Thursday night. Seven children came forward on invitation day to ask questions to Pastor Bruce and I about Jesus and the Gospel so Pastor Bruce will be staying connected with those children and their families to continue ministering to them. The FBC Palmer family serves tirelessly throughout the summer to put on events for the community and is led by Pastor Bruce who is passionate about showing the love of Jesus to those in Palmer and other cities in Alaska. Alaska is a place of endless beauty but unfortunately, is also known for high rates of drug abuse and domestic violence which is an important reason for going on mission to share the love of Jesus with the children and their families through soccer as a different avenue to connect. Grateful for the continued support from First Norfolk to partner with FBC Palmer to live the mission.

    Phillip and Jan Herring: Rwanda


    Jan and I are thankful to be a part of a church that takes the Great Commission seriously. Our time in Rwanda was fruitful and timely. Part of our purpose for going was to help the Great Joy Bible Church know of our continued financial support for their church plant and pastoral leadership in the coming year. We saw firsthand the fruit of their labor as a young church as they baptized 11 new members into the life of the church.

    In addition to preaching and training church leaders in the capital city - Kigali, we invested time in training more than 120 pastors and church leaders in Gesini and Ruhengeri. The opportunities to train were focused on developing skills to strengthen relational disciple-making through local churches. All of this work was organized and coordinated by our missionaries, Josiah and Stephanie Luttrull. Josiah is here to provide theological education for helping pastors be equipped to plant new churches and pastor existing churches more effectively. You can join us in praying for Josiah and Stephanie, as they return for their stateside assignment from July 2023 to January 2024.

    Bob Williams: Nepal


    Why do we go to Nepal? 1) Nepal is in South Asia, 2) 25% of the world's population lives in South Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and The Maldives), 3) South Asia is the least evangelized region of the world, 4) Nepalese believers can travel freely among the countries of South Asia, while the travel of believers from other regions of the world are restricted, 5) through the Nepalese believers, the people of the other countries of South Asia can be reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. First Baptist Norfolk mission teams have gone to Nepal several times to undertake earthquake recovery, young adult discipleship training, evangelism training, prayer walking, street evangelism, VBS, vision and medical clinics , women's health training, infectious disease training, and mosquito net distribution. First Baptist Norfolk provided financial support for a church planter and for the start-up of a sewing training center. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been shared with thousands of people; 4 churches have been planted. This country has the highest population percentage of Hindus in the world; the country is known for intense persecution of Christians, including murder of Jesus followers. In 2017 the country passed anti-conversion laws to discourage the sharing of the Gospel and the coming of people to be Jesus followers. However, God is workin in Nepal, the country is ranked #1 in the world for the percentage of the population becoming believers. In Nepal, the living hope of Jesus is being known; God is being glorified.

    Jordan Bassett: Spain


    Go and make disciples. That is the command given in Matthew 28 and it is at the center of the work being done by First Baptist Malaga and Pastor Francis. What I was not expecting when I visited Spain to meet with him along with Pastor Eric and Pastor Vernig was the way Pastor Francis was executing this command in the same way that our church is executing this command; by multiplying. It is truly amazing to see the Holy Spirit work in this way, whispering to two separate congregations across the world the same vision for reaching the people within their influence. I saw various stages of this multiplication process from simple life groups being started in homes with just a few believers to more established gatherings on the brink of autonomy. This is equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

    Visiting our partners in Spain revealed to me that wherever I find myself, the Lord is asking for us to do work for His glory. Along with that work comes understanding the unique challenges of each location, like the culture or the geography. Less than one percent of Spanish people are evangelical Christians. I had no idea there were so few. The challenges of reaching a culture with so few believers can appear impossible to overcome but it is really an invitation to strengthen our faith, to give us one more reason to believe in the faithful God who loves all people regardless of where on His earth they are located. There is no obstacle too great for the gospel.

    Go and make disciples. We must go. I must go. His command is an invitation, one we must accept because when we do, His glory is revealed to us even more, resulting in an even deeper hunger for the Lord. What a wonderful, neverending cycle.

    Jamie, Johnny, and Bryan: Yei, South Sudan


    Find more mission resources and downloads here.
     

    WHY?

    why am I here? why do I need God?


    THE GOSPEL

    First Baptist Norfolk

    312 Kempsville Road
    Norfolk, VA 23502

    (757) 461-3226

    info@firstnorfolk.org

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