As I mentioned this most recent Sunday, September is a good month for us as a church for an annual check up. We transition out of the busy summer months and into more regular routines and rhythms. Together we move into a new year in the life of this church as we celebrate our anniversary. Both of these transitions make for a good time to stop and ask two important reflection questions, (1) “How have I been doing in my devotion to the Lord and to His people and where do I need to grow in the next year?” and (2) “In what ways will I help contribute to the continuance of a faithful evangelical mi ..read more

Here we are Church, half way through 2023! As we make our way through these summer months with travel/vacation, family visiting, kids out of school, late nights, etc. you may find it more difficult to maintain your regular devotional times with the Lord. When things get busy, here are five brief reminders to keep in mind for communing with Jesus*: It’s not about checking a box, it’s about spending time with your Savior. Often, the days you feel strongest personally and most spiritually accomplished are the days you’re most prone to walk in your own strength, rather than by the strength God s ..read more

““Church Unity is that state in which a particular local congregation by the effectual operations of the redemptive grace of God has attained and maintains as its prevailing climate a fundamental oneness and harmony of understanding, affection, purpose and activity while unashamedly expressing diversity and individuality in areas that do not disturb the unity but rather enhance it” ” — Albert Martin Do we not long to be a church that displays this unity through our diversity and individuality, one that does not disturb our unity but enhances it? In part one we saw why unity and diversity ought ..read more

June marks one year of having served on staff as one of your pastors and I am incredibly thankful for you, church. It has been a year filled with grace, deepened affections, and many answered prayers. Reflecting back, I’ve certainly made plenty of mistakes, learned valuable lessons, and identified areas in need of so much more growth. In all of this though, you have been gracious, kind, patient, and supportive. You all have continually displayed the character of God towards me (and the other elders!) and I want to thank you for that. It is truly a joy to serve you! As we continue carrying out ..read more

“We desire to see the people of Hampton Roads treasuring Christ through churches that reflect the character of God, the diversity of our cities, and display a healthy witness of the Gospel to our neighbors and the world.” Hampton Roads Fellowship (HRF) was planted out of this vision. In the next two posts we will be focusing on our vision for community. Specifically, why we as a church are committed to intentionally maintaining our unity in Christ as well as pursuing and cultivating diversity. This post will focus on why we see this as important and the next will look at practical ways we can ..read more

I came across one of my favorite passages recently reading through Luke’s gospel. Walking along the road with His disciples, Jesus has a conversation with them about the cost of following Him. He tells them at the end of this conversation in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” I love this powerful illustration! The work Jesus calls His followers to is hard work. We are breaking fallow ground in a world hardened by sin. We are daily sowing and watering gospel seed, praying as we wait patiently for life to spring up from the ground. Th ..read more

Well church…April is here! Spring has sprung and I want to begin by pointing out a few evidences of God’s grace in answering our prayers to breathe new life: We have had the joy of celebrating new marriages within our fellowship Lord willing we will have the joy of celebrating new births with families By the grace of God, we have FIVE Community Groups meeting every week and, This last Sunday, we had the joy of welcoming two new members into the church! Praise God for showing us there is life on the vine church! Let’s continue abiding in the True Vine who reminds us, “Whoever abides i ..read more

“Hampton Roads Fellowship exists to display the character of God, through the people of God, for the glory of God.” That is our purpose statement as a church, and how we believe we are called and compelled by scripture to live as a group of Christians. At the end of 2022, we as elders prayed and thought about the areas God was calling our fellowship to focus on in 2023. And while many worthwhile ministries and opportunities came to mind, we felt HRF needed a distinct focus on three things: God’s Word, community and hospitality.  In Pastor Paul’s March 2023 post, we were reminded that God ..read more

March is here which means springtime is coming (very exciting) and so is daylight savings time (not so exciting). Even though we may lose an hour of sleep, I think the new life and energy that Spring ushers in more than makes up for it! As the Lord continues to show His faithfulness to us, one of my prayers for us as a church as we enter into a new season of the year has been - God breathe new life into us.  In winter, plants go into survival mode and I think we tend to do the same thing as we endure the spiritual “winters” of our lives. The days might be cold, dark, and barren, but we mu ..read more

A rather unlikely comparison the Lord led me to this morning was between Babel and the church. In Genesis 11, we read that “the whole earth had one language and the same words.” As a result, there was incredible potential to what God’s image bearers could accomplish together! God said in Genesis 11:6, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them” (emphasis added). The problem with sin though, is that it robs us of God-given potential. Instead of obeying the ..read more