Ministry on the Margins at Norfolk-Cornerstone

How can we be a cornerstone in our community? Last week we had 2 new kids from the neighborhood come for Bible Study. This week we were blessed with 5 new kids, which gives us a total of 16. All because we chose to open our hearts and open our doors to God and our community.

Four years ago we came to pastor Cornerstone Church of God, a small church in Norfolk. The city of Norfolk is part of the immensely populated seven city metropolitan area known as the Hampton Roads region. Ministering in such a large area where the cities seem to blend together can be a difficult task. It is hard not to feel like a needle in a haystack among many churches. Feeling overwhelmed, we decided to start praying for our community (our little corner) where our church is located.

Last year, we were introduced to our Hispanic Pastor Angel Torres, who was looking for a new location to have church meetings. Trusting God we decided to partner with them and open our doors to their congregation. Our partnership together has proven to be a great blessing to our church in every aspect of ministry.

Following a powerful Hispanic revival, a few of our ladies chose to take a bolder step towards prayer and began to meet weekly. The ladies began praying for our children and the children in our community. Before we realized what was happening, we heard a knock on the door and a kid from the neighborhood asked if he could come to church. We chose to open the door and said yes, and before we knew it more kids began to come. These kids are unchurched and don’t know much about God. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Mt 19:14-15 (NLT)

One kid in particular from the neighborhood is from a family of a different religion, however his parents allow him to come and join the other kids for Bible study. This kid has become one of our greatest evangelists with all the other neighborhood kids, making sure they come to church every Wednesday.

Teaching these kids about Jesus has been a challenge for our church, but at the same time much more of a joy. Hearing them ask questions like “Can we have Bible study tonight?” and “Did these Bible stories really happen?” has brought life back into our church.

We are reminded of the example of Jesus. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Mat 9:36-38 (NLT)

Our hope is that we could be as Jesus and bless these kids along with their families. Our prayer is that God will send more workers for His harvest who are willing to open their hearts and open our doors to our community. Therefore, we shall be a cornerstone in our community building faith, family and friends reaching people in our neighborhood and beyond for Christ Jesus.

Pastor Joe & Tammy Baggatta
Cornerstone Church of God