The principles laid out in the vision of the Vital Initiative have directly impacted the Chase City Church of God. The church has been able to reach a younger generation as over 60% of the new members are under the age of 40. The church is also very multicultural as 42% of the current membership is either African American, Filipino, or Hispanic.

As a full-time employee of the public school system, I encounter people daily from different cultures and walks of life. Recently the school that I work at hired three teachers from foreign countries, two from the Philippines and one from Jamaica.

A week before school started my principal approached me and informed me of the situation my new coworkers found themselves in. In a new country with no transportation, no place to live, and not much money in their pocket to purchase basic necessities. It was at this moment that we as a church sprung into action. We were able to be a liaison with others in the community and find housing for them as well as partner with another church in our district (Living Waters Church of God) in order to purchase household necessities for all three of them.

The tears of joy that they expressed spoke words that they were not able to utter. I tell our congregation that “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This motto is the foundation of our mission approach within our community.

In Matthew chapter seven, Jesus stated that “a tree would be known by its fruit.” This concept came full circle this past week when my new coworker from Jamaica joined us for Bible study.

The concept of impacting our community and partnering with other churches to do so led Pastor Devin Snead and I to plan our first district convocation service. This service took place on September 12, 2021 at our campus in Chase City and it truly was an awesome experience.

All churches in our district were represented well and Pastor Jason Cook from Valley Church in Roanoke blessed us with the word. We were very encouraged by the Spirit of unity that was in the building.

Over the last 18 months COVID-19 has presented all of us with many challenges; however at The City we have made a concerted effort to remain impactful in our local community. School supply drives and partnering with local organizations to see to it that people that needed shelter found it are just small examples of the things God has allowed us to do in the last 12 months.

As I said previously, it's no question that the concepts laid out in the Vital Initiative have made a significant impact on our church. The excitement is very apparent and contagious as everyone seems to be swept up in the new things God is doing. There is no doubt that the Vital Initiative is active at “The City '' and being felt across Southside Virginia.

Pastor Tony Bateman
Lead Pastor, Chase City Church of God (The City)

Ministry on the Margins at The City -Chase City COG