Hope for Suffolk at Westminster Church

About

Hope for Suffolk is a community outreach initiative of Westminster Church in Suffolk, VA.

Mission

We exist to image Christ by:

1. Acting as ministers of reconciliation
2. Loving our neighbors
3. Engaging a process of gospel transformation with our community

Vision

We envision a Suffolk where residents are empowered to live as image bearers of God in their relationships with God, others, creation and themselves.

Values

• Social Justice - a society in which people treat one another as image bearers of God
• Racial Reconciliation - a value for the richness and blessing of diversity
• Work - working is part of God’s blessing and part of being human
• Participation - we are all participants in the process of community development, reconciliation and transformation.
• Evangelism – the gospel is implicit in our actions and explicit in our words
• Discipleship - striving together to become more Christ-like

Areas of Ministry

• Income Generating Activities provide opportunities for people to work and earn income in a positive environment.
• The Community Garden provides an opportunity for our community members to gain food and income from the work of their hands. We grow and sell vegetables. The profits go to Hope for Suffolk participants who work in the garden.
• Hope for Suffolk Handcrafted Paper Products are made from recycled material by participants. The greeting cards and stationery are sold and the profits go to the participants who created the products.
• Community Fellowship Nights are held the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 7 to 8:30 pm at Westminster in room 203. We gather together to share testimonies, prayer requests and scripture for the purpose of mutual encouragement and growth.
• Financial Coaching and Assistance helps participants fill in a budget worksheet with a financial coach and discuss options for improvement. Coaches inform participants of community resources available to them. When appropriate, Westminster provides financial assistance to participants experiencing emergencies of various types.
• Friendship We desire to engage community members in relationships that promote gospel transformation. Many of our participants need an encourager, listener or just a friend who will walk through difficult times with them. Volunteers from WRPC are paired with participants who request to be in an “intentional friendship”. The volunteer seeks to be a neighbor and friend to the participant by calling them, praying with them, visiting them and encouraging them.
• Partnerships with local organizations: The WRPC Local Missions Committee, headed by Rob Slingluff, supports and partners with local organizations. See the Local Missions page on the WRPC website.
• Our Prayer Team is dedicated to praying for Hope for Suffolk’s ministries and participants on a regular basis
• Hope for Suffolk is partnering with the Suffolk Literacy Council to offer Adult Literacy Tutoring. Tutors are trained by the SLC and are then paired with a student who has requested tutoring.