OUR VISION To be a church that knows and loves God passionately and strives to make Him known and loved both at home and throughout the world.
OUR MISSION To worship God in Spirit and in truth and use the gifts He gives to demonstrate and teach the love of Christ through our unified body so that we will be empowered to be witnesses in our community and through the world.
OUR PURPOSES The 5 Purposes of this local church, in conformity to the biblical pattern are:
WORSHIP: to praise and worship the Living God.
FELLOWSHIP: to fellowship as God’s family, promoting commitment to our local church.
DISCIPLESHIP: to build up believers for godly living both individually and corporately according to the means of grace contained in the Scriptures.
MINISTRY: to help every believer discover their ministry and serve each other in the church.
MISSION: to maintain the terms of the Church’s “Great Commission”, which is to evangelize the world through personal and corporate involvement, both at home and abroad.
OUR MEANS The Means to accomplish these purposes are:
Teaching the Bible consistently and thoroughly, with application of its principles.
Establishing prayer as a priority in the life of the church.
Training and encouraging us to be a witness for Christ within our sphere of influence.
Promoting personal and financial involvement with foreign missions.
Practicing the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's table.
Sharing community life within the body by promoting participation in:
a) one-on-one discipleship for intimate sharing, b) small groups for personal sharing and c) united meetings for worship and teaching.
Nurturing the exercise of individual spiritual gifts for the edification of the whole.
Strengthening home and family life.
OUR HISTORY Our church was formed by a small group of residents from Chesapeake. Most of the beginning congregation was from Tabernacle Church of Norfolk, a church started by John Dunlap. They had their first meeting during Tab's Sunday School hour on Easter, 1979. They continued meeting until Summer, and were joined by a few families from the Virginia Beach Community Chapel. In May 1979 the church met officially in Chesapeake, for the first time, at the home of Paul and Bobbie Hardesty. John Dunlap served as the original pastor and Pastor Garrick filled in when needed.
After five months the fellowship had outgrown the Hardesty home with 55 attending regularly. They met for a brief time at Tidewater Community College and then used the facilities at the Twiford Funeral Home in Great Bridge, free of charge. Tom and Mabel Kenny (Pastor at Peninsula Community Chapel) took time off from seminary during those early, crucial months. Tom and Mabel organized the children's ministry and developed a Sunday evening Small Group program. They started neighborhood visitation that resulted in 250 homes being contacted and supervised the neighborhood ACTION Clubs providing continuity to the whole venture.
Gene Garrick, of Tab Church sent an introductory letter to all the friends of Tabernacle Church and extended ministries which explained the philosophy of ministry for the beginning of this new church to have three distinctives:
1) encouraging personal growth in individuals by teaching God's word and emphasizing those basic Scriptural truths that unite and strengthen all Christians
2) exhibiting a genuine caring community of people who are committed to the Lord and to one another.
3) extending the message of Christ's love and salvation locally and worldwide.
A MISSIONS MINDED CHURCH Our church has inherited a strong emphasis on missions from the original founders. John Wenzel shared the burden for the unreached people of the world and had been preparing since his teen years to be a missionary. He and Barbara had made application through TEAM Mission to go to Spain, but God had other plans. Due to health problems in the family, they were unable to go. John Wenzel became our first full time pastor at the beginning of 1981 and led the church for 15 years through the growth pains and the construction of our present facilities.
During this same time, Scott & Kit Hill sensed the call of God to serve as church planters in Spain with World Team. The Hill's were seen as the Wenzel's replacement to Spain and became one of the first missionary families we supported even before having our own church building.
Community Church of Chesapeake has been committed to supporting foreign missions from the start, even though our own budget has pressing needs. Our sister churches have held to the philosophy that as we give to the needs of missionaries, God will supply what we need. (Philippians 4:19) "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse was written in the context of the support the Philippian church had sent to Paul's missionary team for their ministry. This text is a promise God gives to those who are active in supporting, sending, and praying for missionaries so that they can take the gospel to others.
GOD'S PROVISION OF OUR PROPERTY As the membership looked for possible church property, Wes and Eula Daniel found our present 10 acre lot and talked with the owners, the Etheridge brothers. They prayed about our request and decided to sell it for one third the value, take a small down payment, and finance it themselves, since it was for a church. We closed the property July 30,1980 and by August the foundation was laid and in three days the framing and roof were up. On September 20, 1980 the corner stone, with the inscription, "You are God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9) was laid, which can be seen in the wall of the Pastor's present office.
The construction of this building was a time of special fellowship and unity which demonstrates that the "church" is truly the people and the building just helps to bring us together. Even during the construction of the new addition we saw one man profess faith while working with God's people and many grew as our faith was stretched. In June of 1990 the present addition was begun, the cornerstone was laid on July, 18, 1993 with the motto "To know Him and make Him Known." The first service was held in July of 1996, one month after the arrival of the present pastor, Scott Hill.
OUR PRESENT PASTOR Scott and Kit Hill came to Christ during the Jesus People movement of the 60's in Florida and graduated from Columbia Bible College in 1974. After serving as the Alumni Director for Columbia International University, Scott came to Tabernacle Church of Norfolk as the Youth Pastor under Gene Garrick and John Dunlap. He served as pastor for the Williamsburg Community Chapel while earning an M.Ed. at William and Mary in counseling. Through circumstances God arranged, Dick Woodward was brought to take over as the pastor in Williamsburg, while Scott and Kit were sent to serve for 16 years with World Team as church planters in Spain. Scott came on staff at the Community Church of Chesapeake as pastor on May 15, 1996.
Scott has led us through a number of changes, including a Constitutional revision for the establishment of an Elder led form of government and Deacons who lead the working committees of the church. Our services lean toward a more contemporary, worship team style. We have placed a stronger emphasis on small groups and one-on-one discipleship. We have kept our vision of supporting foreign missions, while encouraging a greater emphasis on local evangelism.
OUR PRESENT VISION As the face of Norfolk, the Navy and the entire Hampton Roads area has changed to more young professionals and suburban families, so our ministries continue to change. The gospel doesn't change and neither does the inner need of the unbelieving sinner. Now our focus, in Chesapeake, is on reaching young families that have lost the eternal values, while investing all their energies to find meaning in the temporal pleasures of our upwardly mobile society. As we reach out to suburbanites, we want to give them a vision of investing their wealth, energy and children in the Great Commission. As John Dunlap said many times, "the light that shines brightest, shines farthest." May we become a church that is equipped to reach our neighbor and send missionaries to the ends of the earth, as we passionately worship Him who reconciled us to Himself.
OUR CONSTITUTION Download the document below to read our Constitution:
