We believe that every follower of Jesus Christ is invited to enjoy God and is sent to bear witness to the risen Christ as we participate with God in making His Kingdom tangible to all. We commit to this way of life as everyday people living in everyday places looking to demonstrate gracious hospitality and mercy in everyday ways. This means that as a Church we are not focused on programming as much as promoting a discipled-way of life. As we actively participate in God's mission and His work all around us, we join Him in bringing renewal and restoration to our community and world--we become “joined in God's pursuit of restoring lives.”
Our focus is to encourage mission through our Missional Communities. However, here are a few ways we organize for mission on broader levels.
Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi (Lwanga Community): A group of people that have been asked to leave many local congregations. We invite these beautiful people in and do what we can to help them, as well as their organization, and the Nigerian and Kenyan nuns who care for them. These events of service are generally organized through our Missional Communities.
Winter Sheltering Program (in partnership with Community of Faith Mission): Each Winter WCC partners with many other congregations in the faith community to make the church building available to men, women and children living through homelessness during the winter months. We serve as hosts for one week during the month of December. This effort is led and coordinated by Community of Faith Mission (C.O.F.M.), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Host National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day: Since 1990, the National Coalition for the Homeless has sponsored National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day on the first day of winter to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember our neighbors who lost their lives due its effects. We host the candlelight vigil and memorial outside on our front lawn. Together we will join community groups, faith communities, service providers, and individuals in more than 175 cities across the United States who are holding their own gatherings on December 21, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. Our goal is to do nothing less than honor the lives of the mothers or fathers, sons or daughters, brothers or sisters, who died on our streets, in the woods, on the train tracks or in shelters from illness or conditions directly related to their homelessness. The inaugural memorial for greater Williamsburg happened December 21, 2017.
Advent Tree: This ministry was formed to meet the needs of WCC families in need as well as families in our community that have fallen on hard times during the Christmas holiday season.
Compassion Ministries (see separate page for all the ministries): The journey toward faithfulness is filled with brokenness ushered into our lives by the reign of sin and death. As we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, we begin experiencing the shalom (wholeness) of God as His children and citizens of His kingdom. Our hearts, minds, souls, bodies and relationships to be formed by God’s Spirit working within, among and between us. We are always maturing and growing as God’s Spirit works to recover what has been broken by the reign of sin and death as we submit to the transformative power of our Father’s love through our Lord Jesus Christ.
For more information please contact us at admin@williamsburgchristianchurch.org.
