https://christchurchhr.org/sermons-1-copy-1-1 daily 0.75 2026-07-07 https://christchurchhr.org/sermons-1-copy-1-1/blog-post-title-four-lr658-tcthp-wf5mw-cdy3s monthly 0.5 2026-07-07 https://christchurchhr.org/sermons-1-copy-1-1/category/2+Corinthians+4 monthly 0.5 https://christchurchhr.org/sermons-1-copy-1-1/tag/Michael+Bailey monthly 0.5 https://christchurchhr.org/home daily 1.0 2026-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442859329-AG51BF6S1OSF7B09Q3W1/unsplash-image-bwOAixLG0uc.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442958465-G38V0Z80D345NZ4PY9QC/unsplash-image-ZKCfZS2SH3s.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442732301-Q8SOJS41DC1U2YDHT3FL/unsplash-image-dGxOgeXAXm8.jpg Home - Join Us Our services start on August 29th! We invite you to join us every Saturday evening. We gather at 4:45pm and service starts at 5:00 pm. We meet at Green Lakes Baptist Church: 1610 Hodges Ferry Rd, Portsmouth, VA 23701 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442809384-26S55MHHZJS9GBJ1LHWR/unsplash-image-DRgrzQQsJDA.jpg Home - Who are we? We are a gospel-centered, non-denominational church being planted in Portsmouth, VA, with a mission to know Christ, grow in Christ, and make Christ known — locally and to the ends of the earth. Weekly worship services weave together liturgy and participation, while discipleship and doing life together are a daily practice and commitment. Christ Church desires to be a community of people whose hearts, minds, breath, hands, and feet are fully oriented toward Jesus and His Kingdom. Our heart is to see the people of Hampton Roads conformed to the image of Christ, rooted in His Word, knit together in genuine community, and sent out as ambassadors of the gospel, all to the glory of God. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442574444-WTCJVMC1NMSXMVHYYHN0/unsplash-image-4EFeD-VTgu4.jpg Home - Our Ministries Children’s Ministry is available at every Saturday evening service for children 6 weeks through 5th grade. Our Youth meet every Tuesday at 6:00 pm. Learn more about our heart for kids and youth, and all of our ministries, by clicking the button below. https://christchurchhr.org/about daily 0.75 2026-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783111152226-4P4K7C64PKMM2KUYUAAM/unsplash-image-sgdyBq6kheQ.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783112246509-1RO6H780LP1XP6X8L2JX/unsplash-image-yiI_e4zSEvo.jpg Mission & Vision - Statement of Beliefs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783112457618-WYT784MCWQ8CC2HJONN9/unsplash-image-kZjBucSSj2s.jpg Mission & Vision - Center-Set Church https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783112543042-CLAS96TUN8CLRF4BT0MO/unsplash-image-dGxOgeXAXm8.jpg Mission & Vision - Leadership https://christchurchhr.org/discipleship daily 0.75 2026-07-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783442467195-DLV0PM4JZDFV8V1PUEKN/unsplash-image-KdeqA3aTnBY.jpg https://christchurchhr.org/plan-your-visit daily 0.75 2026-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783428718931-GX1EIWXTVFL8CINM1FDK/unsplash-image-dGxOgeXAXm8.jpg https://christchurchhr.org/ministries daily 0.75 2026-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783343856791-O1D1XQZ3VFDYELKRZNM1/unsplash-image-4EFeD-VTgu4.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783344648684-QBK9G8R53ZR0ZCZ18D1S/unsplash-image-RKaD4GDDK40.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783344894055-R9U6J0NMQ5YUUZ00RJ05/unsplash-image-PGnqT0rXWLs.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783345210379-DWPNGC5NPF4SXWCKIQU2/unsplash-image-lyiKExA4zQA.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527486801-AMH3ZUWVCYRCJ2GUK013/unsplash-image-ZKCfZS2SH3s.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527516272-DAWIR21ZY7HQURJ8J60R/unsplash-image-NVMfrTbiDso.jpg Ministries https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527530002-ZFBQ19RH0SPT97S9B01W/unsplash-image-iPpy3Mupk8k.jpg Ministries https://christchurchhr.org/give daily 0.75 2026-07-30 https://christchurchhr.org/statement-of-beliefs daily 0.75 2026-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783112900522-HIO2J45W4L8C9YMMBBT3/unsplash-image-qa74Yh6-xlc.jpg Statement of Beliefs - Communion We believe Communion is a central act of worship. In partaking, we remember and proclaim the death of Jesus Christ, rejoice in His resurrection, anchor ourselves in the hope of His return (1 Cor. 11:23–26), and by faith receive the spiritual nourishment and fellowship Christ provides to His people through the Holy Spirit. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we follow what Jesus did when He broke bread and shared the cup with His disciples on the night before He died. As we receive the bread and cup with thanksgiving and share them together, we believe that Christ truly ministers to His people through this sacrament. Though the bread and wine remain bread and wine, by the Holy Spirit believers truly partake of Christ by faith and are spiritually nourished and strengthened. Here are some reasons we hold this belief: In John 6:56, the Lord says: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” Though John 6 is not primarily or only about the Lord’s Supper, Jesus’ teaching about feeding on Him by faith helps us understand the spiritual reality signified in Communion — that believers abide in Christ and receive life from Him through faith. If the Lord’s Supper points to fellowship and union with Christ, then Christ truly communes with His people in it by the Holy Spirit. We therefore believe that Christ spiritually ministers to His people in the Supper. We do not hold to the belief that Christ is physically present in the bread and wine, since Christ’s body remains in heaven until His return. Rather, through faith and by the Holy Spirit, believers truly commune with Christ spiritually in the Supper. In Luke 22:19–20, Christ identifies the elements with His body and blood, and with the new covenant. By the Holy Spirit, Christ nourishes, strengthens, and ministers to His people as they receive Him by faith in the Supper. “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” — Luke 22:19–20 In Luke 24, Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples through the ministry of the Word and the breaking of bread. While this passage is not primarily about the Lord’s Supper, it beautifully points to the way Christ continues to make Himself known and minister to His people after His resurrection and ascension. “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight… Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” — Luke 24:30–31, 35 In 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, Paul reminds the church in Corinth that we all partake of the same bread. So not only do we have spiritual union with Christ through the Supper, we also have union with the body of Christ, the Church. As we partake together of the one bread, we are reminded that we belong to Christ and to one another. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” — 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 We believe the Lord’s Table is for baptized, professing believers who place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and are seeking to follow Him in repentance and faith. The Table is not reserved for the perfect, but for those who recognize their need for God’s grace and are looking to Christ as Savior and Lord. At Christ Church, we celebrate Communion weekly. Communion is a family meal for the people of God. It is a visible expression of our union with Christ and our unity with one another as His Body. By partaking together, we proclaim that we belong not to ourselves, but to Him and to one another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783113115783-77JT1NIFLWF1OIXVG1FR/unsplash-image-DNrjKP3srT4.jpg Statement of Beliefs - Baptism Since New Testament times, baptism has been an important tradition of the church. But it is more than a tradition. It is a critical act of obedience through which Christ-followers publicly identify with their Savior, Jesus Christ, and his Body, the local church. The waters of baptism powerfully symbolize the reality of salvation by faith in Christ alone. The spiritual deadness that accompanies being a sinner has been buried forever and in its place God has raised the believing sinner to new life in Christ. At Christ Church, we believe baptism is a voluntary act by which the regenerate Christ-follower publicly testifies to his or her salvation, identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ through immersion, and unites with the local congregation as a member of the body of Christ. Baptism is a community-creating event and is to be part of the corporate gathered worship of the church. We believe baptism is: The sign and seal of the New Covenant (Col. 2:11-12) The practice and expectation of the early Church (Acts 2:38, 41, 9:18, 16:15) A public proclamation of faith, forgiveness, and union with Christ and His Church (Romans 6:3-4, Eph. 4:5,, Gal. 3:27-28) Baptism does not confer salvation in any way. Rather, it is an expression and celebration of saving faith. Baptism is a powerful representation, not of what the believer receives, but of the saving work of God in them. We believe water baptism by full immersion best expresses what baptism symbolizes - identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ - as described in Romans 6:3-4, but we do not believe other baptismal methods illegitimatize baptism or what baptism symbolizes and proclaims. Baptism and church membership are intended to be embraced together. Baptism is a church-life act that exemplifies the believer’s connection to Christ and to His Body. Having a right understanding of baptism means having a right understanding of the importance of the church. When an individual is baptized here, they are being baptized into the family of Christ Church, committing to gather together to worship, engage one another for growth and encouragement, and reach together into this city and this world with the hope of the Gospel. Baptism is all about identification with Christ and commitment to His Church. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783437443182-N2ADWPW4293IAKPR74TQ/unsplash-image-RrgDNFSvF5k.jpg Statement of Beliefs - Missions and Multiplication As Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, he gave His final commission to all His followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Desiring to fulfill this commission, one of Christ Church’s core values is: “Feet: Goes and Makes Disciples.” Since God’s primary means of reaching the nations with the gospel and growing people in their likeness to Christ is through the local church, we seek to invest the majority of our resources in planting biblical churches domestically and around the world. Whether that means supporting current church-planters, raising up and sending church-planting teams, or sending individuals to join teams, by God’s grace, we desire to participate in the building of His church around the world. Christ Church seeks to train and support men and women who will join the ranks of faithful saints who looked to their heavenly kingdom as they laid down their lives to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. In conjunction with our heart for planting churches, we desire to be a multiplying church. Our heart is for Christ Church is not to be a church of ‘our own’, but to be centered on continual multiplication. We desire to be a church that ‘equips and sends.’ Our focus on discipleship is not solely for spiritual maturity, but to raise up leaders and send out teams with hearts to take the gospel to every community. We believe this not only fulfills the Great Commission and God’s heart for the Church, but also is essential for the health of the church and avoiding a ‘consumeristic’ mentality. https://christchurchhr.org/team-2-1 daily 0.75 2026-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527801919-6WSJ6H3IX2H5PX7D0LGM/unsplash-image-_ZtPsxAomeI.jpg Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527822488-1JXBSBT7ROT0ZKXP6ZLT/unsplash-image-_ZtPsxAomeI.jpg Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527837657-AQBKO103XIRJ1EZXP52N/unsplash-image-_ZtPsxAomeI.jpg Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/1783527886015-P2XG7BF6QUTQR7WHX7W3/unsplash-image-_ZtPsxAomeI.jpg Leadership https://christchurchhr.org/centerset-church daily 0.75 2026-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/a4032015-a578-490b-9544-b21e9000877d/bound-set.jpg Center-Set Church - Bound-Set. In a bounded set, belonging is determined by where one stands in relation to a clear boundary. Typically, the boundary is composed of highly defined beliefs and behaviors. Those who adopt the beliefs and behaviors are considered "inside" and those who do not are considered "outside." For example, in bounded-set churches, certain appearances or behaviors can exclude you from the community. If you have tattoos, piercings, or dyed hair — if you are going through divorce or trying to survive as a single parent — if you struggle with addiction or suffer from past abuse — you might feel judged or scorned by these communities and see yourself as an outsider. You may also notice that being "inside" the community is defined more by conformity to these defined behaviors and beliefs, rather than acting like Christ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/ec41f92a-f345-48a2-82d6-001f4700af36/Fuzzy+Set+Poster+with+Arrows.png Center-Set Church - Fuzzy-Set. In a fuzzy set, belonging is not determined by clear boundaries or by clear movement toward a center. Instead, the lines between who belongs and who does not belong are often vague or almost nonexistent. These communities may be very open, welcoming, and easy to enter, but they can lack a clear understanding of membership, commitment, accountability, and discipleship. A fuzzy-set church is similar to a group of people playing pickup basketball at a public park. There may be a regular group that shows up most weekends, and if someone new wants to play, they are usually welcomed in. But there is no real membership, no defined team, no coach, no practices, and no expectation that the same people will keep showing up. The group exists because people have a shared interest and happen to be present. In the same way, fuzzy-set churches may avoid the judgmentalism of bounded-set communities, but they can also lose a clear call to follow Jesus together. People may attend, participate, and feel connected, but still not know what belonging to the church actually means. While the church should be open and welcoming to those who are searching, struggling, or wounded, it should also clearly call people to Christ, to transformation, and to life together as His people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a456260bf27a10359af5331/6b0675dd-d43e-4304-87aa-db7ef71f85dc/Centered-Set.jpg Center-Set Church - Centered-Set. With a "centered-set" approach, participation in the community is defined differently. The center is Jesus and there is no boundary determined by an expected set of behaviors or beliefs. Those who are "in" are considered so simply because they are moving towards Christ. In a centered-set approach, a person might be quite a distance from the center, but as long as they are looking to and moving towards Christ, they belong in the community. By the same token, a person might appear close to the center, but if they are not looking to or moving towards Christ, loving correction may be needed. Many of us have crossed paths with avid believers who adhere more to a set of "rules" of religion, rather than trying to authentically live like Christ, who held the company of sinners and challenged the religious leaders of his day. In a centered set, believers who take comfort in conforming their behavior to an accepted set of norms while keeping their hearts cold and distant from God do not belong. "Looking the part" does not make someone belong here; instead, a desire to follow after Christ and to see real heart transformation marks those who belong in our community. https://christchurchhr.org/about-5-1 daily 0.75 2026-07-08