Missions

Back Door Ministry

Back Door Ministry was started at the back door of the First Baptist Church at 235 West Washington Street, Petersburg, VA. This church, realizing their building was centrally located, wanted to utilize their building to minister to the homeless in the City of Petersburg.

Over the years, this ministry has grown and now is supported by volunteers from numerous churches in the Tri-Cities, Prince George and Dinwiddie counties. This ministry continues to reach out to the homeless, but it also assists those living in group homes who do not receive the care or resources that they need.

Back Door is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 11:00 am. They provide water, coffee, hot chocolate or Gatorade, depending on the current weather conditions. They also give out snack bags and toiletry bags. They service about 120 people a week. On Mondays during the same time, they run a Clothes Closet and service about 20 to 30 people a week from there.

On Monday evenings at 5:30 pm, a hot meal is provided for approximately 30 people.

First Baptist Church has a Sunday School Class for this group each Sunday at 10:00 am at the church.

If you are interested in volunteering, there are opportunities to distribute food, prepare food bags, or assist in the Clothes Closet. If you would like to donate items of clothing or food, you can contact Chuck Elliott at 804-892-0559 or Kelly Heffernan at kheffernan@thb.church.

Faith and Food Fridays
Hotel Ministry

Our Hotel Ministry serves meals every Friday afternoon to those in our community who are currently living in local, long-stay hotels. While serving residents, team members pray with them and listen to their stories with the goal of sharing the Gospel with them. This is a missional experience and not simply a food delivery. On average, approximately 125-150 people are served weekly. Serving times run from 4 pm to 6 pm. This ministry is also in need of individuals with trucks to help pick food up and deliver it to the serving location.

Please contact Scott Parrott if you’re interested in volunteering in any part of the process.

Contact: Scott Parrott
Email: Scotteparrott@comcast.net
Phone: 804-564-4245

LIFE GROUPS

Living in community is very important! In a large church it is easy to slip in unnoticed and never really form the relationships that are necessary for living out God’s plan for us as far as being a part of a real community of believers. At The Heights, we connect best with others through LIFE Groups. It is in these small groups “where friends become family.”  Through LIFE Groups we experience individual spiritual growth, strengthening and support from others and a sense of direction and purpose from God. Many of these life groups also work together to serve our community, many of which have a focus area where and/or how they serve.

Ministry Opportunities for Truck Drivers

There are approximately 3.5 million truck drivers traveling America’s interstates and highways every day. They keep our country moving by hauling supplies, fuel, food, etc. Often, the job requires truck drivers to be away from their families for days or weeks at a time. With this type of schedule, going to church consistently may be very challenging for these drivers.

 We are blessed to have a TFC Global chaplain, Clint Bivins, within our church. TFC Global is a ministry dedicated to the trucking industry since 1951. He and Ryan Goodson have been pouring into the trucking community for the past two years. They have prayed, written letters, posted online discipleship videos, stocked Daily Breads, supplied Highway News magazines, and provided THBC sermons on CD at cooperating truck stops. If you have any questions, please contact the email below:

 Contact: Jeff Cree at jrcree@gmail.com

Prison Fellowship

Prison Fellowship is the leading faith-based voice shaping the public debate on justice reform. Prison Fellowship mobilizes Christians to advocate for a restorative approach to justice that advances proportional punishment, constructive prison culture, and second chances. The Heights is directly involved and encourages men and women to volunteer with Prison Fellowship Academy, a flagship program inside correctional centers, particularly at Sussex I and Sussex II Correctional Center in Waverly, Virginia. The Prison Fellowship Academy is an intensive, biblically based program that takes incarcerated men and women through a holistic 12-month transformation process. Participants are guided by Prison Fellowship staff and volunteers to lead lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison. More information, including the application to become a volunteer can be found by contacting Steve Westermann (steve@460machine.com), Mark Herndon (mherndon5@yahoo.com) or Alfredo Santiago (astgo27@comcast.net)