THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408100131
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
Five or six sheep figurines decorate the desktop in the Rev. Penny Wilson's office. One, a gift from his wife, stands erect, carries a Bible, wears spectacles, a navy blue suit and a tie decorated with a tiny sheep.
Wilson's explanation of the miniature flock provides a clue to the nature of the man who recently became pastor of Raleigh Heights Baptist Church.
``The scripture that has made the greatest impression on me is the 23rd Psalm,'' he said. ``As a result of a study of the psalm, I have begun to collect sheep. I started off with this one,'' he said as he picked up one tiny white animal about an inch long. ``They remind me that I'm just a sheep in need of a shepherd. As I lean upon the Lord, my shepherd, I can find the strength to face every day.''
His official duties at the church on Crowell Avenue in South Norfolk began July 5. And you might say he hit the ground running with three weddings on his calendar his first day on the job. But Wilson, wearing a green tie covered with ships and a short-sleeved shirt, seemed perfectly at ease in his new surroundings as he expressed an eagerness to get on with his new responsibilities.
``In a pastor's ministry there is no usual week,'' said Wilson, a Norfolk native and graduate of Norview High School. ``But I never get bored.''
The current message on the marquee at Raleigh Heights says: ``The church where everyone is someone and Jesus Christ is Lord.''
``Those words reveal just one of the ways in which this church communicates its love for the community and its style of ministry,'' Wilson said.
One of his goals is to build relationships within the church by visiting members in their homes and by providing fellowship opportunities. Since his arrival, the church has already had a time of fellowship over a potluck supper. In fact, between the potluck and snacks at Vacation Bible School, Wilson confesses that he has gained a few pounds since he arrived in Chesapeake.
Another of his goals is to guide the church to reflect God in the community.
``The foundational ways we hope to do that is to help the church family continue to build Christian character so that as they pass through the community they will reflect Christ,'' said Wilson. ``The second way is for the ministries of the church to become a visible part of the community.''
The 41-year-old Wilson, who was ordained at Ocean View Baptist Church in Norfolk in 1978, has strong convictions about his own place in the church.
``Pastors come and go, but the church stays,'' he said. ``Therefore, if the pastor makes overwhelming changes in the church, he does not allow the church to grow in its identity over the years. My responsibility is first to the Lord Jesus Christ and second to serve the church family.''
Raleigh Heights has 604 members on its rolls. An average of 200 attend worship services at the church, where padded pews and carpeting in a soft blue lend a quiet atmosphere. In the sanctuary and balcony about 400 people can be seated comfortably. Most of the sanctuary windows are mottled pastel stained glass.
Photographs of church deacons line corridor walls. A quilt, made by members, acknowledges the celebration of the work of the Woman's Missionary Union during the past 100 years. The old sanctuary, now known as Napier Hall, serves as a fellowship hall and was named for pastor emeritus Henry V. Napier, still an active member of the church.
The church, originally known as Broadway Baptist, was founded in 1896. The group met first in a log cabin near the intersection of what is now Interstate 64 and Battlefield Boulevard. During the next 40 years the church moved three times, first to a site in what is now Westover Homes. A later relocation took it into the old Portlock School building on Bainbridge Boulevard.
In 1916 land was purchased at the present site. A wooden structure, which included an auditorium with two rooms across the back, was built. At that time the church changed its name to Raleigh Heights.
In the 1930s, the original building was razed and Sunday school classrooms were constructed on the site. Over the years there have been other additions.
Raleigh Heights sponsored a mission church beginning in 1956. That church is now DeBaun Memorial Baptist.
Current programs at Raleigh Heights include Sunday school, midweek prayer meeting and Bible study, the Hallelujah Singers (a choir for seniors), Rainbow Choir for children and a puppet ministry for teens. There is also The Helpful Club, a senior adult ministry to people who are homebound or shut-ins.
When time allows, Wilson enjoys playing golf, and he says he is an enthusiastic football fan.
``I am a Washington Redskins fanatic,'' he said. ``But I'll watch any football game at the drop of a hat, even area football.''
The pastor, his wife Lisa and their two children, Kimberly, 9, and Kenn, 13, live in Varsity Manor in the church parsonage.
He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and holds a Master of Divinity degree.
His background includes service at several Virginia churches. He was the pastor at the Heritage Baptist Church in Farmville and Fairlawn Baptist Church in Fairlawn. For six years, he served as the associate pastor at King's Grant Baptist Church in Virginia Beach.
``I knew him when he was single,'' said the Rev. Jerry Holcomb, pastor at King's Grant. ``Penny is a capable expositor of the gospel. Every church that he has served has increased in attendance and membership. He's a caring person. That's probably his greatest characteristic.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Penny Wilson is the new pastor of Raleigh Heights Baptist Church.
by CNB