Meet the Baxton's
Meet the Baxtons and receive "food for thought"
As a young Marine 42 years ago, John was stationed at Camp Elmore in Norfolk. He met Sharon through a fellow Marine. That began a beautiful journey of raising 6 kids and serving the Lord together.
It was while attending a Gospel service at a base chapel in Okinawa, Japan, that they began truly growing in Christ and learning how to serve Him. Through John's military career, the Lord brought them to churches where they worked in many diverse ministries. They served from building projects to youth ministries and youth choir to food lines. John felt the Lord's calling while in Jacksonville, FL. At that time, Sharon envisioned that their future ministry would be feeding people through perhaps a food truck while sharing the Gospel. After John's retirement, God led them back to Virginia where Sharon was raised. Due to some traumatic experiences in her childhood, however, this was not where she wanted to be. But they started a Bible study in their home of about 5-10 people that kept growing to where they began renting space within a local church. Up to 40 folks were attending. John said that the members of the other church would peek their heads into their room because they could hear them praising the Lord! John and Sharon were sure that they were called to ministry.
13 years ago, they moved their church into a Newport News building beside a men's rescue mission. They began meeting the physical needs of those in their area, providing nonperishable food, blankets, etc. God also led them through a process of meeting the needs of young Marines and others in the neighborhood who just kept coming their way. They now also work with the USDA program at six different sites every month to serve people who pick up food. Their names are on the Food Bank website from which they get calls - John, his brother-in-law Jeff, and other church members help with those needs.
John and Sharon feel so blessed. Serving the homeless was difficult at first because they had a hard time not seeing why the people couldn't just get a job and make their lives right. But through Faith Bible College courses, their perspective began to change. Classes such as Evangelism and Anthropology helped them see humanity differently. They began seeing the homeless as created in God's image, having the DNA of the Father in them. This changed their whole church approach and how they thought. Through the Romans class, they were reminded not to judge because it is only God who can judge.
Sharon admits that she used to want a glamorous church where everybody came in smiling and smelling wonderful and looking good. But that is not who God is giving them! Regardless of who they are (or how they smell), their church provides breakfast for folks every Sunday during Sunday School while they teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had seen that people often get the 'middle of the story', but they needed to start at the beginning with Jesus. They needed to see who He really is, the God who loves them and has saved them, not the church or who the pastors are. John knew that some folks come to get what they want and become professional churchgoers, but they really need God's Word. So they changed their Sunday School from teaching a curriculum to studying straight from God's Word so everyone leaves with 'food for thought.' Folks are responding. Some have given their lives to Christ and are continuing to grow in Him.
The Baxtons share that they are learning in the process. John started understanding what a NC pastor had shared - that you can't treat church people like you would treat Marines who did what they were told! And you can't get out of character; you have to remain in the character of the Lord. Sharon realized her original vision of feeding people and sharing Jesus was only a partial picture - she hadn't envisioned the details as the Lord had planned! They praise God for all the godly men and women who spoke into their lives, counseled them, and weren't afraid to tell them the truth. Accountability is important.
Sharon has been working on a book about dysfunctional families and how you can take dysfunctional ways into God's house without really knowing what that means. While researching, she identified the dysfunction in her family growing up, but then realized she was bringing that into her own family - everything had to be perfect and in its place, including the house, the kids, etc. She didn't know that those behaviors carried their own dysfunction. She feels that through FBC, God is helping her rightly divide His Word of truth. She knows that each course has been part of God's plan for her and, as He answers her questions about her own life, she can now share with confidence. They feel that they used to only skim the surface, but truly knowing and understanding the Bible is the greatest gift that they can give others.
Christ never stops amazing them. From free bags of brand new men's sweaters to a man in Walgreens who said, "This is on me," John was reminded "...with love and kindness I have drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3). God was showing him, "This is what brings people to Me, not your preaching, but it's the love." They have cut out activities that were all about the passion of ministry to focus on sharing the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Sharon's brother Jeff and his wife Janice have been in ministry here with the Baxtons from the start. Sharon talked with Janice about FBC and they decided to take classes together. They are both on schedule to get their degrees in May 2024.