The church in Virginia Beach currently does not have a meeting hall but meets in a home on the Lord’s day. Approximately 35-40 saints gather for the Lord’s table and prophesying each week. Due to its proximity, the church in Newport News meets corporately with the church in Virginia Beach on the first Lord’s day each month. This corporate meeting sees about 55-60 saints gathering in one home in Virginia Beach. Although there is close fellowship with these two churches, the prayer meetings, small group meetings, and church fellowship meetings of the responsible brothers for each church are held separately during the month.
The church in Newport News was established as a locality about 1985 and obtained a DMS account after that date (#123). The church in Newport News received many LSM publications on a standing order basis throughout the years. Although there had been individual saints living in Virginia Beach for the past 45 years, generally they met corporately with the church in Newport News until August 2017 when the Lord led the local brothers to establish two separate localities. At that time Virginia Beach obtained a separate DMS account (#862) and began purchasing LSM publications for the saints in the Virginia Beach. Although some of the local saints have their own DMS account, the church in Virginia Beach and the church in Newport News order publications for the saints in their separate localities.
Currently, the LSM publications ordered by each of the two churches include the Recovery Bible, the Recovery New Testament, the Recovery Hymnal, the Holy Word for Morning Revival, the Ministry Magazine, the Ministry Digest, Life Study volumes, and selected publications of various LSM titles that the saints request. Many of the saints in both church have a complete set of the Life Studies and the Collected Works of Watchman Nee. Some have received the Collected Works of Witness Lee. Since each church has their own DMS account, payment for all publications are made through their respective accounts for each separate church. The house where both churches meet corporately on the first Lord’s day of the month displays the Recovery Bible and New Testament, a complete set of the LSM Life Studies, the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, various LSM publications, gospel tracts, and other LSM publications.
There is no Book Service group either for the church in Virginia Beach or the church in Newport News that meets on a regular basis; however, both churches fellowship closely concerning the ministry and reading schedule in the HWMR and the Life Study reviews. In addition, responsible brothers in each church coordinate the purchase of LSM publications for the saints in their respective churches so that both churches can generally follow the same ministry line together.
The leading brothers of the church in Virginia Beach and the church in Newport News all realize the importance of the Ministry publications for assisting the saints to grow in life and to come to the full knowledge of the truth for the building up of the Body of Christ. In addition, there is an increased recognition for the saints in Virginia Beach and in Newport News of the need to obtain, review, digest, and assimilate all publications that will help them increase their time in the Word, in the Spirit, and in fellowship with the Body of Christ that they may grow Christ, exhibit Christ, and be found in Christ in their daily walk. The Book Service for the churches in Virginia Beach and Newport News is in an embryonic state but is being revived to assist the saints in obtaining the publications that will help them come to the full knowledge of the truth, grow in life, and practice a vital church life. The saints in both churches are beginning to read more of the LSM publications individually, in small groups, and corporately each month. We anticipate that the leading and responsible brothers of the churches in Virginia Beach and in Newport News will increase the emphasis of the Book Service in the coming year and that the saints will have a growing appetite for these publications.