Each year there are an estimated 5,000 international students who come to Virginia Beach to work during the summer. These students come from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and China. They are usually A-B students, who are studying in the sciences as well as engineering, and international economy. Most work two full-time jobs and share housing arrangements with six or more other workers. It usually takes one job to cover the cost of coming to Virginia Beach and the other to help with the next year's college expenses.
Bob Pipkin, pastor of First Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, was serving as interim pastor when he first learned about the international student workers. He says that Roy Smith, associational missionary for the Norfolk Baptist Association, was the first to put these students on the church's mission radar. It was obvious to both Pipkin and Smith that these 5,000-plus students were a mission field that could be seen from the front door steps of the church.
Before coming to First Baptist, Pipkin was a Navy chaplain for 26 years. His experience with developing strategic action plans as a chaplain served him well as he began thinking about ways to reach out to these summer workers who were living and working in a different kind of world. In the summer of 2005 Pipkin and Smith came up with the idea of First Baptist hosting two receptions for the student workers with the hope of finding some ways that the church might provide ministry in the summer of 2006.
At the receptions there were three needs that the students expressed. They needed a gathering place where they felt safe, a means of connecting with people who care about students and a way of connecting connecting with family and friends back home. As Smith reflected on what the students shared with those at the reception, he remembers a time when he was serving as the division chaplain for the First Naval Construction Division (Seabees) in Albania. The need for internet surfaced there and the Navy set up an Internet Café for troops. It was a great success with the men and women serving in Albania. He felt if First Baptist could create an International Internet Café ministry for the summer student workers, it might be just the ministry that would provide opportunities to connect and minister to the students.
The idea was presented to the church to take Sunday school classrooms that were not in use and convert that space into an Internet Café. There were five small rooms that could house two computer stations in each and a larger room for playing games, eating snacks, and just hanging out. It would take people resources as well as dollar resources. They would need computers, software, wireless internet capability, snacks, drinks, greeters, helpers and a summer intern to coordinate the ministry. It was more than the church could handle alone.
With the green light from the church, Pastor Pipkin began pulling ministry partners together. He submitted a grant request to the Virginia Baptist Mission Board to help cover some of the start-up cost and First Baptist was given $6,000 from the Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions. The Norfolk Baptist Association contributed $4,000 toward the project from its mission funds.
Amerigroup Corp. donated 15 computers and Phillips Mercedes funded the installation of wiring and set-up of the internet. Three sister churches, Thalia Lynn and Beach Lawn Baptist and First Presbyterian, offered volunteers to help with staffing needs and snacks.
The final piece of the ministry strategy came together when Amy Baxter, a rising senior at Ferrum College and member of First Church, Virginia Beach, answered the call to serve as the summer intern for the International Ministry Café. Smith said it was a great match. “Amy is a fine young woman who exhibits the spirit of Christ in all her dealings with the students. She has won the confidence and trust of most of the summer workers who have given the Café a try. Amy was just one of God's answers to our many prayers for this ministry.”
Even though it's the first year and first attempt at this kind of ministry for the church, Baxter feels that the Internet Café has been a great success this year. It opened June 1 and that week there were only 4 students who found their way to the church. As of the first week in August, 125 student workers were on roll, with an average of 13 new students each week. The ministry now averages almost 30 international students stopping each day.
Amy reports that 10 student workers have attended some of the services at First Baptist. She said one student told her, “I have never been allowed to go to a Baptist church and this is neat.” Most find out about the Café through friends.
“I have grown to love these new friends from all over the world. says Amy. “I have found them to be some the nicest young people I have every met. Even though they work two jobs, they still look for ways to help the ministry. They are willing to do everything from cleaning up to taking out the trash.”
She has developed a volunteer base of 43 from four churches. This group has given 747 volunteer hours serving as greeters, computer resource, and helpers with English language, and being a friend. If First Baptist decides to continue the ministry next summer there will be an even greater need for help. Bob and Amy hope the ministry will be able to attract volunteers from other regions of Virginia so they can experience the joy that comes with connecting with international students.
Burcu Ozenli and Anton Latonov are two student workers who are regulars at the Internet Café. Burcu is a student at Istanbul Technical University studying metallurgical and material engineering. She comes to the café at least two days a week and says “I am thankful to have such a nice place to come and send emails back to my family. I especially like talking with Amy. She is a very nice person.”
Anton, attends South Ural State University, Russia, and is majoring in international economy. He found out about the café from friends and he stops by about three times a week. He says, “Having a place to check email like this is great. I am able to stay in touch with family which is good for me and for them. I also like hanging out with my friends here. The people are nice and it feels very safe.”
Computers, CD burners, printers, free Cokes and snacks, a pastor with a vision, a church willing to share, 47 volunteers, open hands, friendly smiles, warm and kind words, and before you know it, a student from a different world sees Christianity in a totally new way. Pastor Pipkin says, “First Baptist has had a taste of what it is like to move from being a church that supports missions to a church that is on mission. It is a big difference.”
As the summer comes to an end and the international student workers like Anton and Burcu make their way back to their homes and universities, we give thanks for churches like First Church, Virginia Beach and pastors like Bob Pipkin who understand the world-wide mission field is literally at Virginia Baptists' front doors. The International Internet Café is not Starbucks by any standard, but then Virginia Baptists are not in the coffee business, they are in the Kingdom business.