Peninsula In Passage

In October, 1912, the new church, the same one that stands today, was consecrated. Since then rooms were added in 1930 and 1974 including a two story wing with a kitchen, fellowship hall and classrooms. The old church building was dismantled and wood from that structure went to Berea Congregational Christian Church to build a new Sunday School wing. Little Grove Baptist Church Pastor Rick Richardson of Little Grove Baptist Church in Huntersville confirmed a bit of local lore – that the church was started there in 1892 because bear attacks were threatening Nansemond County residents who were walking to services at Grove Baptist Church in Churchland. At first they held prayer meetings at the local Samaritan Hall under the direction of Reverend Thomas H. Hill. According to church history only five homes were in their small nameless neighborhood off Towne Point Road then. Hill, who lived in the Huntersville section of Norfolk, decided to name the section Huntersville. Over the next 20 years as the community and the church grew, the congregation worked on a new building. According to church history, “Everybody that could hammer a nail worked and the community as a whole started to build the church. The women, led by Lucille Porter, kept the men’s strength by feeding them fish and pig’s feet.” The church continued to flourish, physically and spiritually. Richardson has been the pastor since 1993. He remembers - When I came here Huntersville was known for its stills and drug sales. That’s been 80% eradicated, but now people here don’t have a history with the community. A lot of family fabric in Huntersville was lost when older folks died off and younger ones moved away and rented out or abandoned the houses. Renters had no attachment to what Huntersville had been.

In June 2008, Habitat for Humanity organized local builders and 1000 volunteers to construct 16 homes in just five days, many of them on building sites purchased by the city of Suffolk. With the success of Habitat for Humanity homes, Richardson says, other contractors have built in-fill housing in Huntersville. Richardson says - Now we have whites who will move into a formerly all black community. The dark part of who we are will no longer be a factor as people live together more – the church will be able to lead the way when the walls are down. Within the last 10 years the church has seen some white members from all over Hampton Roads as well as Harbour View, but our congregation of 400 is still not as diverse as we’d like it to be. The Foundation Learning Center is a church ministry, started in 2000 with 40 students. The school has grown to include classes for 3-year-olds to kindergarteners who explore first and second grade curriculum and learn cursive writing.

Pastor Rick Richardson

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