New Life - Hampton Celebrates 25th and Unveil Legacy Plan
In the year 2000, was the Y2K Bug Hysteria. In the year 2000, Vladimir Putin became President of Russia for the first time. In the year 2000, Destiny’s Child released “Say My Name”. In the year 2000, USB flash drives were introduced and put floppy disks out of business. In the year 2000, everyone had a Nokia phone and played Snake like it was an Olympic sport. But most importantly, in the year 2000, the New Life SDA Church in Hampton, VA, was birthed. On Saturday, May 31, 2025. The New Life SDA Church celebrated 25 years of history, ministry, and legacy. Joined by members, friends, community guests, and public servants from the local and state levels, they celebrated how God has used New Life to make a difference in the community. Vice Mayor Brown and members of City Council, as well as Virgil Thornton of House of Delegates District 86 provided remarks of inspiration and affirmation of New Life’s ministry and legacy.
Pastor Geston Pierre (GP) shared the vision of their Legacy Plan to 1) establish a legacy wall to honor the past and promote the future. 2) Repurpose their facility into a multipurpose center to facilitate greater impact and ministry. 3) Acquire property or a facility to leverage their community impact. In honor of the 25th, they committed to raising $25,000 by August 31st, which will be their quarterly “Legacy Sabbath” to begin the initial phases of the legacy plan. Dr. Maurice Byrd, son of founding member Marie T. Byrd, gave a $2,500 donation in honor of her legacy and to the legacy plans of New Life. Following a spirit-filled praise and worship set, Pastor Claudia Allen delivered a powerful message entitled “The Gospel According To Disney” that ignited the congregation to acknowledge its history without worshipping it, embrace childlike faith and creativity, and be converted to be more Christlike in our ministry. The future is bright for New Life, a church that is small enough to care, yet big enough to make a difference.
From Left to Right: Dr. Kevin McDonald: Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships at University of Virginia. Kimberlyn McDonald: Chief People Officer of Hospice of Piedmont. Virgil Thornton Sr: Virginia House of Delegates District 86. Claudia Allen: Director of Advancement of Maryland Humanities. Carolyn S. Campbell: Council Member of City of Hampton. Michelle Fereebee: Council Member of City of Hampton. Steven Brown: Vice Mayor of City of Hampton. Geston Pierre: Pastor of New Life.
Vice Mayor Brown gifted Pastor Geston Pierre a special City of Hampton coin to appreciate his involvement with the City of Hampton, as a member of the Mayors Book Club promoting early literacy in Hampton City Schools, a student in Hampton Diversity College, a member of the local chapter of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and a pastor in the city of Hampton.