About Connection Church
Our Mission & Core Values
At Connection Church, our mission is to connect people with God, each other and their purpose.
Core Values:
- Sincere Worship
- Applicable Biblical Teaching
- Authentic Relationships
- Thriving Teams
- Extravagant Generosity
- Active Community Involvement
Who We Are
Connection Church is the result of a group of people answering God’s call to share the love, hope and incredible life that is found in Jesus, with the families of Hampton, Virginia.
With the rise of social media and since Covid, people have become increasingly disconnected from each other. That disconnection combined with the pervasive belief that there is no absolute Truth, yields a world of people floating through life without feeling seen, loved and valued. How could they without finding their identity in the God who created them?
God called us to launch Connection Church to accomplish three essential objectives. We will be a place where people can experience the love and power of Jesus Christ. We will live as genuine community, loving and supporting each other through the journey of life. We will help people discover and walk in the plan and purpose God has for them.
Don’t take our word for it! Come, check it out for yourself. We are excited because we know that amazing things happen when good people meet a great God!
Our Team
Bernie and Sara Gillott are the lead pastors of Connection Church.
Pastor Bernie is originally from Rehrersburg, PA but went to high school right here in Hampton, Virginia. Pastor Sara is from the suburbs of Philadelphia. In the days before texting or social media, Pastors Bernie and Sara met and fell in love while in college at the University of Valley Forge in Phoenixville, PA. They were married in 2002. Since then, the journey of life and direction of God has taken them to churches across three different states. They have three children: Natalie, Bernie, and Lucas. They describe each as “pretty amazing.” The Gillott family quickly established roots after their move to Hampton in 2020.
In addition to pastoring and caring for people, Pastors Bernie and Sara are unpaid personal Uber drivers and cheerleaders for their kids’ many sports, bands and extracurricular activities, Pastor Sara teaches Math at Kilgore Gifted Center here in Hampton. Pastor Bernie is known to substitute teach at Hampton’s middle and high schools. It’s a busy life, but they wouldn’t trade any of it! They know that God has them exactly where He wants them to be, where they can encourage and speak life to everyone that they meet.