A Church on Potomac Avenue Built Around G.R.O.W.
Mt. Sinai Family Life Christian Center sits on Potomac Avenue in Portsmouth, Virginia, and bills itself with a single, easy-to-remember phrase: a place where families can go to G.R.O.W. The letters are not just a logo. They are the church's working vision, stitched into every ministry, every sermon, and every outreach effort that leaves the building on a Sunday afternoon.
Gather means becoming part of a loving, Christian community. Restore means rebuilding relationships with God, self, and others. Outreach means serving as the hands and feet of Jesus in Portsmouth. Worship means lifting up the living God in spirit and in truth. Together, those four words describe the kind of congregation Senior Pastor Ronald W. Thompson has shaped since 1990 and the kind of footprint the church continues to press into the city today.
The Night the Steeple Burned and What Rose from the Ashes
The most defining chapter of Mount Sinai's modern story happened on June 14, 2017. On a rainy evening, Pastor Ron stood on a roadside in Portsmouth and watched as his church building, a brick structure more than a century old and originally home to St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, was consumed by fire. Firefighters worked from cherry-pickers in the storm, hoses blocked the streets, and flames poured from the historic stained-glass windows and the steeple. The bell tower glowed in the night sky like a candle that refused to go out.
What makes the story unforgettable is what came next. The church's organist, Anthony "Junebug" Turner, had planned to be alone in the sanctuary practicing on the Hammond B3 that evening. He forgot his keys, turned back home, and was delayed by the storm. God kept him out of the building that night. As the flames rose, a stranger approached Co-Pastor Frances on the sidewalk, called her by name, and offered the church a building to worship in, free of charge. The following day, the Portsmouth sheriff called her with a second offer of space. From the Police Training Center to Waters Middle School, the congregation was never without a place to gather.
That season of loss and provision is now part of Mount Sinai's identity. The church refers to it openly, frames its current location as a new home found after months of prayer, and treats the rebuilding as a community project. The steeple may be gone, the pastors say, but the promise in its light has not gone out.
Leadership Spanning Generations
Three women and men shape the day-to-day life of Mount Sinai. Senior Pastor Ronald W. Thompson, a native of Norfolk and a 1970 graduate of Kellam High School, was saved at an early age and was ordained a Deacon in 1976 before accepting the call to ministry in 1986. He holds both an Associate's and a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies from Tidewater Bible College and has led Mount Sinai since 1990. In addition to his preaching and pastoral work, he serves as President and CEO of ChainBreakers, Inc., the church's community development arm.
Co-Pastor Frances Knight Thompson serves beside him. A Hampton University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, a Master of Science in Education in Guidance and Counseling from Old Dominion University, and an endorsement in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia, she spent more than four decades in Virginia Beach City Public Schools as a music educator, school counselor, and Guidance Department Chair at Kemps Landing Magnet School. At Mount Sinai she functions as chief administrator, counselor, worship leader, and preacher of the Gospel, and her ministry in worship has taken her across the country and abroad. She is also the Chief Operating Officer of ChainBreakers, Inc.
Executive Pastor Dr. Rhonda Thompson Alexander rounds out the leadership team. Licensed to preach and called to equip leaders, she oversees the church's strategic direction, operations, and ministry alignment. She brings nearly three decades of leadership experience and is the founder of IUVO Consulting, a global FDA regulatory-compliance firm; E-Squared Coaching, a leadership and entrepreneurial development company; and ChainBreakers, Inc. Her academic preparation includes a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from Hampton University, a Master of Science in Clinical Chemistry from the Medical College of Virginia, a Master of Public Administration from Old Dominion University, and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Regent University. She is also an award-winning author whose most recent book, 7 Dirty Secrets of a Strong Black Woman, invites women to heal, rest, and reclaim their power.
Sunday Worship at Noon and a Wednesday Bible Study Online
Worship in the Portsmouth building happens at 12 noon Eastern, and replays of services are posted to the church's YouTube channel for anyone who cannot be there in person. The musical heritage Pastor Frances brings (she is, after all, a trained music educator) shows up in the church's continued affection for Hammond-style organ and gospel-rooted praise, the same instrument that organist Junebug Turner once played alone in the sanctuary.
For those who want a midweek touchpoint, the Christian Education Ministry hosts a Weekly Bible Study on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The session is held as a virtual event, designed to develop biblical understanding and help participants apply what they discover to everyday life. It runs on a steady weekly rhythm throughout the year and is open to newcomers.
ChainBreakers, Inc. and the Reach Beyond the Walls
Outreach is not a program on the calendar at Mount Sinai; it is one of the four pillars of the G.R.O.W. vision, and it has its own organization attached to it. ChainBreakers, Inc. is the church's community development corporation, led day-to-day by Pastor Ron as President and CEO and by Pastor Frances as COO. Its work focuses on Portsmouth's children and families: helping kids learn to read and helping families move from surviving to thriving through essential resources, programs, and education.
Dr. Rhonda Thompson Alexander, who founded ChainBreakers alongside her consulting and coaching work, continues to shape the nonprofit's emphasis on literacy support and food access. A separate link on the church's resources page, titled "Need a Meal?," points visitors directly to ChainBreakers' programs for anyone facing hunger. The church's social-media presence often highlights this work, and the leadership team's civic involvement on bodies such as the Virginia Beach Minority Business Council and the 757 Collab keeps the ministry connected to wider regional efforts.
A Voice the Congregation Speaks Out loud
Mount Sinai has a written declaration its members recite together, a statement of who they believe they are in Christ covering identity, healing, provision, and mission. It begins with the words, "We, the body of believers at Mount Sinai, are citizens of the kingdom of God and we have what we say," and goes on to affirm the congregation's identity as God's chosen generation and royal priesthood, its healing through Jehovah Rapha, and its freedom from debt, poverty, and lack.
The declaration is not a one-time creed. Each year the church issues a fresh affirmation that builds on the same foundation. The current affirmation carries a single banner word for the year, "Expansion," and invites members to declare divine confrontation of systems that hold them back, freedom from confinement, a life that displays Christ, and the courage to stop playing small. Believers are encouraged to read it, pray over it, and let it shape how they speak, give, and serve over the twelve months ahead.
Children, Family, and the Shape of a Multigenerational Church
Family is not a metaphor here. The Thompsons, Pastor Ron, Pastor Frances, and their three adult children, two daughters-in-love, and five granddaughters, embody the kind of household ministry the church preaches. Dr. Rhonda, their daughter, treasures her own role as mother to her daughter Maiyah, a rising journalist and media strategist.
That emphasis carries into the church's ministry philosophy. The G.R.O.W. framework treats the family unit as the primary place where gathering, restoration, outreach, and worship take root. ChainBreakers' literacy work is built around helping Portsmouth's children read, and Christian Education Ministry runs the weekly Bible Study that keeps adults grounded in Scripture. There is a visitors' page and a contact form designed to make first-time guests feel expected rather than overlooked.
Giving, Staying Connected, and Finding the Building
The church makes it simple to participate financially. Online giving is handled through a secure giving page, with options for one-time offerings or recurring tithes and offerings. For those who prefer to give by Vanco or Zelle, instructions are posted; Zelle sent to mtsflcc@gmail.com is the church's preferred alternative. A mobile giving app from Vanco is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store (the in-app invite code is YQBMNN). The platform Zeffy is used for in-service giving, with a note to enter $0 for the optional additional donation.
The new home is at 1200 Potomac Avenue in Portsmouth, Virginia, 23707. Visitors can fill out a contact form, follow the church on Facebook and Instagram, watch replays on YouTube, or send a note to mtsflcc@gmail.com. For anyone in Portsmouth who needs a meal, the resources section points directly to ChainBreakers' programs.
From the night the steeple burned to the Sunday mornings that followed in borrowed spaces to the present building on Potomac Avenue, Mount Sinai Family Life Christian Center has held to a single refrain. Things will pass away, but nothing is ever truly lost with God. The candle may be gone, the church says, but the promise in its light has not gone out, and the work of gathering, restoring, reaching out, and worshiping continues in Portsmouth one family at a time.