tbc Worship & Fellowship

A Personal Letter from Rev. Sterling Severns

October 18, 2026

Dear Tabernacle Family,

In 2003, you invited me to become Tabernacle’s twelfth Senior Pastor. Laura and I experienced an unmistakable sense that God was calling us to Richmond, to plant our lives here and raise our family among you. When I began serving in April 2004, we couldn’t have imagined we’d spend more than twenty-two years here or all that those years would hold. But we trusted that call.

Throughout these years, I’ve often said that I would remain your pastor for as long as I believed God was calling me to serve here. In recent months, Laura and I have felt that same holy nudge that first brought us to Tabernacle, and through prayer and discernment, we’ve come to believe God is calling us into another season of life and ministry. Earlier today, at the conclusion of their worship service, Earle Street Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, voted to call me as their next Senior Pastor, and I have accepted that call.

I know this news may take some time to absorb, and I want to share what I can about the coming weeks. I’ll be working closely with Personnel Committee, Deacons, staff, and other church leaders to determine the timing and details of this transition. While those details remain to be worked out, I anticipate this transition taking place in November, allowing me to devote much of December to preparing for the move to Greenville. I expect to begin serving Earle Street in early January 2027. Laura will remain in Richmond through the school year and join me in Greenville in the summer. I ask for your patience and prayers for the staff and our lay leaders.

Together, we’ve carried forward Tabernacle’s longstanding culture of call. With grateful hearts, we’ve welcomed so many with open arms, walked alongside them as they discerned God’s calling, and sought to equip and send them with bread for the journey. Now, as God calls our family onward, I hope you’ll send us with that same grace. There’ll be time to say much more. For now, I give thanks for all we’ve shared, trusting that God will continue to sustain, guide, and bless Tabernacle for years to come.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Senior Pastor

tbc Building for Hope

Welcome to All Prayer Triplets, Duets, Quartets, Groups!!!

Since its earliest and most dynamic centuries, Christianity has been the most vital when it has been energized by movements of self-organizing—or perhaps we should say “Spirit-organizing” cells.  These cells have taken root and grown like seeds in communities and institutions.  There they have grown, multiplied, and borne fruit—fruit in just and vibrant institutions, fruit in thriving, peaceful, joyful communities.

 Brian McLaren in 6/18/26 devotional from the Center for Action and Contemplation
Thank you for your willingness to be part of a “Spirit-organizing cell.” Our hope for your “cell” and our church is two-fold:

1.   That you will grow to speak honestly about your hopes, dreams, and possibilities for our future as Tabernacle Baptist as well as your questions, doubts, and fears.  

2.   That you will bring all of this to the Lord; presenting your petitions and also help for your questions, doubts and fears 

So for your first gathering, 
Spend some time getting re-acquainted…..perhaps by telling why you decided to join such a gathering.  And please agree that specifics of what any individual shares will not be communicated outside the group.

Then, spend a few moments in silence, naming to yourself any hopes, dreams, possibilities, questions, doubts, and fears connected with our future at TBC.
Name any of those you can share aloud with your group   It can be one, several, or none and only what you are comfortable with.

Close with a time of prayer together for the church you hope and long for us to be in the future.  Prayer can be voiced or silent.

Set a date and time for your next gathering!

For more information, please contact a member of the B4H Team
tbc Building for Hope

Growing as a Discerning People by Donna Slaughter

I attend a group that looks at the Lectionary Reading for each week, and takes each scripture (one each the Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Gospel) and wrestle together with what we are noticing in each passage, what we believe its message is, and what we wonder about.   This week’s readings were about persistence:  obeying God’s direction with faith in his promises, even when we don’t exactly know where we are going.

Coincidentally, this week, I was also asked to respond to a request from an “outside group” wanting to use resources belonging to a Christian group I am part of, with a very short deadline attached. My gut instinct was the overwhelm of the request because of all that would be required and the small amount of time to accomplish those requirements.   Others had a more open-ended response….seeing it as opportunity and perhaps a movement of the Spirit, calling us into service, and the action of “let’s find out more about this.”

I have been thinking about how much the other people in each of these groups consistently give me more angles from which to consider any given question or task.  There is synergy; each comment affects others to share, which ends up with a richer and fuller and more informed view of “what next.”

At the last business meeting, I mentioned that we were going to follow the apostles’ lead in between the time of Jesus resurrection and Pentecost, which was  “to gather and pray together.”   My hope is that each group, no matter how small or large, will experience the benefits of listening with and through each other.

Here are the specifics: The idea is to form a group of at least three people to agree to meet once or twice a month around…

(1)   some specific work that B4 Hope is doing AND

(2)    spiritual practice/preparation that will enable us to hear and cooperate more fully with God’s direction in this effort.

A guide will be provided each month.  If you want to form a group,  or want to register a group you are in, please click here and fill out this form to sign up.

For more information, please contact Donna.

tbc Worship & Fellowship

Being “Under the Influence”: Growing as a Discerning People

Where can Tabernacle’s passions and resources be aligned with God’s desires to meet a significant need (or needs) in our community?

While our Building 4 Hope Team has been busy considering the logistics of who we need to hear from and what the next steps are to move the process along, we have also acknowledged the tension between moving the process along and “discerning before acting.”

There is no lack of ideas about what we could do, but where and how will we choose an area of focus? We need to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit, so it is time to put some focused commitment to our discernment practices, and this involves our entire community.

In the next few weeks we will be opening the HOPE SPACE, a prayer room with the objective of supporting and encouraging each other in the ongoing and consistent practices of listening for the Spirit’s guidance. We will explore a variety of ways in which we can attune to what God wants us to hear about this question.

Please prayerfully consider how and when you can practice both individually and with others in your church family.

Donna Slaughter, B4H Team Member

tbc Worship & Fellowship

B4H: Team Update, May 17, 2026

Over the past several months, the Building for Hope Initiative has focused intentionally on listening, trust-building, and discernment as we consider how God may be calling us to use our campus and congregational assets in new ways for the good of our community. We have held extensive conversations with members of the congregation last fall, with neighbors in recent weeks, with approximately twenty individuals connected to our community ministries, and with a variety of community leaders. Across all of these conversations, we have encountered remarkable openness, encouragement, and imagination. Even ideas that might once have been assumed to generate resistance—such as affordable housing—have been met with thoughtful support and a shared desire for the church to respond boldly to community needs.

As we continue this work, we are exploring social enterprise opportunities that exist at the intersection of three key considerations: meeting real community needs, aligning with the passions and mission of our congregation, and making faithful use of the physical and relational assets God has entrusted to us. We continue to return to this framework as a way of discerning not simply what is possible, but what is most aligned with our calling.

One important area of focus is our relationship with the Child Care Center. We are actively working with its leadership to better align governance, space usage, and mission with a potential social enterprise model. This raises important questions for the church as well: to what extent is this work mission-driven ministry, and to what extent is it an enterprise intended to sustain itself financially? We recognize that this is not an either/or question, but a continuum that requires careful discernment. We also acknowledge that there is important relational work to do in bringing our church and childcare communities back into closer connection and shared purpose.

Several areas have emerged as particularly promising for further exploration. These include food ministry and feeding programs, especially given that our kitchen is a significant community asset that is currently underutilized. We are also exploring ways to deepen our role as a convener—bringing people together in fellowship, gathering, and connection—which remains one of the congregation’s greatest strengths and passions. Childcare, housing, and potential partnerships with other nonprofits also remain active areas of consideration.

At this stage, we continue to pray for God to reveal the right partners and opportunities to help bring this vision into fuller focus. We are actively engaging with the Child Care Center to better understand their hopes, dreams, and long-term vision for ministry and service. We have also held a preliminary meeting with an architect to begin exploring what future use cases for our campus might realistically support.

As this process continues, we invite the congregation to join us in prayer and discernment. Think about who you know in the community—individuals, organizations, or leaders whom God may place in our path as partners in this work. And pray also for wisdom and courage: not only to recognize what new possibilities God may be opening before us, but also to understand what we may need to release in order to make room for what comes next.

tbc Worship & Fellowship

Join Us for the Church Picnic Today: at Fiske’s Home

We are confirmed for today’s church picnic at the home of Judy and Eric Fiske, Sunday, April 26, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The weather looks a little cool, so bundle up, bring a chair or blanket, and join us for a good evening together. Judy and Eric’s home features one of Richmond’s great treasures: a glorious yard, a wraparound porch that deserves its own fan club, and Judy’s numerous flower beds!

Please bring a side dish to share. Tabernacle will provide fried chicken.

Judy and Eric have asked that guests park on Cedar Lane or on their side of New Kent Road. Please do not park on the opposite side of the street from the front of their house.

Please reach out to a staff member for Judy and Eric’s home address.

tbc Building for Hope

Growing as Discerning People

In the book Discerning God’s Will Together: A Spiritual Practice for the Church1, the authors explain several basic assumptions underlying discernment.   One is that although there is structure and a “process” to discernment, simply applying the “method” is ineffective if we are not “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit.   

Another assumption is that remaining “under the influence” requires practice…..For example, hearing the Spirit speak through Scripture, listening to the Spirit through prayer, hearing the Spirit speak through others as we pray together.

So how can we support and encourage each other in the ongoing and consistent practices of listening for the Spirit?  

In the coming weeks, we will be creating a dedicated “Hope Space” in our church (and outside our church)  to encourage these practices as an integral part of our Building 4 Hope endeavor.  Stay tuned and in the meantime, keep listening…

  • Where is God already at work in our community? 
  • What is our church uniquely able to offer to make His kingdom visible and viable here?
  1. Morris & Olson, 1997 ↩︎
tbc Building and Grounds

TBC Building & Grounds Update: Gratitude for Volunteer Maintenance Work

We take every opportunity to say thank you, especially when people volunteer their time and energy to keep our buildings looking better—inside and outside!  We recognize the years that Bill Gradwell put mulch down around the church each spring.  A stand-in crew finished that job this year the week before Easter Sunday.  Vincent Sallie and Jim and Donna Soyars put down two truck loads of mulch, making sure to clean up the sidewalks along the way.  What a difference that made in preparation for our Easter weekend!

The day after Easter, Jay Hartman, Patrick Braford, Vincent Sallie, and Jim and Donna Soyars worked to complete a specific list of “fixes” around the church.  It was a beautiful day to work outside!  What this team did are things that you wouldn’t necessarily notice, such as:

• Re-attach Vent Screen for Kitchen Fan (Grove Avenue Outside)

• Fix Dumpster Shed Door

• Repair Drip Edge for TCCC Toy Shed

• Clean Out Closet Next to the Kitchen 

• Re-secure the TCCC Entrance Awning 

• Anchor Ramp Pad to the Ground at the TCCC Entrance.

We found a few historical pieces when cleaning out one of our basement closets near the kitchen.  We have treasures in our church of all types!

If you are interested in volunteering for another workday at TBC, please let us know!  Contact Donna Soyars or Vincent Sallie at any time. 

tbc Life of the Community, Worship

Core Value: Participatory Worship

One of Tabernacle’s core values is participatory worship, where relationships are nurtured and people are encouraged to share their unique gifts and stories. Please consider signing up to help lead in worship anytime from Sunday, March 22, through the end of May 2026.


Signing up in advance is a meaningful gift to the staff. It makes it easier to plan each service well, prepare leaders ahead of time, and support worship with less last minute scrambling.


Please also think about someone you might invite to serve with you, whether a family member, someone from Sunday School, a small group, or a ministry area.


Sign up here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M2ZH5P5

tbc Worship & Fellowship

Growing as a discerning people

Our Building for Hope team had a recent opportunity to consider how the process of discernment will be “baked in” to our decision making.  How will we go about 
discerning where those three circles of Congregational Passion, Congregational Assets and Community Need intersect to show us what our Social Enterprise could be? 

We are in the stage of deep listening.   During Holy Week, we asked you to pray us through this process by sitting with these questions before God:  

➢ Where do You want us to join You in Your work in this community?

➢ What is our church uniquely able to offer to make your Kingdom visible and viable here? 

Listening in prayer is a bit different than what we are used to.  God speaks in many ways, through Scripture, other people, history, the arts, nature current events, and the church to name a few.    

As discerning people, how do we hear the voice of God clearly through the competing voices of our own thoughts/ideas/mixed motives/distractions?

St. Ignatius of Loyola is regularly cited as a guide for discernment, wisely noting that this is a “practice” involving growing our relationship with God.   A good start is his Daily Examen, which is a daily time set aside to reflect on our day with these questions: where did we experience God and how did we respond?

You can read more specifics at https://www.jesuitseastois.org/examen

Might you try a time of “Examen” this week?