Author: tbc

This year as a planning, administration, and policy social work intern at Tabernacle Baptist Church has been both rewarding and challenging.  While I have volunteered with illegal immigrants in France, worked in a church community in Haiti, and worked on a sexual and domestic violence crisis hotline during my first year as a graduate student, I have never had the opportunity to work directly with refugees or practice macro social work.  Therefore, during the fall semester, I immediately began learning about Burmese refugees, general refugee resettlement in Richmond, began to collaborate with local agencies and began developing two new programs.  I became the church representative at the Richmond Refugee Dialogue.  During the spring semester, I focused on facilitating and evaluating the financial education class or ‘money class’ as it was often called and had the opportunity to participate in the women’s group.

One of my primary responsibilities as an intern has been to develop, implement, and manage programs.  Participating in the Richmond Refugee Dialogue and a group established by interns working in refugee resettlement, has been extremely helpful in developing programs.  I have been able to share my ideas for programs and projects with others who are knowledgeable in this area and receive critically important feedback.

The biggest project that I worked on during my year was developing, facilitating, and evaluating a financial education class.  I wanted to make the class as culturally relevant and effective as possible and therefore, combined multiple curriculums that were developed for refugees.  The class ran from February 2013-March 2013.  Baptist Theological Seminary student, Khan Naw, graciously volunteered to be the interpreter for the class.  There were a number of obstacles that limited participation in the class for many families including work schedules but there is significant interest in future classes.  Through my research I found that there is a positive relationship between participating in the financial education class and improved financial knowledge and financial management behaviors.  It is my sincere hope that this class will be continued through the use of tutoring and mentors teaching at individual families’ homes.

Another project that I worked on was a website.  I initially developed it in October 2012 after I noticed a need to coordinate support to Burmese families.  Since then, it has developed into a resource center and online discussion forum where any church member can log onto it and find information on Burma, working with Burmese refugees, research on financial education, and curricula to teach.  It is a dynamic website and therefore, anyone can upload resources that they find useful.  It is my hope that this website will continue to develop and be used as central location to access resources and research.

This internship has provided me with an incredible experience.  I have been able to apply many of the concepts and theories from my classes to my work with planning and developing programs.  Pastor Sterling gave me significant autonomy with my tasks which has encouraged me to strengthen and practice my management, leadership, advocacy, planning and my critical thinking skills.  It was wonderful to be able to come to the women’s group every week this semester and spend time getting to know many of the incredible women at Tabernacle and many of the children.  It has truly been a blessing and humbling experience to work with families at Tabernacle Baptist Church through church celebrations, weekly tutoring, fellowship meals, and working collaboratively to plan programs.  I feel honored and blessed to have interned at Tabernacle.  Even though, I am moving away from Richmond, then entire church community will continue to be in my prayers and I look forward to seeing what amazing things God will accomplish through His church here in Richmond.

Jesus makes his way around the entire room. He looks at each of us with the eyes of redemption and humbly bathes our feet. Some of us attempt to protest but none walk away without having been cleansed. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for him. The irrevocable action reaches it’s conclusion. The crisis in the garden, and ensuing crucifixion, is at hand. His heart is broken and soon his body will be broken.  Within moments of standing up he predicts our betrayal. We ask him, “Who would do such a thing?”. Fear has a way of changing us and can make us stoop to places we promise ourselves we will never go. The first of an eventual many abandons ship. We are unravelling.

The door shuts behind the scapegoat. Jesus looks at the eleven remaining and makes his expectations known, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35).  Almost within the same breath he predicts our denial of discipleship.  We respond to foot washing with betrayal. Our response to the love commandment is abandonment. The predictions, each and every one of them, become a reality within the span of just a few short days.

In this Easter Season we are reminded of other predictions that will come to fruition. The one who was betrayed and broken returns. He spends forty days seeking us out….embracing…..forgiving.  He walks through walls and tells us not to be afraid anymore. He offers us shalom and reminds us of what we are capable of. He brings us back into the fold, the flock, the boat (pick your metaphor). He looks at each of us with the eyes of redemption and urges us to remember what he has done for us.

Prior to his ascension he promises us that a unifying advocate will come and give us what we need to share the story through word and action. In the meantime, he asks us to wait and remain united. The day he will leave us again, we will stand together just as we had on that night when he cleansed our feet. He will offer us words of comfort and encourage us to face the future without fear. He knows us too well. He knows that we are scared and full of self-doubt. He knows that the world expects us to turn on one another. He knows that we have a tendency to cling to our truths a bit too tightly and we can justify just about anything if it helps us to remain in control. We’ve been playing that game since he first breathed life into us in the garden.

“Soon”, he says,“my Spirit will come”. The advocate will pick us up, dust us off, and breathe life into us again. The Spirit will take us into the land of the gentiles and that which is considered unholy will soon be made holy. Yes, the Spirit will come and that which has become unraveled will be bound back together again.

In these days leading up to Pentecost, I think those of us in the Richmond Baptist Association andBaptist General Association of Virginia would be wise to put our pointing fingers away. Our hands are not meant to resemble guns and we are giving the world what they expect of us. Let’s stop trying to throw others out of the circle and/or making threats to remove ourselves from the family. Let us wait together in this season of resurrection and remember that our Redeemer knows what we are capable of, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Your Brother in Christ,

Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor