We join Nelson, Jenny, and the entire family as we grief Mary’s death and celebrate her homecoming. Mary’s ceaseless wonder, joy, and passion was such a gift to the world. Her art, laughter, and sacrificial love helped usher in the Kingdom of God on earth.
She will be dearly missed.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/richmond-va/mary-melton-10536986
Good morning, all! Looks like the weather system will likely roll in during the corporate worship hour. Please use your discretion as to whether or not you’d like to worship in the physical building or online today.
Regardless, we hope you’ll join us as we continue to Make the Road by Walking.
Watch Corporate Worship: January 16, 2022 by TBC Richmond on livestream.com http://livestream.com/tbcrichmond/events/10071269
God is continuing to light our path one step at a time. Please pray for Braxton as he joins the Tabernacle community as a member of the pastoral staff. Braxton will be participating in worship this Sunday, Jan. 16, for the first time as a member of the pastoral staff. Invite him to join you for coffee, lunch or just a chat so that he can get to know you and you him. God is working at Tabernacle.
“In person” participants, please show up with warm hearts and dressed in layers 🙂
Dear Church Family:
Upon routine maintenance a mechanic found some significant issues with the steam boiler that heats the sanctuary. Vincent, Donna, Jay, and Vassars Service are working diligently in addressing the problem. We won’t have heat in the Sanctuary this Sunday, Nov 21, and it’s possible the issue won’t be resolved for several weeks.
It may be difficult to obtain parts needed for the repair. The pace of the repair will be 100% determined by the pace of the supply chain. We know the timing of this is less than desirable. We’ll have a better lay of the land in the next few days and promise to communicate clearly as news surfaces.
We have the people we need to address the problem and should it be needed, we have an alternate space in the physical plant to accommodate corporate worship. The fellowship hall operates with a different heating system (with ionization). We’re an adaptive bunch by nature and, over the course of these last 20+ months, we’ve had a lot of practice.
Let’s cross the finish line of the liturgical year with trust that God is preparing us to participate in the transformation the world needs. Let’s start anew, walking with Jesus one faithful step at a time, as he brings order out of the chaos.
Missed the business meeting? Catch up by watching the zoom video recording.
Sunday I received a heartbreaking call with news that a neighbor we connect with through community ministry had been found dead Saturday afternoon. This neighbor had been coming to Community Ministry for longer than my time here. He was unhomed and relied heavily on organizations like ours to provide for basic needs like food and clothing. A few months ago, he approached us and asked if he could take a shower in our facilities. After checking the hot water and finding some towels, I showed him to the shower. I was a little hesitant, but the shower was a blessing for him and for us. One shower led to regular usage, and those showers led to longer conversations and more personal connection and care.
A week ago he requested corduroy pants to help with the cooler nights. I hesitated—does he really need them now? Should we wait? Maybe we could wash what he has. Do we have enough?
Amazingly, we recently received a donation of several pairs of corduroy pants that were his exact size! So the decision was made to share what we had and address future needs later. We set them aside, clean and folded, ready for his next shower.
Saturday morning, just hours before his death, he showed up for his weekly shower. As usual, God showed up in our interactions. Following his shower, he came outside with a huge smile on his face. He expressed how much he loved this place and how grateful he was for how God was taking care of him. Tears rolled down his face as 5 or 6 volunteers talked to him and made sure that he had foods he could easily eat in the coming week.
My last memory of our neighbor, is him walking away, food in a bag hanging from his walker, wearing new corduroy pants and a long sleeved blue shirt. He turned around and said ‘thank you’ multiple times as he left.
God is present in the alley.
He continues to provide.
He loves each of our neighbors.
These interactions challenge me to be more present and in the moment with our neighbors. They challenge me to pay attention to where God is at work. They prompt me to examine the use of our abundant resources. They remind me God continues to provide “enough”- which is a promise I have embraced throughout the pandemic.
April
April Kennedy
Community Minister Director
I do love being surrounded by wise and thoughtful—as in always thinking people. This past Sunday as we thought about worship as defined by the theologian Soren Kierkegaard where he states that worship is a drama with the people as actors, the pastor as a prompter and God as the audience I was reminded by several of you about what a limiting view of worship this is. While it is much superior to the idea that we come to worship to be entertained by the people leading worship as an audience in a public performance it can at some point place the people participating in worship into performers seeking to please God with their performance of worship. This is perhaps an equally unsatisfactory view of worship.
I was reminded by one of you of another definition of the word “audience”: a formal hearing or interview with someone of authority and another: an opportunity of being heard and yet another: the act or state of hearing. These definitions can expand our view of worship into an opportunity to come into the presence of God in order to be heard and to hear. Essentially making both God and the participants in worship “audience” in one or the other of the definitions. What is removed is the unspoken word that often is thought of in partnership with “audience” and that is “entertainment.” We are not in worship to entertain God, or ourselves but are in worship to hear and also to be heard. The elements of worship are there to prompt the speaking and hearing on both sides. Come this week to worship prepared to participate in an audience with God as a community of listeners and speakers. This is only the beginning of this discussion—please keep talking and thinking!
Judy
Dr. Judy Fiske
Minister of Music/Worship
Dear Church Family,
We are thrilled that COVID numbers continue to improve! The light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer, but we are not there quite yet. We are, however, ready to move forward, especially in light of the new recommendations that have come from the CDC.
At the same time, we acknowledge that we are all in different places when it comes to feeling safe in the midst of a pandemic. Things are heading in the right direction…..but we feel that it is prudent to continue reopening the church in a phased approach.
The next phase in our reopening protocol will begin THIS SUNDAY, June 27! So you know what to expect, here is what has changed:
Grace and Peace!
Tab Protocol Team
We are thrilled that COVID numbers continue to improve! The light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer, but we are not there quite yet. We are, however, ready to move forward, especially in light of the new recommendations that have come from the CDC.
At the same time, we acknowledge that we are all in different places when it comes to feeling safe in the midst of a pandemic. We are excited that in May, we were able to successfully reopen Sunday Morning worship and this past Sunday we opened our doors to small groups that wanted to meet back in the building. Things are heading in the right direction…..but we feel that it is prudent to continue reopening the church in a phased approach.
Begins no earlier than June 20th. This phase will start when the state positivity rate is under 3.0 for two weeks.
In this phase we will no longer:
This phase will start when the state positivity rate is under 2.0 for two weeks.
In this phase we will no longer:
This phase will start when the state positivity rate is under 1.5 for two weeks.
In this phase, we will go back to pre pandemic church and will no longer require masks or social distancing. This day is coming!
We set aside the Sabbath day for the purpose of holy rest, sacred connection, and life-giving worship. Read more about our approach to Sabbath.
We encourage you to set time aside for three unique movements: PRELUDE, communal WORSHIP, and CIRCLES. All of these are times of holy rest and worship.
Make sure to join us after worship for a going away picnic for our beloved Pastor Meg Lacy Vega and her husband JJ.
Begin your day with a quiet, reflective time with God at the place and time of your choosing. This material is intended for personal meditation. You may want to be in a quiet place and light your own personal candle, but you may also just be sitting in your car waiting for an appointment. Where you are is not the point. The point is that you are taking the time to be quiet and listen so that you may walk through your day in communion with God.
We will meet at 11am (Eastern). This is our time to come together as a congregation and worship as one, whether in-person or online. Today’s scripture is James 2:1-13. If you’d like to return in-person, please see our What to Expect page for information on entrance and safety.
Connect and experience spiritual growth in meaningful conversation and biblical study with a small group of people in a Tab Circle. To sign up for a Circle or learn more, click here.
More Opportunities
There are many ways to connect with us, on Sundays and beyond! You can find more information about our Sunday School classes, Bible Study groups, prayer gatherings, and discipleship series on our online calendar.
