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Members on Mission: Kathy McGraw
Hello, friends.
I was thrilled to share with you last year about my employment with Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center in Williamsburg, VA. Since then I have entertained many questions and much encouragement from you all, and I appreciate that. This work does not involve my personal horses, nor is it located on my property. The Dream Catchers barn in Williamsburg, VA offers services to special needs individuals to improve their quality of life while they battle physical, emotional and developmental needs. We do this by providing evidence-based therapeutic riding, equine assisted activities and advancing effective practices through professional education and research.
Annually, the students have the opportunity to exhibit the skills they have achieved over the past year by performing in our “Catch A Dream” horse show. This is the one time that all instructors, volunteers, students and their extended family have the opportunity to join together to celebrate accomplishments. I am hoping that some of you might have an opportunity to attend the horse show, (after church service, of course) and help cheer our students on. I have made available on our events page and Facebook information about the show and have also included information on how you can sponsor a team or if inclined, make a small contribution to this amazing event. I truly hope to see you there.
For more information about the Catch A Dream Horse Show on Sunday, March 3, click here.
If you’re interested in information about becoming a sponsor, click here.
Sunday Worship – 2/3/19
Join us for worship this morning for the fifth Sunday of Epiphany.
Our scripture passage this week is Matthew 6:7-21.
Transition: Jerusha Moses
A message from Jerusha:
After 19 years of living in North America as a full-time international student, I am transitioning into a new phase of that of a Religious Worker. I have prepared for this day for a long time and I am grateful that the time has finally come to apply for a Religious Worker Visa. I ask that you pray for the visa process. As part of the process, I will be temporarily stepping out of my position as Minister of Children and Families at Tabernacle Baptist Church effective February 12th, and I hope to hear something from the officials in 1-3 months. While I am away, Katye Snipes and April Kennedy have generously volunteered to coordinate Children’s Ministry responsibilities with the Children’s Ministry Team. We are committing to making sure your children are taken care of well in this period of transition. Please contact April Kennedy or Katye Snipes if you have questions.
TCCC Director Report: One Year
What I’ve Learned in a Year: Kristen O’Sullivan
This time last year I was focused on getting to know the kids of TCCC and their parents. It is interesting looking back at which of the children reached out first. Not the extroverted ones necessarily. More often it was the ones that maybe needed a little bit of shelter in a classroom full of friends. When I visit a class in the midst of their activities and constant action, I’m not wanting to interrupt and so the child that’s maybe not in full swing or is feeling a bit of discord is the one I end up drawn to. And what joy it is to steal a few minutes with someone that just wants a cuddle or quiet conversation. Wow, do I love them.
They make my day, everyday. I’ve said on many occasions that I drive home with a smile on my face. I don’t need to unwind or let go of stress — during the day I get to go sit with a child that asks for nothing more than a cradle or a tiny loving moment. When I arrived at Tabs last January, the children were wide open and they simply just reached out and I got to be there for them. And so everyday when I drive home with that smile on my face it’s because I know what a blessing that is.
In today’s world we are faced with conflicts that we can’t fix. We can’t mend the social injustices, we can’t heal the sick child, we can’t halt a devastating storm, we can’t unite a family torn apart…and we’re left feeling helpless, our hands tied, horrible inside. Yet here I am, blessed daily. I get to go to work and I get to be there for someone. Someone super cute, super small, who doesn’t judge and doesn’t expect. I get to steal a moment with someone that has no agenda and be there, and the world out there isn’t quite as horribly sad.
This year, I am reminding myself of all things I get to do. All the chores, all the tasks, all the mundane….I get to do for my girls, my home, my work (my kids). I get to, because I am blessed with all of those things, actually, especially those things.
Kitchen Team Report: January 2019
KITCHEN TEAM REPORT: Dr. Judy Fiske
The Kitchen Team coordinates the Fellowship Meals on Wednesday nights during the program season of the church year—September-May. The team also helps to coordinate receptions, meals for special events such as business meetings and the Fan Feast and the cleaning and care of the kitchen and eating areas of the Fellowship Hall. The members of this team serve faithfully each week to make sure that meals are served that both taste good and are affordable. Bonnie Bailey, Priscilla, Joey and Paul Kinchen, Gerry Spiller, Peggy Strong, Tara Neely, Connie Jones and Linda and Jack White have served as the mainstays of this committee for several years. Anita McCarty, Woody Jenkins, Meg Lacy and John Burgess served on Wednesday evenings as our “cashier.” Vincent Salley has been an important staff person to assist this team. Vincent is often helping to cook and plan menus as well as helping to make sure the space is clean and “critter” free. This ministry is both budgeted and supported by the payments for meals each Wednesday. It has been a great help to have the “Square” available each week to help them as they take payments. We work hard to stay within the budget. The budget for the team includes all of the paper goods used in the kitchen. This includes paper plates, cups, utensils and paper towels as well as coffee and tea. This year’s menus have been set out in a six-week rotation so we know what is for dinner a long time in advance. We are now cooking for over 100 people
each Wednesday evening and 150 when we have a business meeting. We use all of the really big pots!
The kitchen continues to see a large increase in use as our International congregations often have meals as a part their events. Tabernacle Child Care Center uses it each weekday to prepare the meals for their children and staff. TCCC continues to eat their lunches in our Fellowship Hall. Groups that stay in the building sometimes prepare their meals in the kitchen. Tabernacle has served as the host facility this year for events held by several other non-profit groups including Re-establish Richmond. We are often cooking in shifts, cleaning as we go so that the next group can prepare for their event. The equipment and space are well used.
The tile floor was replaced in August. This involved moving all of the appliances so the floor could be replaced. We found out exactly how heavy that great big stove is. It now sits on a specially covered section of the floor. The week of December 9th both the very old refrigerator and the very old coffee maker breathed their last. We arranged for TCCC to use one of the Food Pantry refrigerators for a couple of weeks while arrangements were made to purchase a new refrigerator. We suffered without coffee for several weeks. The new refrigerator arrived January 3rd and the new coffee maker was functional on January 11th.
We are blessed to have a great kitchen and serving space—you should come volunteer to serve on the kitchen team! We don’t have a lot of meetings, but are likely to be together cooking and cleaning. If you are not afraid of a BIG pot containing a lot of food then the kitchen is the place to be! The best conversation is always had in the kitchen—-just like at home!
Dr. Judy Fiske
Minister of Music/Worship/Organist
Decent Cook—Terrible Dishwasher
Chief Procurement Officer
Decorating Team and Facility Use Report: January 2019
DECORATING TEAM REPORT: Peggy Strong
The Decorating Team is responsible for approving and selecting furnishings for the church as well as approving any cosmetic changes for decorating that is done throughout the building. Sometimes this requires working hand in hand with the Buildings and Ground Committee. We are also responsible for maintaining the appearance of the outside exterior.
The team is responsible for maintaining the church silver, making sure that it is polished and locked in a safe place when not being used. Someone on the team must be available when the silver is being used. We also maintain the oil candles in the sanctuary.
We only place flowers in the sanctuary when there is a request for flowers in honor or memory of a loved one. There is a sign-up sheet that is outside of the communication office where you may sign up for flowers. The cost is $50 for 2 arrangements and can be ordered by contacting a member of the Decorating Team or signing up on the sheet. We will make sure that they will be placed in the sanctuary for the particular date you want. We welcome your request as many people like to see live flowers in the sanctuary.
Each year the Decorating Team is responsible for decorating the sanctuary for the Christmas and Easter season. This requires many volunteers with many talents. We always manage to have a good group to volunteer. A big thanks to Barbara Satterwhite, Doris Kelley, Anita McCarty, Mary Melton, Lin and Ellen Fleming, Paul Fernald, Bill and Gail Welstead, Bill and Jean Finley, Jerry Jones, Ken and Jenny Honings, Pat Petree, Vincent Sallie, and Peggy Strong.
We appreciate so much the talents of Anita McCarty, Pat Petree and Lugene Fernald for making some of the beautiful Chrismons that have been added to the Christmas tree.
Thanks also to Vincent Sallie and Lin Fleming for taking care of the shrubs around the building.
The sanctuary is also decorated for Epiphany, Lent and Pentecost. Judy Fiske and Sterling Severns along with volunteers do a great job decorating for these events.
The members of the Decorating Team are Mary Melton, Barbara Satterwhite, Gail Welstead and Peggy Strong.
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FACILITY USE REPORT: Peggy Strong
The Facility Use Team is an outreach ministry of the church that receives many requests throughout the year to use our facilities for meetings, music lessons, mission trips, baby and bridal showers, overnight stays, weddings and rehearsals, meals for various groups, and musical concerts. We are responsible for working out the logistics with the group to make sure we receive a facility use form, certificate of insurance and their contribution if one is required. In some instances, there is no contribution due to a hardship or other circumstances. We are also responsible for drawing up contracts each year for Grove Avenue Piano and The Richmond Concert Band.
Groups requesting space receive a packet that includes the guide lines for using the facility, a sheet with suggested contributions for various space use, and a form to fill out with information that includes the space they are requesting, the number of people and the dates they are planning to be at the church. Once the form is returned to the team a member will then contact the lead person to work out the logistics and check for any other needs they may have. The event is then placed on the church calendar so there are no conflicts on that date. A team member meets with the person or the group when they arrive to go over the guidelines for using the space and to take them on a tour of the area they will be using.
The contributions that we receive are split — 2/3rds to current expense to offset the expense of lights, heat, air conditioning and use of restrooms and showers leaving 1/3rd of the contribution going to the Refurbishment Fund. Funds from the Refurbishment Fund are normally used for special projects that enhance the appearance of the church, mostly in the sanctuary. Some of the projects done in the past included reupholstering the chairs in the sanctuary, installing carpet throughout the main floor of the office area as well as the stairs going to the basement and to the balcony and replacing the closures on the sanctuary doors. In the near future we are hoping to purchase new cushions for the pews and eventually new carpet. We are very close to being able to purchase the new cushions.
Each year between July and September the Facility Use Team meets to review and make any changes necessary. At present the Richmond Concert Band is the only permanent group using the facility. The Grove Avenue Piano School also uses the building for piano lessons but is an independent business.
Events and groups hosted in 2018:
- City Singers Youth Choir
- 5th Wall Theater rehearsal
- Sharon Kronstadt Piano Recitals
- Shepherd’s Staff Ministry Counseling
- Richmond Concert Chorale performance
- Impact Team Mission Camp
- Lowery Wedding Rehearsal Dinner and Reception
- King’s Fest Lodging
- Wake Forest Youth Choir Music Mission Trip
- Baby Shower for Mary and Minyar
- Firehouse Theatre Rehearsal
- Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Leadership Team Coaching Session.
- ReEstablish Richmond – Conflict Resolution Training
- Restorative Yoga Class
Facility Use Team
Peggy Strong
Bonnie Bailey
Metro Baptish Church Partnership Report: January 2019
METRO BAPTIST CHURCH PARTNERSHIP REPORT: Dr. Judy Fiske
Tabernacle has worked in partnership with Metro Baptist Church, 410 West 40th St. New York New York for more than 25 years. We have provided leadership for their summer camps, sent them interns and staff members, cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas meals with them, hosted their youth retreat and assisted in the 9th Ave Food Festival to help their youth raise funds for Passport Camp.
For our first Metro trip in 2018 Nathan Hatfield, Terry Witt, Emily Witt and Kathryn Hall assisted with cooking for the 9th Ave Food Festival. They traveled to NYC on May 4-6 to cook with the teens before the food festival. The Teen Center youth attend Passport Camp in the summer and make a large amount of their camp money at this event.
In 2018 we partnered with Jenny Hodge of Churchland Baptist in Chesapeake, Va. to provide leadership for the fifth week of Clue Camp July 28-August 4. This year our team consisted of teens Monica Iang, Raquel Turner, Kekoa Burgess, Kanoa Burgess, Emily Painter, Preston Lowery, K’paw Mu Htoo and Brynne Severns, to help the adults, Sarah Anne Burgess, Emily Witt, Terry Witt, Bridget Fulks, Bonnie Dance and Tony Williams lead camp. Dylan Burgess, Meg Lacy and Nathan Hatfield joined us for our last two days in New York City. This was the first time in many years that this many teens have helped lead Clue Camp. They were awesome.
The week of November 19-23 a group from Tabernacle worked with volunteers from Metro, the Metro community and the First Baptist Church of Elkin, NC to cook a Thanksgiving meal for over 250 people. We cooked 18 20 LB turkeys, green beans, sweet potato casserole, cheese muffins, gravy, so much gravy, and dressing. The team consisted of Judy Fiske, Nathan Hatfield, Terry Witt, Bonnie Bailey and Zoe Jamerson. They worked hard as I ended up in bed all day on Thanksgiving with a fever and sore throat! A team returned December 20-22 to help cook the turkeys for the Christmas Day meal. This team was led by Jessica Corbitt and consisted of Hope, Chris, Emma and CJ Nycum, Jessica and Millie Corbitt, Maria and David McGraw, Mark and Parker Snipes and Ashley and Jay Fullerton. This team cooked about 300 lbs. of turkey and 4 apple cobblers to help prepare for the December 25th meal.
Tabernacle continued in 2018 to participate in helping to fund a position for a missionary at Metro through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Lesley-Ann Hix Tommey currently fills this position. In 2018 we also paid for the turkeys for their Thanksgiving meal as well as cooking them!
This year we will again travel in May to assist with Food Festival, lead the sixth week of Clue Camp and cook at Thanksgiving and Christmas again. Plan to join in on one of these trips or make a donation to help someone else attend. None of these mission trips are included in the church budget. These activities are funded by the participants, fund raisers and donations. If you want to make donations to help with the expenses of these mission trips—gas, tolls, materials for camps and meals for Metro programs you may make a donation to the Metro Mission Trip Savings Account, 100-320.550 These funds are used only for these expenses. People who participate in these trips pay for all of their food, make a donation to Metro for housing and cover all of their entertainment costs, no donated funds are used for personal expenses in NYC.
Dates for 2019:
9th Ave Food Festival: May 18-19—-leave on May 16, return on May 19 or 20. (tentative)
Clue Camp: August 3- August 10
Thanksgiving: November 24-29
Christmas: December 19-21
Food Pantry and Clothes Closet Report: January 2019
FOOD PANTRY AND CLOTHES CLOSET REPORT: Hope Nycum
The pantry’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) moved to the first Saturday of every month to allow for a new program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), to start. CSFP is currently available to seniors 60+ during the usual Thursday time slot. The clothes closet is under a revision process and currently only opens on the first Saturdays.
There are currently 85 seniors signed up for CSFP at Tabernacle Baptist. CSFP is:
- WHAT: CSFP supports the nutritional needs of low-income individuals by providing wholesome food to supplement their diet, while helping stretch their food dollars.”
- WHO: “low-income seniors at least 60 years of age who are at risk of and vulnerable to malnutrition.”
- DETAILS: “Boxes include a variety of canned items (e.g., fruit, vegetables, meat or fish), bottled juice, shelf-stable and instant dry milk, cheese, pasta or rice, dry beans or peanut butter and cereal.”
The TEFAP food program at Tabernacle had 1253 total visits in 2018. TEFAP is open to those who qualify for emergency assistance food. This is a bag filled with 2-3 days of food. No one walks out empty handed that asks for food. If someone does not qualify for TEFAP or CSFP the church has their own food pantry to help with those needs.
The food pantry and clothes closet had many volunteers this year. I could list them all, but I fear I would miss someone. Thank you to each person who helped serve the community. Thank you to the USDA delivery team that helps unload the Feed More truck each month. Thank you, Vincent, for all you do to help the pantry. Thank you, Thursday crew, and the Saturday crew for serving in the pantry and clothes closet. Thank you to various church groups, local schools, and business teams that volunteer their time to Tabernacle’s pantry. Thank you to everyone that donated items to the pantry and clothes closet throughout the year.
Hope Nycum
Hunger Ministries Director
Personnel Committee Report: January 2019
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT: William Welstead
The Personnel Committee closed out 2018 with a very successful and blessed year of service to the staff and congregation of Tabernacle. The annual staff performance evaluations and 2019 budget were completed and approved. The committee made great progress in its effort to revise the TBC Personnel Policy Manual. It is a project in its final stages and is expected to be completed sometime in 2019. An effort to revise the Job descriptions of the Financial Assistant and Custodian is now in the works.
We are very pleased with the smooth transition of Tabernacle office staff reporting from the Personnel Committee to the Associate Pastor, Meg Lacy. 2018 turned out to be a very busy and fruitful year of many staff changes and additions that the Church has not experienced in recent memory. A special thank you to the 2018 committee members: Kyle Kennedy, Penny Jenkins, Mary-Curtis Powell and Linda Harlow for their dedicated devotion and broad scope of talents and experience each brings to our committee. A special thank you to Hope Cutchins, Susan Lumpkin and Vincent Sallie for the amazing service and devotion each provides to our Church and congregants. Each of these loving servants are truly irreplaceable.
A special thank you is also extended to Allen Lowery, Jacque Green and Terry McMahon for filling in to serve as the temporary Communications Coordinator at a time when the Church office really needed an experienced professional in this field to get through a crucial passage in the life our Church.
We look forward to a very blessed and prosperous 2019 Church year.
Love, In Christ,
William Welstead