Author: tbc

Greeting to you, sisters and brothers in Christ. I hope this finds each of you well. I give thanks to God for you and what you have done in my life. I’m grateful and thankful for giving me the opportunity be the pastoral intern for the youth. Never have I thought this would be possible but God works in a mysterious way. It is a precious honor and blessing not only for me but also, for my family.

Hence, I’m grateful for my family here and loved ones in Chin State for walking alongside with me and help me to become who I am today! However, Tabernacle and its members have a big role in my life since I first worship our God with you six years ago. This is our new home. Even though there was language barrier, you’ve raised me by your actions. You have helped, guided, taught and shown me what it means to be a follower of Christ and how to love the people of God. There is not enough word to describe.

As I say “YES” to His calling to be pastoral intern for the youth, I can’t give thanks enough for my youth ministers, a few to name: Megan Strollo, Dan Schumacher who have guided since I got here, especially Eric Hasha. I hope that you will walk alongside with me on this journey as I walk with the youth. I, myself and the youth need your guidance and prayers as we take in this chapter in our lives.

May our God with you as always.

Grace and Peace,

Samuel Lian

Pastoral Intern, Youth

On behalf of the entire Construction & Renovation Committee, we extend our sincere thanks to those of you who attended our special church townhall meeting after worship services on August 30^th.  We appreciate the interest shown in this important initiative, as well as the support of the work of the committee.

Nelson Melton presented an overview of the most recent findings in the analysis of our structures, including recent findings related to asbestos abatement in the row houses and the Williams Building, the impact of city fire code requirements, and the resulting need to modify our original cost estimates and time lines for construction.  Bill Welstead outlined next steps in our continuing efforts to raise funds for this project.  Members were then invited to ask questions related to construction and renovation efforts.  Some of the questions included:

1. Where will the library be located in the floor plans?
   The church has not maintained an active library for about six years.  The plans do not currently include a specific location for a library for that reason.  We plan to locate reference materials in our Sunday school classrooms.  Marty Watkins suggested that it would be helpful for our ESL activities to have a library of relevant materials, and Sandi Lowery volunteered to serve as the church librarian.  Discussion around this topic will continue.
2. Where will the history room be located?
   Consideration of the location of the history room is in progress.  We intend to have some of our historical artifacts displayed in various areas of the church, including the new Gathering Area once it is completed.   As we get closer to the time of the renovations for the Sanctuary Level of the main building, we will finalize how to manage how we highlight our important church history.
3. Will there be a lot of windows in the cafeteria for the kids?
   Yes.  There are a lot of windows in the plans for the new cafeteria in the Williams Building.
4. How are we progressing in our response to a letter received from Historic Richmond and the Fan District Association?
   Nelson Melton and Sterling Severns are finalizing a letter in response to the one we received earlier this summer from Historic Richmond and the Fan District Association.  We are crafting a response in expectation that the content will be of public record.  We are also making every effort to be sensitive to the concerns expressed in the letter we received, while addressing our needs to move forward in the best interests of the church and the community we serve.

For those who were unable to attend this special townhall meeting, a copy of the presentation slides will display routinely on the monitor in the Meadow Street entrance foyer.  And if you were not able to ask any questions that you have about this project during this meeting, please write your questions on the cards available on the table in that foyer and place the cards in the Vision mailbox.  We will respond to your questions as soon as possible.  Feel free to reach out to any of our committee members for information related to our Construction and Renovation plans.   Committee members include:  Nelson Melton, Bill Welstead, Kathy McGraw, Jim McMurray, Sterling Severns, and Donna Soyars.

Your continued prayers for our Vision and how we realize that Vision are appreciated!

Last week, ten excited youth and three brave adults packed up and drove to the University of Tennessee, where they participated in a week of youth camp called UniDiversity. This year, twenty-four churches and 462 participants gathered together to focus on the theme “It’s Complicated.” This theme was all about relationships, and we focused on the relationship between Peter and Jesus as we talked about trust, influence, pain, and purpose. Youth and adults alike wrestled with being vulnerable and accepting of others; they began to unpack how we are always in relationship with other people, and how we as Christians should treat others and be treated in those relationships; we talked about how we are influenced by those around us, and how we can work to be positive influences in the world; and we found ways to think about how we have been hurt in relationships, and hurt others, and how we can pick ourselves up with God’s help. It was a transformative and challenging week for everyone.

The title of this article speaks to the larger picture of UniDiversity. During the day, youth are mixed together into different groups. Often during the day, you would hear chaperones asking one another “Have you seen…?” Because for most of the day, youth were all over the place, building relationships with others; forming community. And we didn’t see each other a whole lot. But that was because youth were putting into action what we were focusing on this week- they were building relationships with one another. Between bible study, seminars, and electives, our youth were out meeting new folks and reconnecting with friends made last year. That’s a benefit of UniDiversity- since it only happens for one week in the summer, and many of the same churches return year after year, we are able to reunite with friends they haven’t seen since last year. The UniDiversity family is one of the strongest and most genuine I have ever encountered. And for that I am grateful.

As we return home, we return as a group who has been challenged to look at relationships differently. We are finding ways to be the presence of Christ in the world to all we cross paths with. On our last night at camp, we each offered a sentence prayer with the prompt “God, as I return home, help me to…” Each youth and adult based their prayer off something that touched them this past week. While all the prayers were meaningful and important, one prayer summed up the week: “God, as I return home, help me to love others, even when I don’t feel like loving them.” That’s the Gospel, friends. That’s what we are called to do in this world filled with meaningful, challenging, complicated relationships. So go- serving the complicated and mysterious God, and knowing that you have been equipped with the tools to navigate the world.

Rev. Kristen Koger

Pastoral Resident