Author: tbc

As we reflect on 2014, we are in awe of the many ways God has moved through our congregation this year. What an amazing year of renewal! We have served beside one another, prayed for one another, and celebrated with one another.

God Sized Vision

In the spring, the Deacons walked alongside the congregation while the God-Sized Vision Team launched a major campaign to raise funds for our Renovation Projects.

Ten Year Anniversary for Sterling

Also in the spring, we celebrated Rev. Sterling Severns 10th Anniversary as pastor of the church. The Deacons led a fundraising initiative to purchase 300 new bibles for the sanctuary that were presented to the congregation in honor of Sterling’s 10-Year Anniversary.

Summer Sabbatical

Beginning in May, we prepared for Sterling’s Sabbatical through a deliberate weekend led by Bo Prosser. Mr. Prosser led the church staff and deacons in an Exit Gathering on Saturday, May 31st, and then spoke with the congregation during worship the following Sunday. Sterling and his family were sent with Bread for the Journey for a summer Sabbatical, which officially began on June 1, 2014. While Sterling was away this summer, the church planned several renewal activities of our own. We attended picnics, baseball games, and movie nights together, while embracing the theme of Coming Home. It was a meaningful time of fellowship. Upon Sterling’s return, the Deacons attended a Re-entry Retreat led again by Bo Prosser at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond. This was a valuable experience for reflection and helped us to prepare the deacons for how to welcome Sterling back into the fold. The Deacons would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the amazing pastoral staff that worked diligently all summer to keep things moving smoothly: Rev. Dan Schumacher (Associate Pastor), Dr. Judy Fiske (Minister of Music and Worship), and Kristen Koger (Full Time Summer Intern).

Ordination

Tabernacle was honored to ordain several gifted ministers in 2014. Julie Gaines Walton and Jeff Walton both had ordination services in the fall of 2014. We are thankful for their ministry every day and grateful to be a part of the ordination process with them.

Deacon-led Initiatives

• The Deacons created a team that revised our Church Constitution and Church Manual this year. This was a major undertaking and we are grateful to those individuals that served on that team: Gerry Strong, Nathan Hatfield, William Strollo, and Jessica Corbitt.

• The Deacons also created several subgroups that meet prior to Deacon Meetings to discuss key areas of ministry within the church. Those groups are: Team Based Ministry Subgroup, Homebound/Extended Family Care, Visitation Encouragement Group, and the Church Business Group. These new groups have focused our meetings and allowed them to run smoothly and effectively.

• In the fall of 2014, we created an additional temporary group that would look into the function and focus of the Tabernacle Child Care Committee. The temporary group is discerning how that standing committee can be utilized to fulfill the ministry of the center and to focus on relations between the church and child care center.

• On September 3, the Deacons led a Summer Highlight Night and Ministry Fair showcasing the work of our ministry teams and how God has used the Teams over the past year. We welcomed the Conversational English Group as a new team in 2014.

• In December, we created a transition team that would assist the congregation in preparing for Rev. Schumacher’s departure. The church supported Dan as he began the search for a senior pastor position. We prayed for Christen and Dan as they sought out the location to which God was calling them and celebrated with them in their decision. On January 4, 2015 we offered Dan and Christen bread for the journey and offered our gratitude for their ministry at Tabernacle. We wish them both well as they prepare to move and serve at the First Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It has been our honor to serve our Church family in this amazing year of renewal. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement.

We are so very grateful for your participation in our God-Sized Vision campaign and for God’s guidance as we launch the Construction phase of this momentous project.  Nelson Melton, Chairman of the Construction & Renovation Committee, is currently working to finalize the last components of the drawings needed to secure the Building Permit from the City of Richmond for our first phase of construction.

As we have noted in several communications about our God-Sized Vision campaign, the Construction & Renovation Committee will agree on several phases of implementation of the changes to be made to our physical structure.  Phase 1 includes modifications to our Basement Area/Fellowship Hall.  Planned improvements include:

• A new and more accessible Ladies’ bathroom that will have three stalls.
• A new mechanical room for the Fellowship Hall air conditioning and heating unit.
• A new, larger storage room for the church’s kitchen activities
• A small storage room for the musical instruments used in Worship Services meeting in the Fellowship Hall. Currently the equipment is being stored behind the coat rack in the Fellowship Hall.
• A small office area for the church’s sexton.

This is an exciting time for all of us!  We are beginning to realize a culmination of years of effort on behalf of many of our church members.  Look forward to frequent updates regarding construction progress and any explanation of impact on our location of activities during the time frame of the construction work.  And please do not hesitate to use our God-Sized Vision mailbox located on the table in our Meadow Street entrance foyer to ask any questions that you might have.  Our committee will respond to you in a timely manner.

Please continue your prayers for our Construction & Renovation Committee leaders, as well as for work safety during construction.   Your prayers are an important component of the overall success of our endeavors!

With your money and prayers in 2014, God allowed us to do these things, mostly in Hungary:

• Pay our bills: rent, utilities, food, medical care, insurance, and taxes.
• Hire an immigration lawyer to get residency permits through June, 2016.
• Host our local church’s (Karen’s) youth group every Friday for 2.5 years—until they outgrew our living room in March.
• Travel to America for several weeks in July and August.

• Help Karen to complete successfully her Hungarian phase of life, including:—
  • Finishing high school (and paying lots of special senior-year expenses).
  • Singing in a praise band with the associated travel expenses.
  • Filling in applications to five American universities—and the financial aid forms.
  • Being admitted to William & Mary, a great school thats fits her well.
  • Sending her to a two-week conference for foreign-grown missionary kids who were headed to America for college.
  • Moving her in to the dorm and attending orientation for students and parents.

• Stay connected through technology.
• Deepen relationships with fellow teachers, friends, neighbors, other missionaries, students, baseball kids, believers, non-believers, Deaf people, hearing people…
• Finish the essential elements of the Little League baseball field.
• Maintain the baseball field throughout the year.
• Look for a future full-sized baseball field.
• Enter a baseball team in the 2014 Hungarian Little League.
• Hold a weekend baseball-softball camp in September.
• Have two Baseball Fun Days for adults.
• Attend a sports missions conference.

• Attend and help lead a Deaf camp.
• Teach Hungarian Deaf kids English.
• Help and encourage the Deaf church in Budapest, where our two non-believing sign-language teachers from 2002 have begun to attend.
• Help resolve a conflict between a Deaf missionary couple and the Hungarian Baptist Union.

• Develop curriculum (about life more than English), teach high-schoolers, and grade their surprisingly interesting essays.
• Worship and serve with a missions-minded church in Vác.
• Help support a Hungarian missionary family in Budapest.
• Participate in retreats for spiritual and emotional renewal.
• Travel to Croatia for Fall Break, where we visited two families for mutual encouragement.
• Talk about life with our private English students.
• Support our English-teaching company when we don’t have enough students.
• Host many guests in our home.

• Learn to manage time and priorities better.
• Worry less.
• Give thanks more.
• Pray for others.
• Grow nearer to God and see where he’s working.

We can’t thank you enough!!!

Our Vision campaign officially started in February 2014, and your commitments to date have made it possible for us to move forward with our construction plans.  Beginning in the first quarter of 2015 you will see construction begin in our basement area.  Our Construction & Renovation team members are working currently to secure the building permits needed to get the work started that will address some air conditioning needs and slight space changes.

As a reminder, meeting the financial commitments that you have made is key to realizing our Vision.  If your commitment was over a period of time, please honor the commitment time frame that you indicated.   If you need to change the time line or want to change the amount of your commitment, you may do so at any time by contacting the Financial Secretary.

For anyone who is new to Tabernacle and/or wants to make a new commitment, you can obtain a commitment card by contacting our Financial Secretary.  We do not disclose individual contribution amounts for any commitments that you make.  Only the Financial Secretary is aware of amounts that are given for this campaign.

Anyone can make a special contribution to the campaign to recognize a special person or special event in your life.  Donations remain anonymous unless you prefer that the special recognition donation be announced to the congregation.

Methods of Payment

Please submit all Vision payments in the unique Vision Envelopes provided.  Vision envelopes are located in our ministry foyer if you do not have these special envelopes available at home.  Vision envelopes may be placed in the offering plate or mailed to the church to the attention of the Financial Secretary.  Please do not use the Vision Campaign mailbox for your payments.

If you have made a financial commitment and have not received your Vision envelopes, please contact the church office.  Our special Vision envelopes were mailed by the Financial Secretary to those who made a financial commitment as part of our campaign, with the number of envelopes based on the frequency of payment indicated on your commitment card.