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YOUTH MINISTER’S REPORT: Hogan Brock

What a busy quarter we’ve had! The youth have done a lot in the last few months. Let’s run through some of the highlights.

In early February, we gathered for a Discipleship Now weekend. We explored the radical grace of Jesus and what it means to live in that grace when we choose to follow Christ. We were graciously hosted by Jay and Tracy Hartman and Andrew Sabatini and Sarah Smith. Kate Marshall, Abigail and Joshua Ballew, Emily White, and Rachel Brock are youth mentors that gave up some or all of their weekend to invest in our youth group. As part of the weekend, we repainted the tables in the Worship Explorers classroom (across from Susan Lumpkin’s office). Stop by and see what was created! We also had the opportunity to worship with our Burmese brothers and sisters at their youth worship service on Saturday night.

In March, we partnered with CBF Virginia and many churches throughout the state in Williamsburg, VA for Mission Madness! We worked throughout the community, forging and continuing relationships on behalf of Walnut Hills Baptist Church, which hosted the weekend. We came back tired, but with a new understanding of the kind of transformation that God can cause.

Throughout the past few months, we have been praying for and celebrating with one another as students. Our rising 8th graders completed the application processes for speciality centers and high schools. We are excited for Dylan and Kaeo who will be studying at the Center for the Arts in Musical Theater at Henrico County High School, and we are excited for Sarala Kennedy who will be studying at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.

We have also been praying for both Preston and James Lowery as they applied for and accepted new jobs! Preston has begun working part-time at a local market and James has begun working with an urban farming initiative. We celebrate with James and Preston and pray for them as they continue to work and study!

We also celebrate with and continue to pray for our high school seniors, Monica Iang, Kanoa Burgess, and James Lowery, as they make decisions about next steps in education or in the workforce.

Thank you to all of those who have volunteered with, supported, and loved our youth over the past few months. Your support enables us to continue to do the things we do! A very special thank you is owed to Kathy McGraw for her continued leadership in youth Sunday School. Kathy, thanks for all that you do! Parents, youth mentors, and church, we’ve had a great start to 2019 and we can’t wait for what’s to come.

Minister of Music and Worship’s Report: Dr. Judy Fiske

The Epiphany Season at Tabernacle is always a busy, artistic time at Tabernacle. This particular Epiphany was also LONG. Easter was April 21 which put Ash Wednesday on March 6 and gave us nine weeks in Epiphany. This year we built a mountain in the sanctuary using a group of very tall ladders and spent the season traveling to that mountaintop to encounter Jesus. The theme song was “We Would See Jesus”, a hymn that was in the 1956 Baptist Hymnal. It was sung or played most Sundays using the original tune and several other interesting tunes. We began working our way through the gospel of Matthew. We began with The story of the Wise Men and ended with the transfiguration of Jesus. Music was led by the Sanctuary Choir, our two older children’s choirs and our youth worship ensemble.

The Ash Wednesday service was a somber reminder of our humanity and the fact that our lives are fleeting. Our Lenten theme song was “I Shall Not Want” by Audrey Assad. It was sung every week by different people in the congregation. The passages in Matthew were of the parables which led to much interesting and challenging preach. The worship installation consisted of circles which were painted to express the message of each parable. They were hung in front of the pulpit and were then moved to a large apparatus hanging from the ceiling each. Many thanks are due to Jay Hartman who helped design the apparatus and to the various groups of people who worked on making and painting the circles.

The Sanctuary Choir, Children’s Choirs and Youth Worship Ensemble spent much of Lent preparing music for Holy Week. Many thanks are due to our dedicated and talented musicians of all ages.

ASSOCIATE PASTOR’S REPORT: Rev. Meg Lacy

Greetings, Tab! It’s hard for me to believe that this time last year, I was writing my very first quarterly report. Oh, what a beautiful thing 🙂

So much has happened in the past year, and in fact, so much has happened in just the past few months! It’s been a busy first quarter around here, as we transitioned into 2019, celebrated Epiphany and Lent, and continue on this journey of life and faith together.

Here are some highlights:

Administration

• We are excited to announce that we are working on the development of a Church Mobile App! Hope Cutchins (Communications Coordinator), Susan Lumpkin (Financial Assistant), Steve Law (Church Treasurer), and I have been exploring this possibility and it was recently approved by the Administrative Board. We are excited about the versatility this will offer to help us to improve communication and simplify our online giving process.
• We hired Jerusha Moses as Minister to Children and Families in the the fall of 2018, knowing that it was likely Tabernacle would play a role in her application for her R1 Religious Workers visa. In February we were thrilled to submit all of the appropriate paperwork to USCIS on Jerusha’s behalf! At this time, Jerusha has been required to step away from her official role at Tabernacle. We grateful for the amazing leadership of the Children’s Ministry Team that has stepped in to lead in her absence.
• In February, the Nominating Committee presented a new slate of leaders for our Boards & Committees that was subsequently approved by the congregation. No surprise here—we have amazing lay leaders! In addition to our typical slate, the Nominating Committee proposed for us a new structure for our Building & Grounds Committee, growing it from 3 members to 5. In April, this committee had their first meeting and delegated out various areas of maintenance and upkeep to each member, to help share the load of this important work.
• Alongside the restructuring of Building and Grounds, the Administrative Board approved a trial job description for Vincent Sallie as Building Services Coordinator for the year 2019. This position recognizes Vincent’s role beyond custodial responsibilities and makes Vincent the official staff liaison for the Building and Grounds Committee.

Spiritual Formation

• In January and February, Burdette Robinson and Jennifer Law kicked off our new TBC 101 and TBC 201 classes, for those interested in learning more about Tabernacle or considering membership in our community.
• In February and March we launched two new small groups: The Glen Allen Small Group, which meets on Sunday evenings at homes in Glen Allen, and The Tab Small Group, which meets on Sunday mornings in the church building. We are still working on supporting these groups and getting them off to a strong start. If you are interested in a small group, both groups are accepting new members!
• In March, I led the first Deacon Discernment Retreat. This was a time for our deacons to gather and pray, to learn about their Spiritual Gifts and discern where they feel called to use these gifts in the life of Tabernacle in the coming year. We had 17 Deacons participate, and it was a joy to be together and learn more about one another and what God is doing among us.
• We kicked off Lent with an Ash Wednesday worship service marked by contemplation and quiet. I loved playing a role in the collaboration of this service and seeing it come to fruition. A special thanks to Marshall Powell for his amazing contribution on the banjo! Marshall had not yet led in worship for us, and it was a portion of the service enjoyed by all!
• Also in Lent, I offered a 6-week Wednesday night series entitled Everyday Spirituality. A diverse group gathered on Wednesday nights in the Fellowship Hall to consider what a spiritual practice is, and how these practices can become a part of the fabric of our lives. We explored the practices of Getting Lost, Having a Body, Meditation, Encountering Others, and Feeling Pain.

Personal Life

• Yes, even pastors have personal lives! And a tremendous number of things have happened in mine in the past few months! In January, I started house hunting, and after a few false starts, closed on a sweet little home in the Lakeside neighborhood in February. A big thanks to Jim McMurray who walked through this process with me so graciously. I’m excited to be putting down roots here in Richmond, and my pup is so grateful to have a yard again!
• In February, JJ and I got engaged! JJ and I met here at Tabernacle, on my second Sunday in Worship, and it has been wonderful to have the support of our church community as we move into this next season of engagement and marriage. I’ve told many colleagues that I cannot imagine doing this in any other congregation and being offered such support, yet without any prying or gossip. Thank you walking with us as we journey together!

It is a blessing to be with you, Tabernacle. Thank you for loving me, and letting me love you!