Blog

2014 found the Kitchen Team hard at work in the area of the church it carries in its name.  Amazingly many of the same people on this team find themselves in other areas of the church serving as well!  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 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 Kinchen, Gerry Spiller, Peggy Strong and Linda and Jack White have served as the mainstays of this committee for several years.  Anita McCarty has served each Wednesday evening as our “cashier.”  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 Anita as she takes payments.  We work hard to stay within the budget.

The kitchen is seeing a large increase in use as our International congregations often have meals after their events.  Tabernacle Child Care Center uses it each weekday to prepare the meals for their children and staff.  Groups that stay in the building sometimes prepare their meals in the kitchen.  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.   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 meeting, but are likely to be together cooking and cleaning.

In our recent church Business Meeting, Nelson Melton, Construction & Renovation Committee Chairman, presented an update regarding our God-Sized Vision campaign.  Meeting participants heard about changes planned for the basement/Fellowship Hall area as well as the First Floor/Sunday School Classroom area.  Those present were also given the opportunity to ask questions that they had about this significant project.  Below are a couple of those questions and a summary of the responses provided (questions are paraphrased):

• “I would like to have a more detailed view of the project and the associated time line.  Where and when will that be provided to me and the rest of the congregation?”
  The Construction & Renovation Committee has created a PowerPoint/video presentation that provides an update to be shared with our congregation.  We plan to have it on display in the very near future.  Included in that progress report is an estimated time line.  This information will be updated regularly as we confirm more details regarding each phase of the initiative.  David Wolf and Jay Hartman are working to place a video monitor in the hallway near the Meadow Street entrance.  This monitor will be used for not only updates for our Embracing a God-Sized Vision campaign, but other information of interest to the congregation from time to time.
• “How much money has the campaign raised to date?”
  As of the end December 2014 we have collected $617,051.13 of the approximately $1.4 million dollars committed by our congregation.  We are so very appreciative of everyone’s contributions!

Please check each edition of the TAB for additional information about our construction and renovation efforts.  The TAB is a key method of communication for the committee.  Also look for displays in areas of the church impacted by upcoming renovation activities.

Your input is always welcomed.  Contact Donna Soyars, our Communcations sub-committee chairperson, if you have any additional ideas for how we can get the message out to our congregation about any aspect of Tabernacle’s Embracing a God-Sized Vision.

As we gather, let us wonder. As we wonder, may we worship.

On Wednesday nights, the children of Tabernacle gather together to engage in the Bible through Godly Play. Godly Play is a creative Bible story technique that encourages children (ages Pre-K to 5th) to imagine themselves as part of the story and to wonder freely about the biblical narrative. They are also encouraged to respond to the stories through art and play. The rooms are filled with the children’s artwork – come check it out!

Our curriculum matches up with the narrative lectionary. So, this Fall we engaged the stories of the Old Testament, from Abraham to Esther! As we move into the Spring, Godly Play will spend some time learning Parables from the book of Matthew before engaging Lenten stories.

Our Godly Play team is dedicated to walking alongside the children as we learn together. Christen Schumacher, Anna Tuckwiller, Ryan Corbitt, Kristen Koger, Joe Perdue, and Megan Strollo serve each week with the children.

Visitors are always welcome to join us and experience the wonder and worship that occurs each week in Godly Play!

Megan Strollo, on behalf of the Godly Play Team

Young adults continue to be a vibrant, growing, and vital part of the Tabernacle Baptist Church family.  The Young Adult team exists to encourage young adults to build close relationships with one another and to engage them in the existing ministries and activities of the Church.

The Young Adult Team hosted several fellowship events during 2014.  A large group of us gathered for the Super Bowl last February, where some of watched the game itself and others just to spend quality time with old and new friends, and commercials. Several of us went apple picking again this fall at Carter Mountain Orchard. In September we attended a party at the home of the Schumacher’s, and even that is even more meaningful now that Dan has accepted a call to his first senior pastorate.  A large group of us gathered in December for our annual Christmas party, where there was much laughing and abundance of chili during a boisterous white elephant gift exchange.

While the Young Adult team tries to organize several “official” events during the course of the year, we believe that the best, most meaningful connections happen organically and often spontaneously. In order to help foster these connections, the Young Adult Team maintains a fairly active Facebook page where people can connect with one another, ask questions, and invite people to events they are attending. Fellowship, discipleship, worship, and service opportunities are frequently posted there.

Young adults continue to support children and youth activities.  They also meet regularly for discipleship activities and small groups.  Young adults participate regularly in worship, serve as deacons and committee members, and continue to support the life and mission of the church.  We find that Tabernacle is a place where we feel called to serve, to plunge into the deep waters of faith, to offer our best to God in worship, and to find kindred spirits to share our lives with.

As we look to the future, we are excited about how we see God leading us.  Tabernacle is growing, and new faces continue to show up regularly.  The Young Adult Team hopes to continue supporting the life church by helping people feel connected and welcome.  We hope to do even more in the year to come to promote fellowship, mission, and discipleship opportunities for young adults as we seek to follow Christ in the world.

Joe Perdue and Art Wright

Young Adult Team Leaders

This past year has been a year of tremendous growth and relationship building for our youth! Here are a few of the highlights from the 2014 year.

* We continued with our Wednesday night D Groups as our middle and high school students gather in smaller groups to discuss the upcoming Sunday’s scripture passage with leadership from Mark Snipes and Kate Ayers (middle school) and Emily White and Julie Sisson (high school).

* Sunday School continues to be a time of fellowship, music and discussion led by David Wolf

* The youth gathered together for a Disciple Now weekend in May where they talked about identity and being rooted in Christ. Thank you to the Hoffpauirs and the Hartmans for opening up their homes again for our youth to stay overnight.

* This summer, 3 adults and 11 youth experienced a new camp called UniDiversity where they participated in bible study, seminars, electives, worship, and games. The theme for the week was “Everyone is… Is Everyone…?” Our group got to explore different ways that they are broken, forgiven, invited and powerful and how they can be vulnerable, accepted, welcome, and responsible.

* We also had youth that participated in the VA Baptist All-State Choir and the VA Baptist Music and Worship Arts Camp

* The group has gathered together for fellowship events like a trip to the river, a trip to Turner Smith’s river house and the Welstead’s house, gathering together on Halloween, and cheering each other on in various sports and extra-curricular activities.

* We have also enjoyed having our youth lead on many occasions in worship by reading or singing. We learned a song in the Kachin language and were able to share this in worship!

We look forward to seeing how our youth learn about themselves and grow into the people God formed them to be as we continue to live in a time filled with vibrant and life-giving ministry.

Youth Team: Julie Gaines, Kristen Koger, Sterling Severns, Emily White, David Wolf

This ministry provides food and clothing to needy families in our neighborhood.  The pantry and clothes closet are open every Thursday from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.  Food is distributed and the clothes closet is open for all to shop.  This is also a place where people can come to share their experiences and situations, and sometimes to just fellowship and talk or have prayer.  It is funded by contributions made to the Fellowship Fund and Food Pantry Fund and from time to time grants. Bill Finley was able to secure a $1000 grant from Chevron again this year.

Food pantry and clothes closet are staffed by dedicated volunteers.

In 2014, we distributed 2,503 bags of groceries to 650 families, including 70 homeless persons.  Some came only once and some every month.  On average a family came between 3 and 4 times a year.  There were 261 families who visited the food pantry for the first time in 2014.  We distributed over 50,000 pounds of food (25 tons) this year – an increase of 6% over 2013.  We strive to provide well-packed bags of food each week.

This year about 75% of food we distribute comes from the USDA program.  The Food Bank makes an allotment of food based on number of families served.  USDA food is picked up on the first Wednesday of each month.  One week we picked up almost 4,000 pounds of food.  Dan Schumacher has been a real help in organizing volunteers to pick up food on the first Wednesday of each month.  Many thanks to Dan and his team for taking on this task.  We will miss Dan and his help and welcome Nathan Hatfield who has taken over this task from Dan.

This ministry to the needy could not be accomplished without the help of a lot of volunteers.  In 2013, 19 volunteers gave over 1,900 hours of their time to make this ministry possible.  Many thanks to our regulars who come most every week – Jerry Spiller, Priscilla Kinchen, Jack White, and Bill and Jean Finley – who serve so faithfully.  Hope Nycum joined us this year to help stock the shelves.

Jane Denzler continues to manage the clothes closet, assisted by Linda White, Connie Jones and Brenda Cox.  Each week the volunteers sort donated clothes, shoes, etc., hang clothes in designated areas for women, men and children and assist clients in selecting clothes.  Items chosen are bagged and toiletries given out if available.  An important part of this ministry is to maintain a friendly environment where clients feel welcome and comfortable.  Each week, a steady number of clients visit the clothes closet as the word spreads about this ministry.  Consequently, we always need your clothing and shoes, particularly for men.  Thank you to everyone who donated clothes and toiletries this past year.  With your donations, our clients are able to tell us Tabernacle’s Clothes Closet is the best in the area.

If you visit us on any Thursday, do not be surprised if you hear laughter, for it truly is a fun working environment.  Every week people tell us what a great thing this church is doing and how much they appreciate what we do and the way they are treated.  I think that is what this ministry is about – whether it is getting food, clothing, or just having someone listen.  We want people to feel better after coming here.  I find every year that the people who serve in this ministry do so because they want to help others.  We are still here because there is still a need and because we have people willing to help address the need.

Dick Denzler

Director, Food Pantry/Clothes Closet Ministry

 

 

A little history:

The food pantry started around 1978 by collecting food from the congregation and distributing to people who came to the church.  It was actually stored in a pantry.

In 1998 (first year we started keeping statistics) the food pantry began participating in the USDA program. The first year the monthly average was 19 families and 27 bags of food distributed.  In 2014 monthly average was 185 families and 209 bags.

In the first 5 years we had about 540 families visit the food pantry.  As of December, 2014 that number has grown to 3,682.

The clothes closet began in 1978, and in 1998 it was operating in a 10 ½ by 22 foot room, about 230 square feet.  We have expanded the clothes closet space to almost 1,400 square feet.