Blog

This year in music ministry began in a relaxed mood.  Easter was later this year, April 20th, there was time to learn lots of music as well as the music for Holy Week and Easter.  Then it SNOWED every other Wednesday in February!!!  We rose to the occasion and survived in a grand fashion.   Several anthems were taken off the table, literally taken off the table and returned to the file cabinet, but the necessary music was rehearsed and presented in a beautiful manner.  The Sanctuary Choir is amazing.

In January for Epiphany we presented many different settings of “The Cupboard’s Full”  by Tim Coons.  The song was presented by Ron and Terry, the Older Children and Youth Group and by the entire Sanctuary Choir in an arrangement by Ryan Corbitt.  The worship service included communion each Sunday so that each service also included communion songs.  The Karen, Chin, Lisu and Kachin choirs also contributed to the music of worship.

The Sanctuary Choir welcomed several new members during this year.  We were excited to have Paul and Lugene Fernald and Renee Grinnell singing with us in January, Faith John, Charity Roberson and Renee’s brother Graham Grinell joined us later in the year..  They are great additions to our group.  The Sanctuary Choir is almost out of robes, but there is room still for anyone who wants to join us!

The Lenten season was centered on the theme of the cross. The décor included a large cross that was covered with newsprint and two 20 Ft. banners that were covered with pictures of crosses found in unexpected places and backed with newsprint.  Hymns and anthems about the cross of Jesus were sung throughout the season.  The emphasis was on looking for where Jesus could be found in the world as we moved into new places in our lives. Entering Holy Week the Older Children’s Choir, the Youth Choir and the Sanctuary Choir sang the anthem for Palm Sunday and the Younger Children’s Choir also presented two selections.   The Maundy Thursday Service was held in the Sanctuary around tables and included food, questions and foot and hand washing.   Nathan Hatfield, Megan Strollo and Denise Walters sang for the service.  The Good Friday Service consisted of a performance of “Remember Me” by Taylor Davis.  Alan Miller and Ryan Corbitt accompanied the Sanctuary Choir.   Sanctuary Choir and the Ladies of the Choir provided the music for Easter Sunday.  The Easter Service ended with the singing of “Low in the Grave He Lay” by the different communities that worship together here at Tabernacle.

In the month of May the Children’s Choir became a bell choir.  The children’s singing choir became a Bell Choir.  We met though the month of May and shared our music with the congregation on June 1.  The children learned a great deal about bells and playing bells in a short period of time.  Special thanks are due Lugene Fernald, Laura Jones and Laura Severns for their excellent teaching and patience.  Several people continued to ring into the month of June.

The Sanctuary Choir sang though the 8th of June to cover Pentecost Sunday.  This year several of them wanted to continue singing into the summer and formed the “We Sing What We Want” Ensemble!!  They collected several anthems that are favorites of members of the group and rehearsed them and shared these favorites with the congregation.   We had a great time singing and sharing some of the old favorites from the past. .  Sharing the stories of how we came to love the anthems we chose to share allowed the choir members to get to know one another on a deeper level.  Many thanks are due to Ron Simmons and Terry Witt for encouraging this choir—all I had to do was play! It was good fun.  In June we also had a brief sighting of a Hand Bell group, but summer travels soon got in the way.   We did manage to play for church once.

Pentecost was particularly exciting this year as we filled the sanctuary with red, yellow and orange 12” balloons and origami doves.  The children released helium filled balloons into the sanctuary during the processional.  There was a celebration in our wonderful sanctuary.

On June 17th we held the first of what we hope will be many Open Mic Nights in the Tabernacle Fellowship Hall.  About 12 people performed their songs and then the Meadow Street Band closed out the evening.  It was a great time of fellowship and celebration of talents!  The second of these events was on August 18 at 7:00-9:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall.  We shared original songs, magic tricks, stories, poems, piano solos and lots of Broadway songs.  It was great fun to discover people’s talents.  Do you know we have a member who is a dulcimer player?  Ron, Terry and Susan Braden were responsible for these highly successful  “Open Mike” night events.

July 14-18 Kristen Koger and I took Waysnah, Monica, Christina, Ja Sang Mai, Sang Lung, Doi Bu, Way Doh, K’Paw, Kekoa and Kanoa to Music and Worship Arts Camp at Eagle Eryie.  The Virginia Baptist Mission Board sponsors this camp.  Activities at Camp include singing, drama, art, orchestra and a lot of swimming!  We all had a great time and are looking forward to next summer!  Chrstina Sung, Monica Iang, Waysnah Htoo,  Brynne Severns, Dylan, Kaeo, Kanoa and Kekoa Burgess auditioned for Virginia Baptist All-State Choir in September and all of them were accepted into the choir.  We love participating in Virginia Baptist music activities!

September brought Sterling’s return and the return of regular church activities.  Sanctuary Choir got back to their normal schedule and the Wednesday evening children’s activities include choir.  We are busy preparing for the weekly worship services and for Christmas concerts and programs.  The Sanctuary Choir began working on “Gloria” by Antonio Vivaldi and several other anthems that are based on the “Gloria” text.     The children sang several songs based around the Narrative Lectionary passages and then began to work on their Christmas Pageant.  This year Marty Watkin wrote the pageant.

The pageant was presented on December 14th in the 11:00 AM worship service.  The children were responsible for the dramatic portions of the pageant and the youth group provided the music for the program.   The Sanctuary Choir and friends sang at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Va. on Dec. 20.   The program included “Gloria in D” by Antonio Vivaldi and “Gloria” by Craig Courtney.   We were accompanied by a string Quartet.  We then presented several of those pieces during worship on Dec. 21 and at Christmas in the Fan with the Richmond Concert Band on the same day.  The Christmas Eve service was a wonderful mix of solos, duet and ensembles.  Tabernacle is blessed with an amazing amount of musical talent.

We are grateful for the talents and dedication of our music staff, Ryan Corbitt, Ron Simmons and Terry Witt.  Their talent and versatility is amazing.  This Christmas season Ryan Corbitt recorded a solo album of Christmas and Advent pieces, Ron conducted the Vivaldi and Terry sang several of the solos.  The music program would not be the same without them.  Serving in the music ministry at Tabernacle is a wonderful opportunity.

Judy Fiske

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.