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When a pastor as beloved as Sterling Severns takes off for 3 months on a sabbatical, it’s hard for the congregation not to wonder if the summer pace will be a little slower, the program offerings a bit leaner, as if the church is simply biding its time until the senior pastor returns.

Not so at Tabernacle Baptist Church.  This Sabbatical Summer has turned out to be a beautiful beehive of programs, meaningful worship, and new activities.  We found ourselves challenged by sermons.  We were inspired by the variety of musical performances, and we were encouraged to know each other better through joyful and informal sabbatical activities like arts and craft sessions, soccer games, baseball games, ESL classes, an ice cream/book discussion night, and a family movie night. New this summer was a monthly series of open-mike nights (stand-up comedy, magic shows, musical performances, storytelling) — popular enough that they may just become a permanent offering. Some church members took to the road to visit former TBC parishioners.

All this was planned, organized, and executed by Dan, Judy, and Kristen, a team of three talented staffers who seemed to be everywhere at once, all summer long. It is impossible to overestimate the amount of work it took for Dan to craft thoughtful sermons and organize the liturgical themes with musical support from our multi-talented Judy (music that Ron, Terri, and a nimble-fingered Ryan helped to execute). Kristen, serving as our pastoral intern this summer, and who is virtually unflappable, stepped up to enlist and guide all of the summer’s volunteer readers, prayers, and presenters.

These three staffers wore multiple hats all summer. Kristen drove vans and entertained children. Dan set up A/V equipment and borrowed popcorn machines, led book talks, and kept the food pantry stocked. Judy baked snacks to feed participants in evening programs and went on the road with our youth to camps and to visit RBC former parishioners.

Under Dan, Judy, and Kristen’s capable leadership, never once did summer worship and programs falter or suffer from a lack of planning. In fact, some first-time visitors were unaware that they were visiting a church whose senior pastor was on sabbatical. Worship was vibrant. Attendance was strong. The church felt whole, and full of the Holy Spirit.

Dan, Judy, and Kristen — we, your congregation, are grateful to you for using your gifts to minister to us all summer long. You are powerful leaders, and we cannot imagine this Sabbatical summer without you.   Thank you.

What a wonderful whirlwind of experiences! This summer has been full of both chaotic and peaceful moments, days filled with emails and filled with relationship-building, times of overwhelming busyness and of unexpected relaxation, experiences filled with challenging questions with even more challenging answers (and several easy questions with easy answers)- and I have enjoyed every moment of it. I have spent my time chaperoning camp trips, visiting members in care facilities, facilitating Bible study, wearing crazy costumes for VBS, and getting to know the people that make Tabernacle a wonderful “home” for me.

The one thing that surprised me the most about this summer was something I learned about myself. For the past 3 years, my answer to the question, “What do you want to do after seminary?” has been, “Children’s ministry.” And while that is still very much a part of my ministerial identity, throughout the last three months, I also had the opportunity to do a lot of things that an Associate Pastor would do, because I was helping Dan and Judy find their balance in a world without Sterling.  So while Dan was focusing on senior pastor roles, and Judy on music ministry and the unexpected details of church life, I found myself embarking on an internship more focused on the tasks of an Associate Pastor- and I loved it! This was an unexpected turn in my journey, but one for which I am grateful. I am grateful for a church that believed in gifts and talents I didn’t even know were a part of me. I am grateful for a church that allowed me to explore a new part of my ministerial identity and affirmed me over the course of the past three months. I am grateful that this summer I was able to witness “church” happening all throughout the week, not just on Sunday mornings at 11. And I am grateful for a God who is constantly reminding me (and us) to be ready for the unexpected.

As my summer internship comes to a close, I find myself wondering, “What’s next?” While I will still be serving on the pastoral staff as an intern, my job responsibilities will be changing. I will be a part-time intern instead of serving full-time; many of my jobs this summer will shift back to their original owners, while new jobs are assigned; and I will have to find a new balance between work and school as I enter into my last year of seminary. Even though the class assignments are starting to find their place in my planner and books are arriving for the upcoming year, I cannot wait to continue to minister alongside you and continue to explore the unexpected things when it comes to church ministry. This summer has opened up so many doors of ministry that I never considered. I may not know where the path is leading, but I know that it is going to be fun along the way. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the opportunity to learn about myself and to learn what “church” should look like and live like.

Grace and peace,

Kristen Koger

New God-Sized Vision Construction & Renovation Committee: On Sunday, July 27, 2014, the church met for a quarterly business meeting after morning services.  Nelson Melton presented the new committee structure and answered some questions relevant to the proposed construction. After his presentation the majority voted to proceed with the new Construction & Renovation Committee, charged with managing and planning the upcoming construction and renovation work.  Meetings for the new committee are starting, and updates will be regularly provided in the TAB and other church communication tools.

 

Background Information

The original Renovation Committee was formed in 2008 and was charged with recommending what the church should do with the two houses adjacent to the church and not used by the church in over 10 years.  Later the objective was broadened to include a ministry-based study of all the space needs of the church.

The original committee recommended that the two houses be demolished and a new addition erected in their place.  The new space would house the new church offices and new Child Care Center offices.  Also recommended was the addition of an elevator in the Williams building which would serve the three floors of the Williams building, plus two floors of the church.  The Child Care Center space would also be updated to receive a new kitchen and dining room area.   Other related renovations would be carried out in the Sunday school areas, office areas, as well in the basement in and around the Fellowship Hall and Community Room.  As funds and plans permit, the third floor area of the Williams building could house a new summer intern bunk room area and two apartments which might be used by visiting missionaries or church interns.

The congregation voted in 2011 to proceed with planning to accomplish the proposed construction, with estimated costs that would require the raising of an estimated $2,000,000.

Tabernacle contracted with Don Campbell of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board to act as our consultant for the fundraising campaign.  Several new teams were formed, including the Campaign Leadership Team who would manage the fund raising program.   The Campaign Leadership Team began work in February 2014 and completed its primary mission in June 2014, when $1,401,784 was committed to the construction program by our congregation.

 

Purpose of the Construction & Renovation Committee

This new committee is charged with the complete oversight of the construction and renovation project, including the management and expenditure of all current and future committed funds required for the project.

Reporting to the Construction & Renovation Committee will be three teams.

Construction Management Team – will be responsible for the decision-making and supervision of the architect, engineers and contractor who have been hired for the construction and renovation work.

Follow Up Team (carry-over from fund raising campaign) – will continue to raise additional funds to meet construction costs

Communications Team – will develop and maintain a high level of communication with the congregation, with particular focus on reporting of the spending of donated funds and how the work is progressing.

 

 

 Members of the Construction & Renovation Committee and Supporting Teams

 Construction & Renovation Committee Construction Management Team: Sterling Severns, Nelson Melton, Kathy McGraw, John Gass, Jim McMurray, Jim Soyars, Bill Welstead, Nelson Melton

Fund Raising Follow-Up: Bill Welstead, Linda Southworth, Jim McMurray, Donna Soyars

Team Communications Team: Donna Soyars, Eleanor Brown

Note:  Additional committee/team members are under consideration at this time, and more information will be available regarding those resources in the near future.

 

Physical Handling of the Committed and Received Funds: Evanne Benson, the church’s Financial Assistant, has the responsibility to receive all commitment cards and actual funds.  A detail accounting will be maintained by Ms. Benson in order to control the cash funds received, as well as to match each person’s commitment to recorded received funds.

Received funds will be deposited in a separate account with Sun Trust Bank.  Tabernacle has a long running relationship with this bank

Disbursement of funds from the account will be only by check.  Each check will require the signature of two people.  Currently Jim McMurray, Bill Welstead and Nelson Melton are authorized to sign checks.

 

Next Steps

The Committee will be meeting over the next two months to further define project scope, create a committee implementation plan and initiate a potential schedule for preliminary tasks in conjunction with the selected architect.  The Fund Raising Follow-Up Team will also be working to continue fund-raising efforts.

We sincerely appreciate your interest and involvement in this important part of Tabernacle’s history.  Please use the “Embracing a God-Sized Vision” mailbox near the church Meadow entrance to deliver any questions you might have to our Construction & Renovation Committee.  We will respond to you in a timely manner.