April Kennedy Abundant Community, Building for Hope, Worship & Fellowship

B4H Prayer Reflection: Affordable Housing

During Advent, we are learning to see more clearly the needs of our community that are rising to the surface through our Building for Hope process. This week, we’re turning our attention to affordable housing—the growing pressure our neighbors face in finding a place they can truly afford.

Last Sunday we named how this challenge shows up all around us: families facing eviction, parents choosing between rent and groceries, neighbors unable to find housing within their budget, households spending more than half their income just to keep a roof overhead, people living one unexpected bill away from losing stability, and, at its most extreme, neighbors experiencing homelessness.

We acknowledged that the crisis is larger than any one solution, and yet God invites us to begin by seeing, listening, and responding with compassion.

As you move through the week, we invite you to pause and reflect:

  • Name where you’ve seen the lack of affordable housing create hardship—now or in the past. Who comes to mind? What story rises up for you?
  • What do you find yourself longing for God to do?

May these reflections shape our prayers and our readiness to take the next faithful step together.

Prayer: God of shelter and shalom, give us eyes to see, courage to listen, and hearts willing to respond.—Amen

April Kennedy Abundant Community, Staff

Feeding Our Neighbors in a Time of Growing Need

If you’ve read the news lately, you may have noticed that food insecurity is rising across Virginia—and we’re feeling it here too. As a food pantry leader, I can tell you this work is both deeply meaningful and, right now, deeply stressful. We’re seeing skyrocketing trends at nearby pantries that open weekly. At Tabernacle, our Saturday numbers are climbing steadily, and we’re seeing more people stop by during the week in search of food or support.

We’ve also noticed a change in the variety of food we receive for TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program). To help fill the gaps, I’ve been purchasing additional food through FeedMore, prioritizing items that allow neighbors to continue choosing their own groceries that meed their specific needs and wants. We remain committed to being a choice pantry, where shopping happens with dignity, and continuing to be place of community and belonging.

The State of Virginia has said it will maintain SNAP benefits for now, but the strain on households is still very real. In addition, we are seeing the effects from the government shutdown—neighbors who have missed paychecks or are worried about what comes next. 

How can you help?

  • Add a little extra to your cart. The next time you’re grocery shopping or ordering online, consider picking up a box of cereal (or two!) to donate. Amazon Wish List

  • Give financially. This is in addition to, not instead of, your regular giving—because your financial support of the church is also what keeps Tabernacle a place of hope, support, and relief for our community. Through FeedMore, we can purchase food for nine cents a pound, including high-need items like fresh meat.

  • Show up. Join us in serving on Saturday, November 8 or November 22, as we continue this important work together.  Be ready to help us welcome community members who are looking for ways to give back. 

Note of gratitude: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the cereal that is appearing daily.  It was heart warming to see the cart overflowing when I returned to work on Monday morning.  You have collected 109 boxes so far in October! We are on track to exceed our 125 box goal, which is amazing because the need has increased.  This is certainly a miracle of abundance, thanks be to God!

April Kennedy Abundant Community, Staff

The Miracle of Abundance, Rev. April Kennedy

More than once in recent weeks, a volunteer has walked into the pantry, stopped short, and let the surprise show on their face as they look at shelves that used to be full of food. 

We’re feeling a different kind of stress in the pantry these days. Visits are climbing as families feel the ripple effects of cuts to SNAP benefits, rising food and rent costs, and job insecurity. Fear and uncertainty are shaping daily life for many of our neighbors. FeedMore is receiving fewer corporate donations, leaving less for us to purchase at discounted rates, and access to USDA food in the coming months remains uncertain.
Our shelves aren’t empty, but they don’t hold the cushion we’re used to. And that cushion, it turns out, has given us more comfort than we realized.

So what do we do when that cushion disappears? When we start to feel the weight of “not enough”?

In the Gospels, when a crowd of thousands gathers to hear Jesus, the disciples see hunger and panic sets in. They say, “Send them away so they can go to the village and buy themselves some food.” But Jesus answers, “You give them something to eat.”
All they can find are five loaves and two fish, a small offering from one person in the crowd. It isn’t much, but Jesus takes what is given, blesses it, and shares it. And somehow, there is enough for everyone.

That story reminds me that God’s abundance often begins with what someone is willing to place in God’s hands. The miracle happens not in the storage room, but in the sharing.

When the shelves feel bare, maybe the invitation isn’t to hold back until things look secure again, but to bring what we have — our boxes of cereal, our prayers, our volunteer hours, our imagination, our faith — and trust that God can make it enough.
The miracle of the loaves and fishes isn’t just that there was suddenly more food; it’s that people risked enough to share. It’s a story about community and trusting that when we each bring what we have, God multiplies it in ways that our minds can’t anticipate.

We may be feeling stretched, in our pantry, in our budget, in our own lives, but we’re also surrounded by signs of God’s faithfulness. This is a moment to keep bringing what we have, to keep trusting that God will make it enough, and to keep our eyes open for the quiet miracles that happen when a community chooses generosity over fear.
When the crowd was hungry, it wasn’t the disciples who had the food, it was a boy who offered his small lunch, trusting it could help. Jesus took that small act of generosity, blessed it, and used it to feed thousands. The disciples simply carried it forward, passing along what had been placed in their hands.

That’s our work, too— to keep offering what we have, and to keep passing along what’s been entrusted to us. Because in God’s hands, even what feels small can become abundance.

Where might God be inviting you to trust there will be enough? What do you already have—time, prayer, or resources—that God might multiply in ways you can’t yet see?
April Kennedy Abundant Community, Life of the Community, Staff

Remembering: Seeing Sacred in the Ordinary

Saturday morning, around the breakfast table, I sat with a neighbor and told stories about someone we both knew. He was a man full of beauty and struggle. He had lived without stable housing for a long time, survived being hit by a car, experienced seasons of healing, and even more seasons of deep hardship.

The neighbor spoke with tenderness, telling stories of care and connection. Their bond was so strong that on occasion she would go out in the middle of the night to check on him, and other times gave rides, or brought food.  She showed up with love and compassion, over and over again, even caring for his family after his death.

I shared how our relationship with him at Tabernacle had also shaped us. During the pandemic, it was his presence that compelled us to open the showers to neighbors—even when the rest of the building remained closed. I still hear his voice in my mind, surprised when someone called him by name: “You know my name!” Such a simple, sacred moment. And finally, I told the neighbor about his last morning. He took a hot shower, pulled on a pair of corduroy pants he had asked for, and with the biggest smile, said he felt like a new man. Later that week, I stood with his family on the sidewalk of Meadow Street, and we mourned together.

As we remembered, I realized how holy it all was. The care offered through car rides, kitchen tables and church showers, the calls made in the middle of the night, the love shared between neighbors—these are glimpses of the kingdom of God. This remembering reminds me that kingdom work isn’t confined to institutions. It’s found in the ordinary, sacred moments of life.

I am a different person because I knew him. I caught a glimpse of Jesus in him. And I believe the neighbor would say the same. 

Who is someone whose presence—however brief or complicated—has helped you have a glimpse of Jesus?

God of sacred moments,

Help us see you—

in our neighbors, in shared stories,

in acts of care.

Help us to not miss the holiness

hidden in the ordinary.

Amen.

April Kennedy
Minister of Abundant Community

April Kennedy Abundant Community, Devotional, Life of the Community

A Symphony of Welcome

Hearing the Beauty of Christ in Community

The doors swing open, and the sound swells.

Stop and listen.

This is a holy moment.

It’s the loudest part of Saturday morning’s Community Ministry—neighbors talking to neighbors, greetings at the door, warm hellos at the welcome desk. It’s not just noise; it’s a symphony.

Voices rise in layers—excited tones, weary tones, grateful tones—each one distinct, yet somehow blending into a beautiful harmony. In those opening minutes, the room fills with a kind of music that reminds us: we belong to one another.

It’s a moment that helps us see more clearly—each person not as another in need, but as someone beloved. It inspires us to extend that welcome even further, to be the kind of community where everyone feels seen, known, and loved.

We were made with bodies that sense—eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, tongues to taste, noses to smell. When we have been sitting at Jesus’ feet, like Mary, growing close to him, those everyday senses become sacred instruments. We hear the sounds of the morning becoming the voice of Christ saying again and again, “You are loved. You belong. You are not alone.” We see his presence in the faces of our neighbors. We taste communion in the food and fellowship we share with each other and with Jesus. As we learn to sit close to Christ, we recognize the transformation of the ordinary into holy.

Stop and listen.

Do you hear the symphony?

April Kennedy
Minister of Abundant Community

April Kennedy Abundant Community, Art of Neighboring, Life of the Community, Rule of Life, Rule of Life Together, Testimonies

Beyond Service: How Shared Ministry Fosters True Belonging

As I reflect on the past few months of Community Ministry, one word keeps coming to mind:  Mutuality. This is a place where ministry is not a one-way street. It’s not about one group giving and another receiving. Instead, it’s about neighbors, strangers, and members coming together as equals—each bringing something valuable to the table.

On Saturday mornings, we see neighbors arriving not just with needs but with contributions to make. They bring their stories, wisdom, and care for everyone present. They offer encouragement and generosity—whether it’s through sharing what they have, helping others feel welcome, checking in on someone, helping cook breakfast, or finding the perfect outfit for a neighbor in the clothes closet.

And then there are the volunteers. Some have been members of this church for decades, while others are new faces—people who initially arrived as strangers but have found a home in the work we do together. They bring energy and dedication, and in the process, they become part of the fabric of this community. It’s beautiful to see how quickly someone who came to serve becomes someone who belongs.

As the walls between ‘us’ and ‘them’ break down, we are more able to live into our shared identity as God’s children.

This ministry isn’t just about food, clothes, or showers; it’s about the relationships being formed. It’s about seeing Christ in one another and discovering what happens when we trust that everyone has something to give.

So, thank you. Thank you to the neighbors who come and show us how to love each other better. Thank you to the volunteers who give their time, skills, and hearts. And thank you to the people who call Tabernacle home and support Community Ministry through your participation, prayers, and financial gifts.

As we look ahead, let’s continue leaning into this vision of shared ministry. Let’s keep making space for everyone to contribute, to belong, and to experience God’s presence here.

April Kennedy
Minister of Abundant Community

tbc Abundant Community

Richmond under immediate boil water advisory + building closed Tuesday

IMPORTANT WEATHER RELATED UPDATE: The church buildings will be closed on Tuesday, January 7, due to lack of safe water.

IMMEDIATE BOIL WATER ADVISORY

RICHMOND, Va. — The City of Richmond has issued a boil water advisory immediately and until further notice for all residents.

This advisory comes after a winter weather storm-related loss of power Monday impacted the City’s water reservoir system, causing the system to temporarily malfunction. Capacity restoration services are currently underway, per the Department of Public Utilities (DPU).

Some may experience a total loss of water service, while others may experience varying degrees of loss in water pressure. Residents in Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover counties are not impacted by the boil water advisory.

Once the water system is back online, DPU personnel will begin the process of flushing the system and ensuring that the water is safe to drink.

Below is a checklist for safe water use during this time:

Do not drink tap water during this boil water advisory.

Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities.

Do not use ice made from water today. Discard the ice and sanitize the ice machine and/or ice trays. This also applies to water and ice dispensed directly from a refrigerator.

Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.

Do not wash your dishes using tap water – use boiled water or use paper plates for the next few days.

Do not wash your fruits and vegetables with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.

Do not brush your teeth with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.

Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for three minutes.

Temporary water conservation tips:

Eliminate or shorten shower times.

Avoid unnecessary toilet flushes,
Avoid washing clothes for as long as possible.
Postpone washing dishes if possible.

Check all faucets, showerheads and under cabinets for drips.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

Sterling Severns Abundant Community, Life of the Community, Sunday Bulletin

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tbc Abundant Community

MISSION OPPORTUNITY IN HUNGARY

Doug and Lea Coppage are looking for people to help with next summer’s Baseball Camp in Vác, Hungary! The camp will be Monday, June 30, through Saturday, July 5; the trip would be (approximately) Friday, June 27, until Tuesday, July 8.

These are the kind of people we’re looking for:
1. 8-12 year olds who play baseball/softball,
2. their parents
3. any age ball players
4. chaperones
5. people interested in helping in any way.

Please ask God whether you might take part in this. If you do, contact pastor@tbcrichmond.org

Date Details:
Friday, June 27 at the latest: FLY to Hungary
Saturday, June 28: ARRIVE in Hungary
Sunday, June 29: REST, PREP for camp
Monday-Saturday, June 30 – July 5, 2025: CAMP
Sunday, July 6: Go to church in Budapest AND/OR Budapest tour.
Monday, July 7: Budapest tour OR fly back to the States.
Tuesday, July 8: fly back to the States.