Worship: April 26, 2009
Our worship centers on Luke 24:36b-48, Jesus encounter with the Disciples after his resurrection. What does it mean for the Disciples to finally “get it”?
Epiphany 6b: February 15, 2009
Our worship centers on a special presentation to Keith and Carolyn Snipes, our dedicated Preschool Teachers for many years, and the Gospel Lesson, Mark 1:40-45.
Martha Stearns Marshall Day
History of Martha Stearns Marshall
Martha Stearns Marshall was an eighteenth-century Separate Baptist preacher. She often stood alongside her brother Shubal Stearns and spoke at Baptist meetings. She also assisted her husband Daniel Marshall in his churches and preached to his congregations. In 1810, Virginia Baptist historian Robert Semple wrote of Martha’s contributions to Baptist work:
Mr. Marshall had a rare felicity of finding in this lady, a Priscilla, a helper in the gospel. In fact, it should not be concealed that his extraordinary success in the ministry, is ascribable in no small degree, to Mrs. Marshall’s unwearied, and zealous co-operation. Without the shadow of a usurped authority over the other sex, Mrs. Marshall, being a lady of good sense, singular piety, and surprising elocution, has, in countless instances melted a whole concourse into tears by her prayers and exhortations!
Baptist historian George Paschal, in his History of North Carolina Baptists, wrote of Daniel and Martha: “As a result of the labors of this earnest and fervent evangelist, in which he doubtless had the assistance of his saintly and gifted wife, Mrs. Martha Stearns Marshall, great numbers turned to the Lord.”
In the late 1750s, the Marshalls founded a Separate Baptist church at Abbott’s Creek in North Carolina. There Martha served alongside her husband and “was noted for her zeal and eloquence,” and her preaching “added greatly to the interest of meetings conducted by her husband.” The first difficulty the new church encountered was that no minister would cooperate with Stearns in ordaining Daniel. A pastor in South Carolina refused to participate in an ordination service because Daniel and the Separate Baptists “allowed women to pray in public and illiterate men to preach, and encouraged noise and confusion in their meetings.” The ordination service finally took place when Elder Ledbetter, Daniel’s brother-in-law, agreed to participate in the ordination.
In 1771, the Marshalls moved to Columbia County, Georgia, where they founded the first Baptist church in Georgia, located at Kiokee. A. H. Newman wrote of their efforts in founding this work: “Marshall was now sixty-four years old and had behind him a truly apostolic record. Almost equally useful was his wife, a sister of Shubal Stearns.”
Epiphany 3b: January 25, 2009
Our service centers on Mark 1:14-20 and concludes with Deacon Ordination.
Community Dialogue: Youth Mentoring
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Our Wednesday Evening Dialogue features a conversation about Developmental Assets. Tabernacle Baptist Church has just started a one year process of evaluating our approach to mentoring youth under the guidance of the Search Institute and Cooperative Baptist Fellowhsip.
Epiphany 4b: January: 18, 2009
The service centers on the Gospel Lesson: John 1:43-51
Worship: Baptism of our Lord, January 11, 2009
Our service centers on the Baptism of Jesus.
What God is doing at TBC: Refugee Resettlement Dialogue
A one hour conversation about Refugee Resettlement Ministry (Wednesday, January 14, 2009)
Epiphany Celebration, 2009
Join us for one of the most creative and meaningful services of the church year. Download the podcast via itunes to see various images of the Sanctuary.