tbc Blog

Pastoral Reflection: The Gift of Remembrance

Pastor Sterling Severns remembers old friends and those who have left us in one way or another.

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

–  1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Who comes to mind when you remember those in the church who are no longer with us?

Big annual Christmas Meal Ministry to take place tomorrow (12.19.20)

December 17, 2020

Friends and Neighbors, 

This coming Saturday morning, Tabernacle will be providing over 150 families a full traditional holiday meal that they can prepare at home. These “Christmas Baskets” are an annual emphasis, and we are excited to be able to provide such a large number of meals this year. There is a possibility that this will cause a back up in the alley or on Granby St. Please bear with us. We have scheduled households to come throughout the morning and will be working hard to keep all areas clear for traffic passage. Please feel free to ask a volunteer if you need assistance. 
Due to the pandemic, the need for food in our community has greatly increased. Prior to March, our food pantry and clothing ministry was only open once a month, serving around 80 households. At this point, we are seeing as many as 130 households in one week! Each month we are giving away over 5,000 pounds of food. We are grateful to be able to provide food to neighbors in our community. 


Maybe at this point, you are interested how you can get involved?  While much of our food comes from FeedMore, the increased need has meant supplemental food must be purchased or donated to provide balanced meals.  As winter is upon us, we are also regularly asked for coats, hats, gloves, mens jeans and boots. If you’re headed to the grocery store, consider purchasing shelf stable items to add to the pantry.  If you are cleaning out your lightly used winter gear, consider donating it to our clothing closet. These can be dropped off on Saturday mornings from 8-11am, we’d love to say “thank you” in person.  We would also welcome you to join us in a number of volunteer roles.  Finally, if you would like to financially support the work that we are doing to feed local households, checks can be written to Tabernacle Baptist Church, with Community Ministry in the notes. 


Please stop by and say hi on a Saturday morning. The volunteers see so many of you out walking dogs that treats have been purchased to share. 
Merry Christmas!

tbc Blog, Media

PREPARING FOR THIS WEEK’S TOWN HALL MEETING, WEDNESDAY @ 9 PM (EST)

PREPARATION:

Please do your best to dive into the data from our church-wide survey and also re-famaliarize yourself with our experimental hospitality covenant from this summer…..prior to our time together. 

You also have the option of viewing a recorded slide presentation (20 minutes). The presentation gives an overview of the survey results, including a breakdown of responses from age groups, comments made by the church family, and a quick overview of the experimental hospitality covenant. 

(All of the links can be found below)

OBJECTIVE: 

We’re not all on the same page as it relates to our tolerance for risk and common understanding of what to expect when we participate in church events in the same physical space. We need to be vulnerable and honest with one another in laying out a basic understanding of what someone should expect when they show up to a church event.  Whereas, no decisions will be made at this meeting, we do hope to walk away from the meeting with a better understanding of where folks are on the subject and determine if we think a consensus might be possible in the near future. 

The Church-at-Large will need to discern how to proceed with a covenant, related to our physical gatherings this fall, before we launch fall programming. 

Recorded Slide Presentation: 

Survey link for risk threshold and  Temporary Hospitality Covenant: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-CZZ66Z3B7/

Survey link for risk threshold and Temporary Hospitality Covenant WITH responses broken down by age: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-JDNJX3GB7/

Link to Hospitality Covenant

Hospitality Covenant

Results for entire survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-CZZ66Z3B7/

Results for entire survey with responses broken down by age: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-M7ZRG3GB7/

Zoom link for this week’s Town Hall Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89484040531?pwd=YVkvSGZmajg0Mkk4K1h1UnpObnAvdz09

+16468769923,,89484040531# US (New York)
+13017158592,,89484040531# US (Germantown)