tbc Blog, Building and Grounds

Preparation for our January 21 Meeting:

TBC Building & Grounds Committee Request for Approval
Building Repairs for 1st Half of 2024

Unable to make it in person for the meeting on Sunday, January 21st? Here is the zoom link for the meeting:
Topic: Churchwide Business Meeting – Building & Grounds Report
Time: Jan 21, 2024 12:30 PM Eastern Time
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88409430873?pwd=bTFIZUV0azB3Szh4MjdoeFNrRnJ2UT09
Meeting ID: 884 0943 0873
Passcode: 456974
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdq1NkCzE

Worship in our current location started in 1911. Tabernacle Baptist Church’s members have experienced challenges from the very beginning in how to manage the pull between resources, wants, and reality when it comes to our buildings. The intent was to immediately add a new Main Auditorium. World War I and the Spanish Flu slowed the progress in raising needed funds, so plans were adjusted. “Despite all of the obstacles placed in her way the church continued to prosper, membership grew to 1,600 active members, construction was completed on the new Auditorium, and on Sunday morning, March 18, 1923, dedication of the new Tabernacle Baptist Church began with services which would continue for a period of two weeks. (page 97)”. That new Auditorium is not our sanctuary of today. 

Our buildings have changed and so has our membership over the years, and yet our desire to make the best use of our facilities has not. We have served God, our neighbors and each other faithfully over the years. God’s faithfulness is revealed every single time we take time to pause and remember.

As the population shifted to the suburban areas in the early 1980s and the membership of TBC continued to decline, our efforts to serve the community remained steadfast. It was in May 1983 that a Day Care Advisory Committee reported on their 14-month study, indicating that a new Day Care Center was needed as an expansion of TBC’s outreach program.

“Accordingly, on July 27 Mrs. Cindy Hutchinson was selected…to become Tabernacle’s first Child Care Center Director. The Center opened on September 19, 1983.” (page 196) The educational building that was dedicated November 25, 1956 for church school and office space was in use again for educating pre-school children. We are grateful today to partner once again with Cindy, now the Director of ExCELL.

More recently, a church-wide fund-raising campaign was begun in early 2014 with the theme “Embracing a God-Sized Vision.” Our goal this large was much greater than a church Tabernacle’s size would normally achieve. With much prayer and the generosity of our dedicated congregation, by July 2014 $1,400,000 was committed. As we look back at the excitement related to the God-Sized Vision campaign, we had NO idea what was coming. We thought we knew. We made plans. The plans didn’t work out and now God is working them out. That’s what God does…every single time. We find ourselves now being blessed by what God has provided, which is a way to continue to complete key repairs and renovations. Once again, God has helped us reassess and find a way for us to use our spaces to foster his work among us and into our community.

As we look back at the excitement related to the God-Sized Vision campaign, we had NO idea what was coming. We thought we knew. We made plans. The plans didn’t work out and now God is working them out.

That’s what God does…every single time.

In November 2023, we received the gift of Carson Dean’s final Building Assessment Report. There is a lot to consider in that report! What we are suggesting is that we start with an implementation of the more immediate repairs needed, with implementation of more of Carson’s recommendations to come in the months ahead. His evaluation gives us even more confidence that we are on the right path for the building and how the building supports our mission as we move forward together in our “Season of Renewal.” We have drafted an implementation plan for upgrades/repairs to the building over a three-year period. We are introducing the first phase of that plan now and will present the next phases once we have a little more time to finalize some thoughts and information, targeting this spring to discuss future upgrades.

With this in mind, we ask for your support in using our designated Restricted Fund 410-Building Funds and GSV funds in the first half of 2024 to:

  1. Replace the boiler $72,000 (quote)
  2. Replace the atrium roof $90,000 (estimate) (already approved by the congregation in 2020; including it here to give you the full picture of use of the money and because the scope of that project may have changed)
  3. Seal edges of the slate roof $35,000 (quote)
  4. Recoat the asphalt roof $15,000 (quote)
  5. Add hot water to the 2nd & 3 rd floors of the Williams Building $15,000 (estimate)

TOTAL APPROVAL REQUEST:

The repairs listed above will be completed as early as possible in 2024, with costs not to exceed $225,000. (The Building Fund has about $97,000 and GSV funds today total about $270,000)

Please note that upon your approval of these funds, we will make commitments to our selected vendors in order to keep the quoted pricing for each item. Prices increase quickly currently.

It is always good to remind ourselves that it’s all God’s. It’s all God’s building…it’s God’s mission and we’re invited to be a part of that mission, just like those that came before us and those who will come behind us. Our role is to do our best to listen to God and make choices based on being good stewards of what God has provided.

Mark your Calendars:

The Building and Grounds Committee looks forward to sharing a presentation with the entire congregation after worship on January 21, 2024.

Note: The Annual Business Meeting has been bumped back a week to Sunday, Feb. 4.

Quotations are from “The First Hundred Years: A History of The Tabernacle Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia”
tbc Blog

Building & Grounds Update: February 2020

Thank you, Jay and Team!

There’s been a lot of activity over the past couple of weeks to make physical improvements around the church. You’ve heard about the installation of LED light bulbs throughout the TBC buildings. Did you know that being the recipient of a Dominion Energy grant that paid for that work including adding the dimmers on some of those lights, started when Jay Hartman was at an electrical supplier shop? A buddy at that shop introduced him to Michael Parrish of ELS Electrical. That God-made meeting and the follow-up after led us to this gracious gift. Thanks to Jay for his efforts in seeing this project to its completion!

As the LED lights project was underway, several more changes were completed:

  • The Williams Building God-Sized Vision work – new pedestal sinks, heat-controlled faucets, and new mirrors were installed in the 2nd floor bathrooms,
  • Painting the interior of the Grove Avenue office entrance door,
  • Replacing and repainting the keyless-entry door now used as a Grove Avenue Piano entrance,
  • Replacing the awning (donated years ago by the Strongs and the Spains) that was over the office Grove Avenue entrance by adding a new awning over both Grove Avenue entrance doors, and
  • Securing the kitchen stove (on tile installed last year) so that it would no longer slowly slide away from the kitchen wall.
  • Painting the baptistry with an epoxy paint to hopefully eliminate some peeling paint.
  • Re-securing a couple of faucets for the Williams Building 1st floor bathrooms.

The Building & Grounds Committee is grateful for Jay Hartman and Vincent Sallie’s ongoing commitment to maintaining our church facilities! Our committee members will continue to keep you aware of planned and completed activities. In March we hope to implement a new email address for you to use to contact us with your suggestions and comments. Look for new information about using that email address in the near future.

tbc Blog

Meet Vincent Sallie!

Meet Vincent Sallie! 
 
A few weeks ago, Vincent celebrated his fourth Anniversary with us!  During this time, he has been serving faithfully by keeping our facilities clean and maintained. Vincent brings many skills to his work—he is a problem solver, a great multi-tasker, and a relationship builder. Vincent’s favorite thing about his job: you! Vincent loves the people at Tabernacle, and getting to interact with you on Wednesday nights, or throughout the week in the building. He is always greeting those coming in for Bible study on Tuesdays with warm hugs and connecting with the children at TCCC with laughter and fun. 
 
For 2019, the Personnel Committee has recommended a new trial job description for Vincent’s position: Building Services Coordinator. This role will continue to include custodial duties, but also reflects Vincent’s role with the Building and Grounds Committee and the maintenance of our systems and spaces.  The TBC Administrative Board approved this trial position in March, and Vincent will begin working with the Building and Grounds Committee next month. You can read the trial job description for this position below. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Personnel Committee or Administrative Board. And next time you see Vincent, make sure to offer your appreciation for all he does for us each week!