Author: tbc

Over the next several weeks during the holidays, we have many opportunities to worship, serve and support our Ministry Programs.  Here is a snapshot of what will be happening in the life of our church.

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LAST DINNER CHURCH before hiatus – December 14th

We hope you’ll join us for “Dinner Church” this Wednesday, Dec. 14.  Participants can opt to arrive at 5:45 p.m. for pre-dinner dialogue in the Sanctuary or arrive in the fellowship hall just prior to 6:30 p.m.  It’s important for us to have an accurate headcount for the meal. Please click this link to RSVP by 5:00 PM today. (Tuesday, December 13)

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CHRISTMAS BASKETS – December 16th & 17th

This Saturday, December 17, we will gather to distribute food and Christmas Baskets to neighbors.  Plan on joining us Friday morning, December 16, at 10am to pack baskets and Saturday morning at 7:30am to be present with our neighbors. 

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Saturday, December, 17^th,  8:00 PM  Candlelight Concert at Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, 201 Duke of Gloucester St.  Williamsburg, VA

The Tabernacle Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir and Handbell Choir will present a concert of Christmas music as a part of the Candlelight Concert Series in the beautiful setting of historic Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Va.  If you would like to attend this concert you should plan to be at the church by 7:00 PM so we can let you in so you will be guaranteed a seat.  Please knock on the doors just inside the gate to the churchyard.  Doors open to the public at 7:15 and the church is usually full.  Because of special events in the Colonial area of Williamsburg that evening there is NO parking in front of the church on Duke of Gloucester St.  Parking is available in other places around the historic area.  The Tabernacle Choirs have been participating in this Concert series for about 40 years.  

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Sunday Morning Worship – December 18^th

Our 11:00 AM Worship led by our Sanctuary Choir and Handbell Choir.  We will celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent with a service of music celebrating the birth of Jesus.  This Sunday the “Love” candle will be lit as we make our final preparations for the celebration of Christmas. 

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CHRISTMAS IN THE FAN CONCERT – December 18th

4:00 PM – Christmas in the Fan: a concert presented by the Richmond Concert Band and the Tabernacle Choirs. Richmond Concert Band is a community band with more than 80 members.  The band was founded in 1971.  RCB has called Tabernacle Baptist Church home since about 1985.  This concert is a festive event that celebrates the music of Christmas, sacred and secular.  The concert will last about 90 minutes and is appropriate for all ages. 

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CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT WORSHIP SERVICE – December 24th
On Saturday, December 24, at 5:00 PM our annual Christmas Eve Service will be held in the Sanctuary.  This service is one of the most creative and beautiful worship services of the year.  This worship service will consist of scripture readings which tell the story of the birth of Jesus along with music provided by soloists and ensembles. At the end of the service we will light the Christ Candle and pass the light on to each other as we light our candles. Worship will conclude with the singing of “Silent Night” together as the light from the candles fills the Sanctuary. We hope you will join us on this Holy Night. 

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CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP SERVICE – December 25th

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!  We hope you’ll make plans to join us for worship at 11 AM on Sunday, Dec. 25.  (please note: please check with your Sunday School Class leader to see if you are meeting this morning, otherwise, Sunday classes and programs will resume on January 8).

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NEW YEAR’S DAY WORSHIP SERVICE – January 1st

Start 2023 at TBC!  We hope you’ll make plans to join us for worship at 11 AM on Sunday, January 1.  (please note: please check with your Sunday School Class leader to see if you are meeting this morning, otherwise, Sunday classes and programs will resume on January 8).

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LOOKING AHEAD…………

CHURCH-WIDE RE-VISIONING RETREAT – January 13-15, 2023

God is preparing our historic church  for a new chapter…..a new day….a new beginning.  TBC leadership has invited Mark Tidsworth, founder and team leader of Pinnacle Leadership Associates, to bring  the entire congregation together for a weekend of discerning dialogue. CLICK HERE for more details.

POINSETTIAS – ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY DECEMBER 12.   We are almost in the Christmas season, and it’s time to think about ordering Poinsettias in memory or honor of a loved one.  The cost this year is $13.45 per plant.  When placing your order, if paying by check or some other form of payment, please indicate that it is for a Poinsettia and also include the name or names of those that the Poinsettia is in memory or honor of as well as who is giving the plant. Please CLICK HERE for an order form to print and fill out. You can place the order in my box outside the office or mail it in.   Thanks, Peggy Strong.

Background:
During this past summer our church leadership agreed for the Building & Grounds Committee to focus energies on safety and security for all of our facilities for at least six months, with the idea to begin outlining a staged process of implementing safety measures.  Our work began during the summer in conjunction with TCCC and Noah Rogers, safety expert from the Baptist General Association of Virginia.

As a result of our assessments, the Building & Grounds Committee and the TCCC Director are recommending a Stage 1 of activities that highlight our need to protect the children that we serve every day in our facility.  We have already:

● Updated interior door locks to enable an emergency lockdown (funded by TCCC).

● Fixed the door closer on the front door to ensure it closed securely each time the door was used. (Funded by TCCC)

● Changed the door codes for all parties- parents, staff, and church and plan to routinely do this as well as in the event of a staff member leaving, etc.

● Revisited the church’s role in providing spaces for classrooms in the event of a weather emergency or other event that requires relocation from the Williams Building to the main church building.

● Began working with the City to determine if we can add a screen around the mulched playground area.

● Considered a schedule for routine emergency training for the staff.

The next steps in our Williams Building Stage 1 are to install a new, monitored fire panel and to upgrade the access security and intercom system.  The fire panel is our first priority based upon our discussions with a number of professionals.  We have obtained a proposal that will provide fire protection on all levels of the Williams Building, covering materials and installation at a cost in the range of $40,000-$45,000 (allowing for contingencies in the event of unexpected costs).  TCCC is preparing to cover 2/3 of the cost (for the space that they occupy) and TBC is being asked to cover 1/3 (for the space that we occupy).  Costs related to security measures applicable to childcare are planned to be covered by TCCC.

We are continuing our due diligence in the event we can find a vendor with a system adequate to meet our needs at a lower price.

We will be holding a Zoom meeting on Monday, November 21^st at 7pm for you to ask questions and to provide you with more proposal details.  We are hoping that you will join in this discussion so that you have an awareness of potential steps for the main church as well as the building where the child care center is located.   We believe that this kind of discussion is helpful prior to a church-wide vote regarding such an investment.  

Here is the Zoom link information for the meeting:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88230623508?pwd=alFFUnRPend4Rm5rYkJ3OWJ1aDg3QT09

Meeting ID: 882 3062 3508
Passcode: 278753

Community Room HVAC Replacement

Background: 
Around 2004-2005 Barbara Spain led the way for an engineering review of the entire main church facility to determine the best approach to provide heating and air conditioning.  As a result of that analysis, the congregation agreed to install five York HVAC systems in 2006-2007.  These systems have served us well.  Based on their age, we are now in need of repairing and fixing them to properly maintain heating and cooling. 

Back in April-May of this year you may recall that we replaced the HVAC systems that service the Choir/Youth Room areas and the Blue Room/Welstead classroom area, replacing the same kind of York system that services the Community Room area now.  The HVAC system that services the Community Room area has a leak in the coil. Repairing the leak would cost over $5,000—more money than is reasonable to spend on such an old system.  We attempted using a sealant refrigerant in the coil to repair the leak; that attempt failed.

Vassars Services is recommending and we are asking for your approval to replace the interior unit of the system that services the Community Room area at a cost of approximately $9,000.  This work will be scheduled to be completed as soon as your vote of approval is received. 

Note:  The technicians believe that we will probably get another two-three years of service from the exterior unit of this system, understanding that it does not have the roof exposure that the two systems have that were replaced earlier this year.  Therefore, we will monitor this system closely.  We urge that we move forward right away with this replacement request to be sure we continue to meet the FDA requirement of keeping food in this area at 72 degrees F.

This expense and required funding has been approved by the Administrative Board.   Voting is open now and will close on November 20, at 3:00 PM. You must be a member of TBC to vote and you may only vote once. A paper ballot will be available in the back of the Sanctuary on Sunday, November 13 and Sunday, November 20, for those who do not wish to vote electronically.

Please CLICK HERE to vote electronically.

2022-23 Deacon Board & Nominating Committee Vote

The Administrative Board is bringing the following recommendations to the members of the church for your vote.  Voting is now open and will close on Sunday, November 13, at 5 PM. You must be a member to vote and are only allowed to vote once. A paper ballot for those of you who do not wish to vote electronically will be available in the back of the Sanctuary on November 6 & 13.
Recommended for the Board of Deacons – John Burgess, Bill Gradwell, Jerry Jones, Carol McMurray.

Recommended for the Nominating Committee – Mary Jo Dailey, Nathan Hatfield, Linda Southworth, Tori Tyndall

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDZ65VDCLICK HERE to vote electronically.

Our 4th Quarter Business Meeting was held Sunday, October 30, 2022, in the Fellowship Hall and via zoom. Thank you to all who were in attendance either in person or virtually. If you missed the business meeting, CLICK HERE for the recorded video of the meeting.

If you still need a copy of the Quarterly Report, please CLICK HERE.