This Saturday is our annual Christmas Basket Community Ministry, and you’re invited to come be part of this meaningful day! While the tradition of providing holiday meals continues, this year will look a little different as we live out our values of hospitality and dignity in new ways.
Instead of packing baskets, we’re offering neighbors the opportunity to choose the ingredients that best suit their needs—just as we normally do in the food pantry. Choice matters because it honors our neighbors’ preferences and experiences.
There are so many ways to be involved, and not every job requires heavy lifting! We need help with set-up, guiding neighbors through their selections, carrying groceries, and—just as importantly—offering a warm smile, a listening ear, and a spirit of welcome.
Come be part of this special day of connection, care, and joy. Together, we’ll share the love of Christ in the way we welcome and serve one another.
1. Volunteer to help prepare baskets and other Community Ministry food on Friday, December 20.
The heavy lifting team will meet at 9:30am at Aldi (927 Meyer St). Strong muscles and trucks needed!
Join the set up team at 10am at Tabernacle. There’s a job for every ability level!
Stick around to help with some additional projects: Epiphany stars, organizing, etc
2. Join us Saturday, December 21 as we welcome our neighbors for breakfast, choice pantry and Christmas Basket distribution. 7:30am to 1pm
3. Commit to praying for our neighbors receiving baskets. Join me in praying for the invitation that will be extended around each table. Pray that the host and participants will recognize belonging. Pray that our neighbors will see Christ as they engage with those around their table. Pray for the lonely that they will be comforted. And pray that doors will be opened through relationships.
*Atrium Roofing Project Update Due to safety concerns voiced by the scaffolding company and our desire to avoid risk of interference with our duty as a voting precinct for the upcoming elections, the atrium roofing project is delayed. We do not have a definite start date currently. We will coordinate with Chandler Construction to also avoid any overlap with the scheduled elevator project timeline of November 7-21, 2024. Other details remain the same:
The elevator will be available during this project.Overhead protection will be in place.
When work begins, we anticipate a three-week project timeline
The atrium stairwell will be blocked off from use. Users of the facility will be asked to use another entrance if possible.
Signage will be present to help direct users to the elevator or to another entrance.
There will be a dumpster at the Meadow Street/alley corner location, protected by plywood and with signage.This will prevent interruption of alley use.
*Elevator Control Panel Replacement Project Please mark your calendars now—this project requires that our elevator is out of service for two weeks. This work is scheduled for November 7-November 21, waiting until after the Presidential election to be sure that there is no interference for that commitment.
The B&G Committee, pastoral staff, and Administrative Board are making every effort to communicate this information to all building users. We are researching options for how we can best serve our building community during this project time frame. More details will be provided as we get near the start of the work. Please keep reading the TAB for updates.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding as we manage these two important improvement projects.Please direct any questions you may have regarding these building initiatives, or any other suggestions regarding our facilities, to Donna Soyars at soundsidedfs@gmail.com.
1. Facing Resistance: Reflecting on Our Discomfort
The pastor acknowledged his initial resistance to Paul’s teachings, especially the perception of Paul’s arrogance. This resistance is something we often experience when faced with uncomfortable truths that reveal our own vulnerabilities. Paul’s writings, especially in Romans, challenge us to embrace grace over pride, and to let go of the need to control or judge. It is in releasing our resistance that we find transformation.
Quotes:
“God’s grace is not a gift we can earn by being strong; it is a gift we receive by admitting our weakness.” — From the sermon
“The arrogance that pushes back against grace is the same arrogance that resists transformation. The sooner we surrender it, the sooner God can work in us.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
When have you resisted a difficult truth in your spiritual journey, and what did that resistance reveal about your own need for control or comfort?
How does embracing the reality of God’s grace change your view of Paul’s teachings and how you relate to others?
2. Suffering as a Path to Growth
Paul teaches that suffering is not a curse but a pathway to growth and transformation. As Paul writes in Romans 5:3-4, “suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This chain reaction is how God shapes us through hardship. Instead of seeing suffering as something to avoid, Paul invites us to see it as an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and trust in God’s love.
Quotes:
“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.” — The Message paraphrase of Romans 5:3-4
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” — William Barclay
Reflection Questions:
How do you typically respond to suffering—do you avoid it or embrace it as part of the journey?
Can you think of a time when suffering produced growth or deepened your hope in God?
3. God’s Presence in Suffering
One of the key themes of the sermon is that God is not distant or uninvolved in our suffering but walks alongside us through it. Paul understood this deeply, having endured great personal suffering. His message is that God doesn’t cause suffering, but God is present within it. This reframes how we view hardship—not as something to escape but as a place where we can encounter God’s love most powerfully.
Quotes:
“God is most present in our suffering, not to fix it, but to walk with us through it. It’s in those moments that we find the deepest sense of God’s grace.” — From the sermon
“Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 5:5, NRSV
Reflection Questions:
How has your understanding of God’s presence during suffering changed over time?
When have you felt God’s closeness during a difficult season in your life?
4. Justification: Being Grounded in God’s Grace
Justification, as explained in the sermon, is about God “putting us in our place”—not to humiliate or punish, but to ground us in grace. Whether we find ourselves feeling superior or inferior, justification reminds us that we all stand equal before God, with our feet firmly planted on the same ground of grace. Paul’s message is clear: we are all recipients of God’s love, and that levels the playing field.
Quotes:
“Justification is God putting us in our place—firmly on the ground, not hovering above others or sinking below. We all stand equal in God’s grace.” — From the sermon
“It’s not about what we do; it’s about what God has done for us.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Where do you feel ungrounded or out of balance in your life? How might God be calling you to find your footing in grace?
How does seeing yourself and others through the lens of God’s grace change your interactions with others?
5. Endurance Leading to Hope
The sermon emphasizes that endurance isn’t just about getting through hardship, but about being transformed by it. Paul teaches that through endurance, our character is refined, and that character leads to a hope that will not disappoint us. This hope is rooted in God’s love—a love that doesn’t falter in the face of suffering, but is strengthened by it. Endurance, then, becomes a spiritual practice, not just a survival tactic.
Quotes:
“Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” — Romans 5:3-5, NRSV
“Hope is not a feeling; it is a decision to trust in God’s love, even when we cannot see the way forward.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Where in your life do you need to cultivate more patience and endurance? How can you lean into the process of growth even when it feels slow?
How has God shaped your character through the challenges you’ve faced? How does that give you hope?
6. Peace Beyond Understanding
The peace Paul speaks of in Romans 5:1 isn’t just the absence of conflict—it’s a profound sense of reconciliation with God, a peace that permeates our entire being. This peace, described in the Greek word eirene, points to a state of wholeness and restoration that goes beyond what we can intellectually understand. It’s the kind of peace that, as the woman in the pastor’s story described, resides “in the gut” and transforms our outlook on life.
Quotes:
“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us.” — Romans 5:1-2, The Message
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God in the midst of chaos.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
How have you experienced a deep, lasting peace in your life, one that goes beyond mere calm or absence of stress?
What steps can you take to seek a deeper peace in your relationship with God and others?
7. The Pharmacy Story: A Journey from the Head to the Gut
In the pharmacy, the woman’s story reflects a powerful journey of healing—one that moves from the intellectual understanding of suffering to a deeper, more embodied peace. She begins by touching her head, the site of her tumor, acknowledging where her suffering began. Then she speaks of the peace she felt in her heart—a peace that came after surgery and recovery. But months later, her description of peace had moved even deeper, down to her gut. This profound shift symbolizes more than just healing from illness—it reflects a deep, embodied understanding of God’s peace, beyond emotion, rooted in lived experience.
This story beautifully parallels the movement of faith from intellectual belief to heartfelt trust and finally to an embodied knowing that transcends mere feeling. The woman’s peace in her gut, as the pastor describes, is akin to the peace that Paul speaks of in Romans 5:1-5, a peace that results from enduring suffering and growing in hope.
Quotes:
“I had this understanding in my life of what it meant to have the good life and kind of this peace. It was right here in my heart. But now I’m discovering this peace that is here, in my gut.” — From the sermon
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” — John 14:27, NIV
This deeper, gut-level peace is not just an emotional state; it is a knowing that transcends intellectual understanding and reaches the core of our being. It is the kind of peace that comes after we have walked through suffering and emerged with a renewed sense of God’s presence.
Reflection Questions:
The woman’s journey from head to heart to gut represents a deepening of her understanding of peace. How does this progression resonate with your own experience of peace?
Have you ever moved from understanding something intellectually to knowing it deep within your being? How did that shift change your outlook or your faith?
What does it mean to you to have peace in your “gut”—a peace that goes beyond mere feelings or thoughts and becomes something you embody in your daily life?
Announcement: Please Vote for an Elevator Control Panel Upgrade
Since the beginning of this year, the Building & Grounds Committee has continued its efforts in developing its 5-year strategic plan. One of the priority items in that plan is what we need to do and when we need to do anything related to our elevator. Researching turned out to be a very good idea from a planning ahead perspective. We learned a lot of new information that has led the Administrative Board and Buildings and Grounds Committee to adjust our timeline for the Elevator Project.
Recommendation from the Building & Grounds Committee and the TBC Administrative Board: We recommend moving forward with only the replacement of the obsolete control panel for our elevator as a proactive measure to minimize the downtime needed for this upgrade. After consideration of three proposals, we recommend accepting the proposal from Metro Elevator, whose proposal seems to be the best in terms of price and customer service. The quoted price for the control panel upgrade is $58,300.
Background Information The elevator is currently operating well and has passed all inspections. One of the vendors who evaluated our elevator indicated that a full modernization is not needed at this time, thinking we could wait several years. That gives us time to raise money for the full upgrade.
Time to Complete the Replacement of the Obsolete Control Panel Only We will not be able to use the elevator for the projected two weeks needed for the installation of the new control panel. That means that we as a leadership team need to plan for being without the elevator for two weeks. This is better than waiting for a problem with our obsolete control panel to occur and then wait for a company to be selected, plan the project, get the materials, and then get the project done, which would likely take at least 10-12 weeks from the time a control panel failure issue occurs.
Limiting the Scope of Work If we were to fully modernize the elevator, we would likely have to meet City code for such things as fire code. That would cost a significant amount of money and time. We understand that we can get an emergency obsolete control panel project approved by the City without addressing code concerns. That gives us an upgrade to elevator operations until we more fully plan for the $200,000+ expense of modernization and meeting code.
Paying for the Project We recommend moving forward using available church funds to pay for the new control panel installation, with the understanding that we will immediately begin to raise money for this specific project as an initial step in church fundraising over the next several years. The Administrative Board will work to realign pending projects if needed and as appropriate to manage church funds well. The congregation will receive an update on the full scope of all facility-related projects in our next Business Meeting to keep you fully informed.
Your votes for this elevator control panel upgrade will begin on June 30th. Immediately after your approval for this project at the end of the church vote on July 14th, the B&G Committee will begin negotiations for scheduling this work. Our hope is to get this work completed for our fall church activities. To Vote electronically CLICK HERE.
There were no suggestions for changes to the FY 2024-25 Budget so you may now vote on the budget. Voting opens on June 14, and will end on June 26, 2024. Major financial expenditures like these budgets require at least 50 votes. Click here for a copy of the TBC Budget.
Click Here to vote electronically. Paper Ballots will also be available in the back of the Sanctuary.
Please remember, you need to be a member of TBC to vote and you may only vote once.
March 24, 11:00 AM – Palm Sunday Worship in the Sanctuary
March 28, 6:00-7:30 PM – Maundy Thursday Communion Service in the Sanctuary
Foot Washing 6:00-6:25 PM Communion Service 6:30-7:30 PM
*** Because we are preparing food for Maundy Thursday, an RSVP to Judy@tbcrichmond.org would be really helpful. If you discover you can come and have not sent an RSVP please come on anyway! ***
March 29, 7:00 PM – Good Friday Service: Stations of the Cross in the Sanctuary
March 30, 5:00 PM – Easter Egg Hunt at the home of Judy and Eric Fiske Contact Judy@tbcrichmond.org for the address
March 31, 9:00 AM Easter Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall 11:00 AM Easter Worship in the Sanctuary, Christ is Risen Indeed!!
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a season of deep reflection on human frailty and brokenness. It’s a season of honest and hopeful repentance. On this day, a cross of ash is gently placed on one’s forehead, accompanied by the solemn reminder, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
We invite you to join us for a portion of the day on February 14th to take part in the observance of Ash Wednesday.
11 AM – 5:30 PM The sanctuary will be open You may choose to simply receive ashes only, or stay a little longer for meditation and prayer.
5:30-6:20 PM Join us for pancake dinner. (Suggested Donation of $5 per Person)
6:30-7:15 PM Join us for a communal Ash Wednesday Service in the Sanctuary. The service will include music, readings, a reflection and the imposition of ashes.
Special Edition: The annual meeting will be held on Sunday, February 4, after Worship. We hope you will join us. Lunch will be served for those attending in person.
We are also making available the 2024 Church Clerk’s Report so that we can officially vote in one new member of the church making them eligible to vote on several important matters during the meeting. Please click here for the Report.
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:
Replace the boiler $72,000 (quote)
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)
Seal edges of the slate roof $35,000 (quote)
Recoat the asphalt roof $15,000 (quote)
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”
This Sunday, January 7, is Epiphany Sunday. We will receive our traditional “Star Gift” of a word written on a star to help guide our thinking and praying in the coming year.
Click on the link below and fill in the requested information and we will select and mail a star(s) to you.
