tbc Church Business, Loving Neighbor through the Work of Anti-Racism

Why is Richmond Still Segregated? (Feb. 2018)

Segregation isn’t an accident of history, or a matter of preference or choice. There are historical and policy decisions that shape Richmond’s sharply segregated housing and school patterns. Redlining and restrictive covenants established these barriers that persist to keep us separated to the modern day.

This presentation was shared by Heather Crislip, on Feb. 21, 2018. Tabernacle hosted a 5 month dialogue on Race during the winter and spring of that year. Heather is a beloved and active member of our faith community and serves as President/CEO of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc. (HOME). We’re incredibly proud of Heather and see God at work in innumerable ways as she uses her gifts to serve our community.

tbc Church Business, Loving Neighbor through the Work of Anti-Racism

Listening to Black Voices: Black Voices in Fiction

We have been talking about the importance of de-centering our own stories and listening to the stories of others, especially those on the margins. We are sharing videos from different members and staff on what voices they are listening to that are shaping and reshaping their perspective.

In this first video, Associate Pastor Meg Lacy Vega shares some black voices in fiction that have impacted her recently. Have a voice you’d like to share with us? Email a video to meg@tbcrichmond.org or severns@tbcrichmond.org.

tbc Church Business, Sunday Bulletin

Sunday, May 24 | Ascension Sunday

we’re glad you can join us for worship!

This worship guide is meant to be a companion to the Livestream service. You can join us live at 11am on Sunday morning, or watch the recorded service later, following along with the words to hymns, etc. in a separate window or on your phone, or print this guide out if you like!

We will partake in Communion at the end of today’s service. We encourage you to prepare your elements before the service begins at 11AM if you would like to participate.

CALL TO WORSHIP: “Ascension Day” (Malcolm Guite, Sounding the Seasons, Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year)

We saw his light break through the cloud of glory
whilst we were rooted still in time and place,
as earth became a part of heaven’s story
and heaven opened to his human face. 
We saw him go and yet we were not parted,
He took us with Him to the heart of things. 
The heart that broke for all the broken-hearted
is whole and heaven-centered now, and sings;
sings in the strength that rises out of weakness,
Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight,
whilst we ourselves become his clouds of witness
and sing the waning darkness into light;
His light in us and ours in Him concealed,
which all creation waits to see revealed.

HYMN #215: “Rejoice, the Lord is King”

V. 1: Rejoice, the Lord is King:
your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

V. 2: Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

V. 3: His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules both earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, Rejoice!

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 28:16-19

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Following the Worship Service, we encourage you to continue visiting with friends in the Livestream Chat, or join a Talk-Back moderated by Sandi Lowery and Beth McMahon. Share your laughter and tears, along with your prayer needs, as we discuss the sermon of the week.

Whether you’ve been coming to Tabernacle for years, or just recently started worshiping with us online, we are glad you’re here, and invite you to participate in other opportunities for fellowship and discipleship as well! There are several groups meeting regularly that are open to newcomers, and our Community Ministry is actively serving neighbors on a weekly basis. The Soul Care Project is a digital series that that you can follow along with at your own pace. It offers a weekly theme promoting practices to help us care for our souls by connection with ourselves, God, and the world. We encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast and interact with the resources available on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Meg Lacy Vega Church Business, Soul Care

Soul Care Week Five: Getting Lost

Join us on the podcast this week as we talk about the spiritual practice of getting lost, learning to navigate the wilderness of place and soul.

The wilderness

holds answers

to more questions

than we have yet

learned to ask.

– Nancy Newhall

Pray as you go: The Welcoming Prayer

Sink into this three part prayer that helps us welcome uncomfortable feelings and experiences and find God in the midst of one.

First, feel and sink into what you are experiencing this moment in your body.

Next, “welcome” what you are experiencing this moment in your body as an opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling.

Finally, Let go by saying “I let go of my desire for security, affection, control and embrace this moment as it is.”

“Start practicing the  Welcoming Prayer with the little things in life  — small,  everyday frustrations like sitting in traffic or waiting in line at the grocery store.  Practicing with the small things prepares us for the bigger upsets.”

Learn more about The Welcoming Prayer at ContemplativeOutreach.org.

FAMILY PRACTICE: COLORING PAGE

Grab some crayons,
markers,
or colored pencils
and retreat into your
spiritual,
emotional,
psychological
cave as a family
and color a picture
of a Wild Cactus
together.

tbc Church Business

A Word from Our Pastor: Significant Update/Summer 2020

Join us this Sunday for a town hall meeting. The Pastor, and other staff members, will do their best to respond to questions related to where we’ve been, what to anticipate, and what we’re praying about. Realistically, they won’t be able to answer all of the questions that come up. However, we will collect questions to pass along to leaders and find creative ways to share responses as they become available.
Meg Lacy Vega Church Business, Soul Care

Soul Care Week Three: Offering Gratitude

Join us on the podcast this week as we talk about the science, the art, and the spirituality of gratitude.

Wear gratitude

like a cloak,

and it will feed

every corner

of your life.

-Rumi

Pray As You Go: The Examen Prayer

St. Ignatius of Loyola was a 14th century catholic priest who founded the monastic order of the Jesuits, which is still alive and thriving today. In his writings Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius invited the monks to examine their conscience daily, looking for the movement of God in their lives and giving thanks. There are a few days you can practice the Prayer of Examen.

At the end of each day, spend a moment reflecting on this set of questions:

In my day, when did I feel closest to God?
In my day, when did I feel farthest from God?

or

What am I most grateful for today?
What did I find most challenging?

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced, borrowed from IgnatianSpirituality.com.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Family Practice: Thank you notes

This week, harness the power of a handwritten note to offer gratitude and appreciation for those God has used in your life. They don’t take that long to write. So, dig out your personalized stationary, or some craft paper and markers, and as a family make a list of those you want to thank, and write or create a thank you note or card for each name.

Closing prayer:
Dear God, thank you for all the people you bring into our lives. We are grateful for your love and provision. Amen

tbc Church Business

A Note to Parents from TCCC Director Kristen OSullivan

Dear Parents,

I hope this finds you well. Or well enough considering. Please know you are doing enough. There is enough newness going on in every home that it is going to be a challenge, no matter what. Now IS the time to slow the pace, look deeply into today’s activity, and be present. Children everywhere are experiencing the same lack of routine, lack of academics, lack of socialization. So there is not a hill for them to slide down. It’s a level, inclusive field. Teachers will meet the children where they are. It will be ok.

Your children need your love, joy, and company. Be mindful to show delight on your face when they walk in the room, even if frustration or defeat is the reality. Fake it if you have to because they will remember how you felt. How your expressions and tone made them feel. Not the letters you practiced after breakfast, the dishwasher yet to be emptied (again), or the laundry forgotten in the washer (again).

…For tomorrow shall care for itself.

Struggle is universal. We all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Every single one of us has a story. And no one gets out of life scot-free without the struggle. Two things: do not Compare Your Struggles and sometimes the best thing you can do is Compare Your Struggles. Here’s what I mean.

Daily bad days, pain, trials, and disappointments loom. For you, today may be one of the darkest hours or the deepest of melancholy. So go ahead, wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it and live it. For two minutes a day.

Yep, all you get is two minutes each day. Scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Make these two minutes count. Go ahead and make some noise. Because you get two minutes and then you are done. Then it is time to move on and put a pin in it for tomorrow. Tomorrow if the pain is still there–go ahead; wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it. For two minutes. 

And when the two minute timer goes off and you can’t stop the despair? If once the tears start, you can’t turn it off? Well, then it is actually time to compare. It is time to look over at the Joneses or toward the greener grasses and consider their two minutes. Have they lost a loved one? Are their children hungry or hurting? Are they alone? Are they at risk simply doing their job? Is their pain irreparable? Consider another, saying two prayers. One for others and one of gratitude. Then put a pin in til tomorrow. 

I know it’s not easy. But it is possible. Moving on daily may be tiny, but it’s a huge step you have to retake everyday. In this pandemic, you deserve your two minutes, to scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Allow it and then regard the two minutes of others. You will find humility and grace recognizing we all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Your prayers for tomorrow are always at hand, but worry is wasted. 

Care not then for tomorrow. For tomorrow shall care for itself. The day has enough with its own grief. Matthew 6:34

Kristen

Sterling Severns Church Business, Media

Making Adjustments, A Word from our Pastor

It’s hard to believe we’re 40+ days into this wilderness. I continue to be inspired by the resilience of the church and the steady in-breaking of love in this chaos. When all of this first started, in our little corner of the world, none of us knew what to expect. In many ways, we still don’t. I made a conscious decision in the first couple of days to pack up the art on my office walls, alongside a plethora of books, audio/visual cables, and office furniture. My office at church looks like it’s been ransacked and my make-shift office at home is a feeble replacement. I remember telling the staff on that “first” Sunday, 

“We should not assume that we’re going to be working from our offices for the foreseeable future. Maybe we’ll be back to lead worship in the Sanctuary in the week ahead….maybe not? We should be prepared to dock the ship and embark for an unknown period of time.”

Just before leaving that day, I spent the better part of an hour filming the empty building while praying for the people that have called it “home” in innumerable capacities. 

Admittedly, I am really struggling with even the limited time I’m spending in our building. Our old ship at Grove and Meadow feels hauntingly quiet and undeniably lonely. We’re doing our best to conserve energy/resources. Thus, the majority of the space is dim. The majority of the doors are closed, now protecting disinfected rooms prepared for ministry. When I arrive early on Sunday mornings I really struggle with a profound sense of loneliness and palpable grief. I miss “us”. I miss the sound of our children and youth laughing in the hallway. I miss the beautiful chaos of Wednesday night suppers and the sound of music echoing in virtually every corridor. I miss seeing and hearing our teachers guiding children to lunch and the contagious laughter on the playground. I miss the beautiful sight of you all greeting one another before and after worship. I miss the sound of hearing the dialects of numerous Burma-rooted languages. I miss eye contact. I miss “us”. 

Lately, I find myself spending a lot of time sitting in front of my blank computer screen, praying for the Holy Spirit to guide me in determining what visuals to use in the facilitation of our current iteration of worship. We’re blessed beyond measure to have hundreds of hours of video footage and thousands of photographs to draw from. The cache of visuals we’ve collected through the years help remind us of our core values, and remember the ways God has guided us through each chapter of our 130+ year old story. 

Over these 40+ days of wilderness, I’ve found myself continually drawn to the footage I shot on that “first” Sunday after our dispersement. At first, I think I was drawn to it because it validated my sadness. It still does. That said, I continually find myself going back to the footage for a different reason. I’m noticing things that I hadn’t noticed before. You know, that is the tender gift of walking in darkness. Our eyes adjust, and we are given an opportunity to see everything with new perspective. Like the lens of the camera, the pupils in our eyes enlarge in dim light. God made us this way….to allow for more light to come in. 

I encourage you to take a look at this video again. 

  • NOTICE how the dimness at one end of the corridor transforms our understanding of light at the opposite end. The closer we move toward the light, the more we find ourselves adjusting to the emergence of Easter. 
  • NOTICE how the dimness, in the hallway that displays our family photos, accentuates the exit signs that hang directly above our photographs. The previously invisible intimation now states the obvious. The name tags underneath the exit signs are created to help us connect with ONE ANOTHER when we come INTO the building. And yet, in this unique moment they now serve as reminders of Disciples having exited the building, sharing the light of Christ in a world that desperately needs guidance in darkness. 
  • NOTICE the juxtaposition. We see our beloved sanctuary filled with empty pews. The footage makes me long for us to all be together again. However, we also see visual testimonies of God at work in this present moment and, through it, we are reminded that our God is a creative God that always makes a way. Isn’t it strange? Logic would tell us that we’re alone and yet we know that we are not alone. 
  • NOTICE now light pours into the darkened sanctuary when the doors at the threshold are barely even opened. I’m struck by the pattern of light temporarily etched onto the tattered carpet. It feels hopeful. I feels hope-filled. It feels promising. 

Sisters and brothers, I continue to feel the sadness of our physical separation. 

Sisters and brothers, I continue to feel grateful that God has given us each other. 

May Christ continue to help our eyes make the necessary adjustments as we were born for such a time as this. 

AMEN.

******Thank you Anna Tuckwiller, for singing the story!

Meg Lacy Vega Church Business, Leadership Roundtable, Soul Care

Soul Care Week Two: Wearing Skin

Are our bodies important for our spiritual lives?

Join us on the podcast this week as we muse about how wearing skin, being peoples of flesh and blood, can shape and nurture our spiritual lives.

The miracle

is not

walking on water,

but on

the earth.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Pray as you go: Walking Meditation

Today, notice what its like to walk on the earth.

Stand outside.
Feel the soles of your feed on the ground.
Take slow movements.
One foot.
Then the next.
Slow down the breath.
Look around you.
What do you notice?
Look within you.
What do you notice?

Give thanks for your body, for all that it does for you, for how God created you and calls your body “good.”

“Walking meditation, whether in a labyrinth or in a park, is a physical expression of the interior journey towards Christ. Like a pilgrimage, forms of walking meditation evoke our earthly journey towards heaven while simultaneously giving us time and space to listen and respond to God.”
– Stephen Barany

Family Activity: NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT

This week’s family activity invites you to walk in nature.

You can do this in your back yard, at a park, or around your neighborhood.
As you walk, be willing to slow down, to observe, bend and reach and notice how your body opens and relaxes in the process of finding the things listed in the Nature Scavenger Hunt card.

At the end, have each family member name on thing they are grateful their body can do, and give thanks to God.