This word from our pastor, Rev. Sterling Severns, was originally published on June 11, 2020.
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?
A Word from Our Pastor: Epiphany amidst a world under siege
When the world seems to be spinning out of our control, we often don’t have the right words to say. Words are so important, aren’t they? The words we say and reflect on can inform our character and lead us towards-or away from-the truth. We invite you this season to reflect on your gifted word from Epiphany. What do you think of this word? What do you hope to learn about it in the coming year?
If you haven’t received a star with a word on it (if you’re wondering what we’re talking about) please see our Epiphany service from January 3. Please send us a message if you haven’t yet received a star and would like one!
Staff & Leadership Restructure Recommendations for 2021
Staff Restructure Recommendations for 2021
FROM THE DEACON BOARD
1. Decrease Associate Pastor Meg Lacy Vega’s schedule from 40 hours per week to 25 hours per week. Duties will include but will not be limited to: Spiritual Development for Adults and Youth, including leading the church youth group, as well as preaching up to 12 times per year. Meg will continue to receive her current hourly rate of pay, and will work with the personnel committee on any necessary re-allocation. Meg will continue to work with personnel committee, staff, and the Deacon Board on updates to her job description appropriate for the needs of the church and her expertise, and according to the limitations of a reduction in hours.
2. Decrease Minister of Music & Worship Judy Fiske’s schedule from 32+ hours per week to 20 hours per week. Duties will include but will not be limited to: planning worship, leading choirs (when possible) and coordinating musicians. Judy will continue to receive her current hourly rate of pay, and will work with the personnel committee on any necessary re-allocation. Judy will continue to work with personnel committee, staff, and the Deacon Board on updates to her job description appropriate for the needs of the church and her expertise, and according to the limitations of a reduction in hours.
3. Increase the Community Ministry Director (April Kennedy) from 50 hours per month to 20 hours per week.
- This will bring April’s pay more in line with the number of hours she has been working since March of this year.
- This change would become retroactive to December 1, 2020.
FROM THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD
1. Contract with Amanda Rone to replace Hope Cutchins as Communications Coordinator for 20 hours per week in addition to the 15 hours per week she is now working as Media and Worship Coordinator.
- This is a 6-month contract (January 1 – June 30, 2021) for a total of 35 hours worked, 15 as Media/Worship Coordinator and 20 as Communications Coordinator.
2. Create a 6-month position to work with Pastor Severns approximately 10 hours per week on logistics and scheduling. We recommend that this position be offered to Ron Simmons in addition to his Music/AV Assistant role.
- This will essentially double Ron’s current workload at TBC for the 6-month period January 1 – June 30, 2021. This will be in addition to the wages budgeted for Ron’s position as music / AV assistant.
3. Authorize church staff to seek up to two (2) Worship Interns for the 6-month period January 1 – June 30, 2021 to work specifically with Dr. Judy Fiske and Amanda Rone on Worship planning.
- Partial funding for these positions already exists in the current church budget, and additional funding and/or partnership with other churches may also be available.
Costs for changes in recommendations 1 and 2 will be paid for out of current staff salary fund with no anticipated increase.
Proposal for Leadership and Procedures in Q1&2 2021
1) Leadership for the following 19 key roles needs to be nominated and confirmed. Those leaders willing to remain in existing positions will be asked to do so:
- Church Clerk
- Trustee Board (3 members)
- At-Large Administrative Board Members (3 members)
- Buildings & Grounds Committee (2 members)
- Finance Committee NEW (3 members)
- Personnel Committee (2 members)
- TCCC Administrative Committee (2 members)
- Row House Oversight Committee NEW (3 members)
2) The Board of Deacons will identify at least 5 members to serve in 2021. 100% of their focus will be on congregational ministry and care.
3) Returning at-large members of the Administrative Board (serving terms for 2021 and through 2022), and representatives from church boards and standing committees will continue to serve as a streamlined Administrative Board.
- For the first half of 2021, no additional, at-large members will be nominated to the Administrative Board
- Committee representation to the Administrative Board will occur on an “if available” basis
- The streamlined Administrative Board will function to approve customary requests by the Finance Committee and other standing church committees. Information will be shared via Basecamp and meetings via zoom will be called as required. Requests requiring major financial commitments or arrangements will be referred to the church’s congregation for vote.
4) The Finance Committee will assume responsibility for all customary decisions regarding banking, bill paying, receipt of gifts & offerings, record-keeping and reporting. They will also relate directly with the church’s financial services company (JP Consulting, Inc.). Any questions outside the established parameters of operation, as outlined in the Church Manual, will be brought to the Administrative Board or the church congregation for vote.
5) A budget for the first half of 2021 will be approved by this year’s Administrative Board and presented to the congregation in early December.
- All church entities with identified budgets will be instructed to authorize only those expenses which are absolutely necessary.
- The Finance Committee will have the authority to grant requests that are within established guidelines or refer decision to the Administrative Board or the church congregation.
6) Tabernacle Church will return to the normal Leadership structure in Q3 2021 unless the Church votes to approve an extension of this proposal.
The deacons spent several weeks this fall working to find Tabernacle members who would be willing and able to serve on the Nominating Committee for 2020-21. With so many of our members’ lives changed so radically by the pandemic, this has proved to be a challenge. As 2020 winds down, our key leaders want to ensure that our leadership nominating process goes forward, and that qualified and committed leadership candidates will be brought to the church for approval in a timely way. Tim Pohl, chair of the Deacon Board; Terry McMahon, chair of the Administrative Board; and Nathan Hatfield, chair of the Personnel Committee will be working together as an interim nominating team to recruit leaders for the six-month January-June 2021 period. Leadership candidates whom they recruit who volunteer to serve will be brought to the church for approval as soon as a completed slate of candidates can be shared.
If you would like to be considered to serve as a leader in the church, or have questions about the process, please contact us at communications@tbcrichmond.org.
Safety Protocol Implementation Team Update
Dear Church Family,
Today I am writing to you on behalf of the “Safety Protocol Implementation Team.” Over the last few months, our team has worked together to put structures in place that have allowed us to re-enter the Church building as safely as possible. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been able to meet on Wednesday Nights, following all of the safety protocols that were voted on in a Church Business Session.
As we began Phase One of the protocol, our hope was to test out our safety plan for one month and then move to Phase Two, where we would open up the church for Tab Circles to meet. As I am sure you are aware, the number of Covid cases in the Central Region are on the rise, going above and beyond the threshold we set to move to Phase Two.
We are going to find creative ways to get individuals and individual families in the building. But at this time, it simply is not safe to meet together indoors in a large group.
While we yearn to be together and worship in community, the love that we have for one another calls us to be apart for this particular season, a season that will not last forever.
We will continue to monitor testing results daily and when the numbers hit the set threshold, we will begin the process of bringing Tab Circles into the building, leading to an eventual Sunday morning worship experience.
Attached is the safety protocol the church approved. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at marksnipes1@gmail.com.
I hope we can safely see one another soon!
Mark Snipes & Saftey Protocol Team
World Communion Sunday
For many years, for me, World Communion Sunday has been about the bread, as many different types and flavors as possible. It has also been about baking this bread with other people: Bonnie Dance, Kimberly Yednock and Todd Schall-Vess, James and Emma Braford to name a few. Sadly the church kitchen will be empty this year with no flour being spread from one end to the other. This means that bread baking will have to be done in your really clean and very solitary home kitchen.
One of the things we always made was cheese muffins—-don’t ask me what they have to do with World Communion Sunday, but most everyone in the Tabernacle congregation loves them. Because there is no communal baking taking place this year you are going to be on your own for bread baking. This is the recipe for the cheese muffins. It makes two dozen. I always use whole milk and full fat cheese, but you can make them with 2 % milk and low fat cheese if you would like.
Cheese muffins:
Wet ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter melted, 1/2 cup
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 eggs beaten
Dry ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups of flour
- 2 T baking powder
- 4T sugar
- 1/8 t salt
- 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar Cheese
- It is also possible here to throw in a quantity of bacon crumbles
Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir, make a small well in the center of the ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and pour into the well in the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened, batter is thick.
Place the batter in greased muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
We also made some yeast breads. I have usually just gone to the King Arthur Flour website and chosen a couple of easy bread recipes to make from there. One easy one is the “No-Knead Crusty White Bread.” It is easy to mix and then make into loaves. Making bread is not terribly difficult and while it is time consuming, it is not labor intensive.
Grab a family member and make some bread or muffins this week in honor of World Communion Sunday. The abundance of bread on the Communion Table for World Communion Sunday at Tabernacle is to remind us of the abundance of God’s grace and care for ALL people in the world. Pray for Christian communities all over the world this week as we and they celebrate World Communion Sunday.
Judy
CHURCH VOTE: October 7
There will be Special Called Business Meeting (voting only) for the purpose of seeking approval of several important items recommended by the Administrative Board and the Ad Hoc Constitution Committee. The ballot will be available through the Tab Weekly and on the website on Thursday, October 1 with voting closed at 5 PM on Wednesday, October 7.
Topics requiring congregational approval include:
- Fiscal Year change
- Use of God-sized Vision Funds for Atrium
- Establishing Finance Committee as a Standing Committee
- Amendments to Church Bylaws