On Wednesday, July 6, Mark and Katye Snipes will host our first Wednesday night Youth Event.  Throughout the summer ahead, our youth will be invited to participate in a Wednesday evening activity AND also a handful of outings on various days of the week.  We’re going to do the best we can to keep cost to a minimum. Thus, in order to make plans, it’s really important for participants to RSVP.  It’s going to be a great summer!

DATE: Wednesday, July 6, 2022

TIME: 6-8 p.m.

LOCATION: The Snipes Home (Chesterfield) 

WHOSE INVITED? Youth, their families, and Youth Mentors

THEN WHAT?  Early next week, those that signed up will receive an e-mail with updates and also the Snipes’ address. 

WHAT TO BRING:  Mark and Katye will grill chicken and hot dogs. Participants should bring a side dish. 

Please RSVP ASAP by clicking here.

June 14, 2022
 
Dear Members and friends, 
 
TBC’s Admin Board is thrilled to announce that we have voted to approve Sabrina Jones for the role of Director at Tabernacle Child Care Center.
 
Sabrina came to TCCC as an in-classroom teacher in February 2020. Working closely with our former Director, Kristen OSullivan, Sabrina began taking on more administrative support tasks and managed the scheduling of the full and part-time workers. When Kristen announced she was leaving TCCC, Sabrina was recommended for, and became, the Interim Co-director of the program. 
 
Sabrina has demonstrated a deep commitment to TCCC throughout her tenure. As Interim Co-Director, she has impressed staff and TCCC families with her willingness and ability to jump in, learn quickly, and make decisions that are already benefiting the school.
 
The members of the TCCC Ministry Committee and TCCC Admin Committee have had the pleasure of working closely with Sabrina over the past few months. We are also excited to endorse her for this role and to offer a happy child care center home for her 3-year old son, PJ.
 
We ask our TBC family to consider and approve this recommendation.
 
Voting is open now until Sunday, July 3. You may vote electronically by clicking here.
 
A paper ballot will be available on Sunday morning, July 3, if you wish to vote using that method. Remember, you are only allowed to vote once and must be a member of TBC.
 
With Gratitude,
 
Jessica Corbitt
Woody jenkins
Anita McCarty
Margaret Ailes
Erin Braford
Dan Hernan
Penny Jenkins
Donna Soyars
Jim Soyars

This is the budget from the Finance Committee for everyone’s review. Click here to access the budget. There was a zoom call this past Sunday evening at 7 PM for anyone that wanted to ask questions or add input before the Finance Committee submitted the final budget today. If you missed that meeting but would like to view it, click here for the recording of the 7 PM meeting from Sunday, June 5.

The timeline for the budget will be as follows:
Beginning June 8 – please review the budget. If you have any questions please reach out to Margaret Ailes, Jim Soyars, or Dan Herman our Finance Committee members.June 22– Online voting begins for the Budget – Click here to vote electronically. June 26- Paper Ballot in Worship and Vote Closes at 3 PM.

The TCCC Budget can be reviewed by clicking here.

A Message From The Personnel Committee Congratulations to April Kennedy! The Personnel Committee is very pleased to announce that April Kennedy has been voted into her new full time position as Minister for Abundant Community effective July 1, 2022.  We thank the members of the church for taking the time to cast a ballot affirming April and this new commitment to Tabernacle’s mission to our community.

Dear Congregation,

This is the latest version of the budget from the Finance Committee for everyone’s review. Click here to access the budget.

• The Finance Committee (FC) incorporated many suggestions for the budget and it is over projected income.  During the last couple of years (Covid times!) significant allocations of the budget have not been spent. There is also the fact that (we hope) contributions may increase as the year progresses.
• The average monthly tithing (less Endowment Foundation Contribution) is:
  • 2019……………$33,787
  • 2020……………$29,201
  • 2021……………$28,721
  • 2022……………$25,225  (based on 4 months only)

****The ’22-’23 budget is based on tithing of $27,000/month

• At this time there is no Associate Pastor for Children & Families and that position may not be filled for some time.  It was not included in this budget, a reduction of approx. $29,250. 
• The FC, with the assistance of Kathy McGraw, will be looking into, requesting quotes, and comparing the Church’s insurance package prices/coverage with at least one other company in August.  There may be no cost savings but we feel that it is worth looking into. 

Thank you for your review and input regarding the FY 22-23 proposed budget.
There will be a church-wide Zoom meeting to discuss the budget on Sunday, June 5 at 7:00 PM.  Please click here for the zoom link.

With Best Regards,
 The Finance Committee – Margaret Ailes, Jim Soyars & Dan Herman

Over the past year, your Building & Grounds Committee members have been researching how we best address masonry issues found on the exterior of our church building. We are pleased that Old World Masonry Restoration, a company with a lot of experience with limestone mortar work in the Fan, will be working with us starting in May to complete this major renovation project. Estimated Date for the project to begin:  May 9, 2022 Three Phases: Phase 1:Church wall facing east, in the alleyway between 1915 Grove Avenue and the main church Phase 2:Church wall facing north, work completed along Grove Avenue Phase 3:Church wall facing west, along Meadow Street

What does that mean to you? The mortar repair will be done on three sides of the church, starting with the alleyway between 1915 Grove Avenue and the main church building (aka church office entrance alleyway).In all phases of the project, there will be a lot of dust.The stained glass window is covered adequately to protect it. Work in Phase 2 along Grove Avenue requires use of a lift.Therefore, the Grove Avenue sidewalk from the office entrance alleyway to the corner of Grove and Meadow will be closed for at least one week, probably around the week of 5/16/2022. The repairs along Meadow are the most extensive and therefore will require the most time.The lift will also be needed during this phase, requiring that the northbound lane of Meadow Street be closed for approximately three weeks.This lane closure is likely to begin around the week of 5/23/2022.The city alley access on the south side of the church will remain available, and users will be able to turn south onto Meadow from that Meadow Street alleyway.The Meadow Street parking spaces will remain available. For safety reasons, we recommend that you use the atrium/City alley entrance (south side of the church) for the duration of this project.While church staff should be able to enter through the church office entrance after the first week, we believe that consistency in how we access the building offers the greatest safety for all others who join us in activities at the church.We specifically ask that you do NOT walk under the scaffolding and that you closely follow closed sidewalk instructions. Please know that we will do all we can to keep the area as clean as we can.  And also be patient if the weather affects the timing of the work getting done.  We are certain that the crew will do their best to keep this job moving along as weather permits. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this work will cause.  We appreciate your understanding that this is an important project as we strive to be good stewards in maintaining our special church building that is over 100 years old.  We are doing our best to preserve its beauty and to keep it a safe place for our community, and we sincerely appreciate your support.   NOTE:  We have two additional projects scheduled for the next few weeks. 1) Starting next week (this week now), Vassars Services will begin loading equipment for the installation of new HVAC systems for the music suite/youth room and the Blue Room areas.  Most of the installation work is anticipated to be completed during the week of 5/2/2022.  There should be minimal impact for others during this installation.  2) On May 9th, Jeter Flooring will start installing replacement flooring in the hallway between the Williams Building and the Blue Room (music suite hallway).  This is a 2-day job and should have minimal disruption to any activities in the church.  We are asking that no heavy carts or other equipment be rolled over the new flooring until after 5/9/2022, giving at least one week for the new floor to set before any heavy use.                   Blessings,   Donna Soyars, Chair TBC Building & Grounds Committee

Update from B&G Chair, Donna

I received a call from Clint Hobbs this morning, and here is the update:

• He and his team will be at the church THIS AFTERNOON (Tuesday, 5/10) to begin to set up scaffolding.
• He will be starting work tomorrow morning at 7:30am.
• The lift will arrive likely by next Monday.  It will be used to set up the final sections of the scaffolding.
• Clint received the City permit yesterday (hooray!).  
• Clint will be meeting with the City inspector probably tomorrow to go over the signage requirements for the sidewalk and street closures.  The signs are expensive.  That will add to the cost of this job in an unanticipated way.  Clint is working with the inspector to do his best to minimize this cost.
• The City is requiring that the Meadow Street closure occur daily from 9am to 3:30pm.  That will result in a longer span of time to complete the job.  Therefore, it is possible that his crew will work an occasional Saturday to make up for time lost during the Monday-Friday work week.  This is different from what we told folks in our letters.  It will probably make them happy, so I am not intending to send out separate communications to everyone unless leadership feels that is needed.  This will help our TCCC parents, so it would be good to communicate this change to them.
• Whereas we thought that it would be a 3-phased approach, it is now possible that there will be a blending of phases 1 and 2 .  I told Clint to do what he needed to do to get this job done well and efficiently, understanding that this is a difficult job to begin with.  We will be as flexible as we can be.  That means to be alert each day to where they are working and the most safe access points.  I still believe and will repeat that using the alley/atrium entrance is the safest entrance for the duration of this project.
• I told Clint to let us know which Saturdays he may need to work so that we can coordinate with April.  If there are other events that we need to be aware of that would potentially need result in a need for coordination on Saturdays, please let me know.

Thanks so much for your support as we move forward with this important project.

We would like to thank all who attended the Business Meeting this past Sunday either in person or via Zoom.  The Leadership Team would like to thank you for engaging in wonderful discussion of how we move forward together and for reading the proposal.

A word from Erin:

“What we saw in the room was that many of us gravitate toward particular areas of interest/concern. God designed it, and us, that way. The only way we can knit those things together, albeit imperfectly, is for us to show up and engage in the conversations and the solutions.”

A word from Donna:

“Personally, I truly appreciated the honest and caring responses we heard.”

Please be aware, the team heard what was said at the meeting and will be taking the comments seriously as they move forward in creating an actionable plan for 2022-2023 that can be aligned with the budget.  This is certainly a plan, understanding that plans can be modified as new opportunities arise.  We will have choices to make as we learn how to simplify and focus as “We make the road by walking.”

To read the proposal again, click here. To watch the recording of the business meeting click here.

The Leadership Team consist of a minimum of one active member of each official committee, the majority of our church officers, pastoral staff members, three individuals that have both served as deacons in the past and trusted leaders in the congregation. 

The members of the Administrative Board are serving as the congeners of the leadership team.

If you have additional feedback please let a team member know:

ADMIN BOARD: Woody Jenkins, Jessica Corbitt, Anita McCarty
TCCC: Erin Braford
PASTORAL STAFF: Judy Fiske, April Kennedy, Sterling Severns
BUILDING AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE: Donna Soyars and Jay Hartman
FINANCE COMMITTEE: Dan Herman, Jim Soyars, Margaret Ailes
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: Penny Jenkins, Burdette Robinson, William Welstead, Barbara Satterwhite
PREVIOUS DEACONS: Naomi Reddish, Jerry Jones, Bill Gradwell

As our church continues to walk together with Jesus in the Lenten Season, the pastoral staff would like to share the questions we’re asking one another in our collaborative planning of Holy Week. It is our hope that each of you will pray for the staff in our intentional planning and so that you will prepare your hearts for intentional participation during Holy Week. Yesterday, we shared the prompts we’re discussing for Palm Sunday. Today, we’re sharing the prompts for Maundy Thursday. 

Thurs, April 14: Maundy Thursday – an immersive worship experience

Calendar Placeholder for the congregation: evening service
“Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “command,” and refers to Jesus’ commandment to the disciples to “Love one another as I have loved you.”   Traditionally, TBC has gathered on Maundy Thursday to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, partaking in the Lord’s Supper, and following Jesus into the garden of Gethsemane. These three movements are a given in this year’s immersive worship experience. .

Reflective prompts:
As we consider purpose and intention in our planning, we will inevitably find ourselves re-traditioning the Maundy Thursday Service.

MOVEMENT ONE:FOOT WASHING
Invitation and challenge?
 
When Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, Peter resists.  Ultimately, Peter relents when he comes to realize that the invitation is actually a commandment. For years now, we’ve been reluctant to insist that leaders or worshippers participate in the first first movement of the service, mostly because there is a strong resistance to anyone touching our feet.  Should we continue to make the first movement “optional”, what message are we re-enforcing? In turn, if full participation is an expectation, how do we convey the invite in the spirit it is being offered?

Secondly, on the heel of foot washing, Jesus offers these words of invitation and challenge, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Whereas, it’s essential we avoid public piety, it is also really important for the world to see us loving one another. As we plan this year’s Maundy Thursday Service, are there deliberate steps we can take in modeling Christ-like love to our neighbors and the world around us? 

MOVEMENT TWO: BREAD AND CUP
The guest list?
As we plan the second movement of the immersive worship experience, who decides on the invite list? What does intentional invitation look like? How will we discern as to whether or not our invitation the the table is a faithful representation of Jesus’ invitation to HIS table?

MOVEMENT THREE: HOW DEEP DO WE MOVE INTO THE GARDEN?
As we follow Jesus to the garden, do we conclude the service at arrival or go a little deeper into the story as he expresses the betrayal he experiences in their sleeping during his hour of great need?  If we conclude with “arrival”, how do we help our folks reflect upon this before the Good Friday Service? If we conclude with Jesus’ expression of betrayal, how do we help our folks keep their focus on continuing to walk Jesus? Shame can easily stop any one of us from walking.
Please pray for the staff as we consider these questions, and many others in our planning. We’ll share the essential stuff as clarity comes. Here’s what we know so far….

• April 10 Palm Sunday: 9 am – 12:23 pm (walking in the city + worship at 11)
• April 14  Maundy Thursday: an immersive worship experience (evening)
• April 15  Good Friday: a somber and reflective worship service (7:00 PM)
• April 16  Easter Egg Hunt and Cookout  (4:30 PM)
• April 17  Easter morning:  (early breakfast and 11 am worship service) 

This coming Sunday marks the halfway point of the 2022 Lenten Season. With the help of the perspective and witness of Luke’s Gospel,  we find ourselves steadily walking, dancing, and reluctantly shuffling our feet to Jerusalem. 

Over these next few days, the staff is going to begin to share reflective prompts about unique moments/experiences we’re preparing for Holy Week.  We’re going to be very purposeful in our planning and we pray each member of our church family will be purposeful in their participation. Please go ahead and put placeholders in your calendars.  Specifics will be shared as clarity comes to those entrusted as guides on the journey…

Sunday, April 10: Palm Sunday

Calendar Placeholder: 9 a.m – 12:30 p.m.
Multiple generations are invited to gather early this morning to commemorate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Like previous Palm Sundays at TBC,  palm branches and walking in the neighborhood are “givens”.

Reflective prompt:
As we consider purpose and intentional walking, perhaps it’s time for us to “re-tradition” the palm parade?  What might it look like for our congregation to creatively offer some form of meaningful blessing in the neighborhood?  How might the moment provide an opportunity to connect more deeply with one another and the world around us? Are there sidewalks, beyond the rectangle surrounding the church building’s footprint, we  are feeling called to explore together? The specifics will be shared as clarity comes to those planning/facilitating  Holy Week events/services. Here’s what we know so far….

• April 14  Maundy Thursday: an immersive worship experience (evening)
• April 15  Good Friday: a somber and reflective worship service (7:00 PM)
• April 16  Easter Egg Hunt and Cookout (4:30 PM)
• April 17  Easter morning:  (early breakfast and 11 am worship service)