VIRTUAL VISITS
VIRTUAL VISITS: SEPTEMBER 6 from Tabernacle Baptist Church, RVA on Vimeo.
Receiving sustenance through the breaking of Bread. Remembering a promise and keeping a promise.
A day of worship.
A day of reunion.
An adventure with purpose.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure! Lost travelers can contact Pastor@tbcrichmond.org for roadside assistance.
9:30AM 10-minute Communion service via Zoom.
Please be sure to have bread and cup ready and join the Zoom meeting on time as we will begin at 9:30 and need to end on time before Sunday School.
9:45AM Sunday School
Attend your regular Sunday School classes, if desired, and make plans to join a group from TBC to travel, virtually, to worship with a sister congregation.
Tab Small Group | Youth Sunday School | Community Room Class & Welstead Class
9:55 AM: FBC COOPERSTOWN, NY
You can watch that service via YouTube (Click link). This is a big day for Joe and his flock: they are re-entering their building for the first time since March! Some of the local congregations have been worshiping together recently, so you will likely see a good ecumenical mix in both the wooden and virtual pews.
10:15 AM: FBC ASHLAND and SHILOH BAPTIST
You can watch that service via Facebook or Vimeo (click either link). The advantage of engaging via Facebook is interaction. Josh, other members of the staffs, and members of both congregations can use the comment tool to interact during the service. Also, free to invite others to join your virtual travel group! Please just be sure to let us know that you participated.
4:00PM Communion Service, the sequel
Missed communion earlier in the day? Want to gather for the Lord’s Supper for a second time? Join us for our second 10 minute communion service and then linger, as long as you’d like to do so, as we share brief testimonials about what we see God doing in in the churches we visited and how we can pray for them. Be sure to have bread and cup ready as we will begin at 4PM.
About our Sister Congregations:
“CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE”: FBC ASHLAND + SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH, 10:15AM
Rev. Dr. Josh Hayden, the Pastor at FBC Ashland, has been a friend and mentor to our Pastor and Associate Pastor in many forms. Rachel (Scott) Pierce, is a beloved member of our Tabernacle Family. We were blessed to offer her bread for the journey as she departed TBC to begin her position as Pastor of Worship at First Baptist. First Baptist Church Ashland and Shiloh Baptist Church have enjoyed a deliberate, grant-based, dialogue on “connecting worship to everyday life and bridging racial divides.” They have invited us to witness the official closing service for the grant and what will inevitably become the first of many years of partnership together. The two congregations are still working on details for the service. Worship will begin at 10:15 AM on Facebook. Estimated length of service 1-2 hours.
FARMVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH, VA 10:00 AM EST
Rev. Dr. Tracy Hartman, beloved TBC congregant, is currently serving as the Transition Pastor at Farmville Baptist Church. Many of our current and former congregants have been members of this sister congregation, many of them as children, youth, or college students. Whereas some of the Farmville Baptist members are currently meeting for worship in person, we will join many others through Zoom. Estimated length of service is 1 hour.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 12:15 PM (ESt)
Rev. Dan and Christ Schumacher moved to Colorado a few years ago. Dan, our former Pastoral Resident, has thrived in his leadership role at FBC. The congregation has graciously invited us to participate in their weekly zoom fellowship and also participate in worship leadership, via zoom. Of course, our friends in Colorado are in a different time zone. The 15 minute fellowship zoom will begin at 12:15 in OUR time zone (EST) and the 40 minute service will begin at 12:30 PM (EST).
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF COOPERSTOWN, NY 10 AM (EST)
Rev. Joseph Perdue, also a beloved member of our community, actively lived and served beside us throughout his seminary experience. He also served on the staff of Metro Baptist Church (NY), one of our closest ministry partners, before moving to FBC Cooperstown. The congregation has been worshiping in person in ecumenical partnership with other congregations. They’ve invited us to join them, with many others, via Facebook at 10 AM EST. It just so happens that Sept. 6 is the first time they will have worshiped in their physical sanctuary since early March! Estimated length of service is 1 hour.
Something a little more adventurous:
BUENA VISTA BAPTIST CHURCH, VA, 11:00 AM (EST)
Rev. Bryon and Annie LePere lived and served beside us during a pivotal moment in the life of our congregation. They have remained deeply connected to our church family and we have been blessed in ministry partnership with multiple congregations under Bryon’s good leadership. Buena Vista Baptist Church has invited us to physically join them for worship this Sunday. The service is an outdoor service on the lawn of the church that begins at 9:30 AM. The lawn is marked in socially distant squares with an X for your chair (bring your own). There is also the option of staying in your car and experiencing worship in the car with the windows down. Please let Judy Fiske know if you plan to join her in attending so she can tell Bryon know how many people to expect. Buena Vista Baptist Church has partnered with us for VBS here at Tabernacle and also for CLUE Camp in NYC.
Preparing for the Journey
Thank you for your willingness to join of one of our virtual visits. Here are some things for us to consider as we prepare for the virtual travel day:
1) The primary purpose of our virtual adventures is encouragement to sister congregations. Take some time to visit their webpages, and/or social media sites, prior to your visit. Try to get acquainted with what is happening in the life of their congregation. If you have time, try to watch or listen to the recording of their most recent worship service(s).
2) Remember, we aren’t sneaking into the virtual back pew. Rather, we are deliberately joining them for the day, as representatives of Tabernacle Baptist Church. It is likely that our hosts will publicly/briefly recognize our presence in the service. You won’t be asked to turn on your device’s microphone but, in most cases, you’ll be seen. This is a good! We want our presence, and eye contact, to send a message that we are fully present and glad to be there. If you want to visit more than one one church, on September 6, please be sure the two services don’t overlap.
3) On that note, we know that technology can be a challenge, and it is especially easy to inadvertently distract folks on the other side of the “virtual sanctuary”. Let’s just do our best to not create distractions but also know that there is an abundance of grace. Just do your best to participate as fully as possible.
4) Let’s do our best to arrive early and linger a while after worship is over. We encourage you to post encouraging words to Rachel, Dan, Christen, Bryon, Annie, Tracy, and Joe. However, let’s also do our best to offer encouragement to their congregations! In Christ, we are brothers and sisters, even if we don’t know each other’s names. Aren’t comfortable posting anything in the moment, due to tech. issues and/or privacy? No problem. We encourage you to get creative in reaching out after the visit. It would be great if at least one member of each traveling group send a handwritten thank you to their host congregation.
5) We would love for you to submit a video, audio, or written word of testimony on the other side of your visit. Tell us where you saw God at work and share ways that we can pray specifically. Just be aware that, unless you specify, we will assume that anything you share will be shared with the entire TBC family in the remainder of our September worship services. Please submit your brief testimonials to this link or ask for help and we’ll find a different way to gather it. https://www.dropbox.com/request/8KPYbt5C1irg2JlphCRb
Thanks for signing up to join us on this adventure! We’ll be in touch with your group with details on Thursday, September 3rd.