Category: Worship & Fellowship

My name is Jacquelyn (Jacque) Green. I am the pastoral intern for the 2017-18 school year. I am a third year student at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. I am pursuing a dual degree – Masters of Divinity and Masters in Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.  My course work does not require that I take a supervised ministry internship. However, I felt that I was lacking the type of congregational experience that I needed to balance my divinity studies and prepare me for ministry. Therefore, I was introduced to Tabernacle through our Dean, Dr. Tracy Hartman.

I believed Tabernacle would be an ideal place for me to train. After taking my first unit of Clinical Pastor Education at VCU, I became increasingly interested in ecumenical ministry. Therefore, I returned for my second year at BTSR with a few learning goals in mind.  First, I wanted to serve in a culturally diverse congregation. Secondly, I wanted serve in a church that worshipped around the liturgical year. Thirdly, I wanted to gain experience in planning and leading worship, along with general pastoral responsibilities. My husband, Ray and I are members of St. Paul’s Baptist Church.  St. Paul’s has a large, predominately African American congregation, with a progressive, contemporary worship style. So, the specific ministry training I desired wasn’t available in my church context. 

As of this writing, I am participating in all of the learning goals listed above, especially assisting with planning all aspects of worship.  Most recently, I helped with the funeral for Ethel Isaacs, served communion during World Communion Sunday, provided pastoral care to home-bound members, and I am co-facilitating Wednesday night Bible Study with Art Wright. 

I am grateful for the generosity of the anonymous donors who made the financial 

investment in me through this internship. Equally, I am humbled by the personal investment of Rev. Sterling Severns and Judy Fiske in mentoring me, as well as the prayers and encouragement of the Tabernacle family. I am diligently seeking God’s guidance in how he will continue to use my ministry training in the months and years to come.

Respectfully submitted,

Jacque Green 

Greetings Tabernacle Baptist Church family!  The Associate Pastor Search Team is happy to announce that we have found a candidate to present to the church.  As you will read below, we had a thorough and exhaustive search.  We are very excited and hopeful for how our candidate can serve TBC and the abilities she will bring to the role.  We have enjoyed getting to know her and look forward to introducing her to you all. 

 

The search has been a significant effort by all of the team members.  We began meeting in late May and met once a week through early September.  The job description was widely publicized, and received 37 resumes.  After reviewing and grading the resumes, the team developed a questionnaire for selected candidates.  From the 18 questionnaires returned to the team, we identified 7 candidates to interview.  Following the interview process, the team unanimously presented a candidate to the Deacon Board, September 17th .

 

Information about the candidate will be presented to the church October 15^th.  

 

The candidate will be visiting Tabernacle November 9-12.  There will be three Question and Answer sessions for members to meet the candidate and learn more about her.  Please make plans to attend one of the sessions.

 

Question and Answer Sessions

Friday, November 10, 7pm Coffee and Dessert in the Fellowship Hall

Saturday, November 11, 11:30am-1:30pm Picnic Lunch at Dunncroft/Castle Point Park

Sunday, November 12, 9am Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall

 

The congregation will vote to call the candidate to ministry at TBC November 19.  

 

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and wisdom for the team during the search process.

 

The Associate Pastor Search Team

April Kennedy

Brang Ja Mahka

Brenda Gradwell

Burdette Robinson

Kathryn Hall

Monica Lang

Nathan Hatfield

 

Without fail, the arrival of Fall brings with it heightened activity in most aspects of life.  It is certainly true of life here at TBC!  Full-swing is almost an understatement… and it’s all good.

The Associate Pastor Search Committee did not take a break all summer, and have, with much deliberation, brought to us their highest recommended candidate.  April Kennedy, chairperson, and team: Nathan Hatfield, Brenda Gradwell, Brang Ja Mahka, Burdette Robinson, Monica Iang and Kathryn Hall are to be thanked for their extraordinary diligence and for a task of service well-done.

A strong church body doesn’t exist without strong leadership.  As we look toward the up-coming church year, we seek your prayers and discernment for those among us who will step up and assume roles in the various positions, committees and teams that comprise TBC leadership.  You will each soon be asked to consider where your own gifts can be best utilized as well as those among us whom you would recommend to serve in key leader roles.

During a recent meeting, the Deacon Board received excellent instruction and suggestions from our very own hospital chaplain, Jeff Walton, regarding Do’s and Don’ts of Making Hospital Visits.  Thank you, Jeff, for sharing your expertise from your own experiences.

Church staffing needs continue to be front and center on our agenda.  Most pressing are the urgent needs for our youth and children’s ministries.  Prayers for God’s leading in these matters are of utmost importance.

A team is being formed to bring to our church family recommendations for a church-wide marriage and marriage enrichment process.  Here again, your prayers are coveted for the formation of the team and working together toward this sensitive and urgent need.

The Tabernacle Child Care Center report is an addition to this report.  Please note new developments and the first steps in the search for replacing our beloved Frances Thrift upon her retirement at the end of this year.

It has long been our tradition to provide and distribute Christmas Baskets to individuals and families in our areas of contact and awareness of need.  The baskets are provided by contributions ($50 per basket) within our church family and distributed by our own efforts.  This year’s delivery date is Wednesday, December 20th.  This does not happen without enormous effort from a team of leaders and volunteers.  In the near future, you will receive additional information on this annual event and learn of ways to assist in this love gift to our neighbors.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerry Jones

Chairman, TBC Board of Deacons

Hello TCCC & TBC Family!

We are reaching out to you all today in hopes of keeping everyone in our
community up to date on the progress of the formal search for the new TCCC
Director, and to also engage our core network in the search itself. First,
we would like to let you know who is currently working to make the match
for our next TCCC Director. The team consists of 3 church members, 3
center members, and 1 hybrid member. We are all very dedicated to finding
the strongest and most experienced match for the position. We align on
values, agree on need, and are actively taking on tasks and objectives
related to the search. Our ultimate goal over the weeks and months ahead
is to make our current Director Frances Thrift’s transition to retirement
a smooth one, while we search for a new TCCC Director who will continue
the highly-valued care that TCCC provides for its children and their
parents.

  – Search Committee (Voting Members): Jonathan Barton, Annie Miller,
Beth Wright, David Brown, Kristen White, Melissa Hoban, Katye Snipes
  – Process & Committee Support Partners (Non-Voting Members): Donna
Soyars & Kathy Allen (TCCC Ministry & Administrative Committees)
  – Additional Support and Committee Partners (Non-Voting): Rev. Sterling
Severns (Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church) & Jerry Jones (Chair, TBC
Board of Deacons)

As we work to inform and notify the communities we (individuals listed
above) are all involved with the position and the details of the role, we
are asking each of you to thoughtfully share the information we are
providing to you today. We are actively working to reach viable candidates
and new network(s) and network members who will be progressive and
positive partners to us in our search.

Please reach out to our team via email
(DirectorSearchTeam@tbcrichmond.org) if you have any questions moving
forward, and THANK YOU all for your support as we move forward.

Below, you find the job posting and job description. Please feel free to distribute to
your own networks as we work to reach the best applicants!

In Kindness,

Jonathan, Annie, Beth, Katye, David, Melissa, & Kristen

 

Click here to View the TCCC Director Job Posting 

Click here to view the TCCC Director Job Description

The Tabernacle Baptist Church in Richmond, VA is actively seeking an experienced and dynamic leader to become the next Director of their vibrant child care and development program. 

If you are a thoughtful, passionate, and experienced Educator and / or Administrator who understands the value of community, faith, and diversity being present in childhood and family development -AND-  you understand the incredible importance of providing a deeply loving, caring, and nurturing environment to the children, families, employees and congregation members with whom you lead, partner and serve… 

Please consider applying for the TCCC Director position! 

Qualifications and Experience:

1.  Master’s Degree (preferred) in Early Childhood Education or Child Development; related fields will be considered. 

2.  Minimum 5 years of experience (or more preferred) in early childhood education or administering child care 

3.  Minimum 3 years of experience (or more preferred) in operations and / or personnel management 

(including supervision, hiring, setting expectations, providing feedback, and evaluating performance)

4.  Proficiency with office systems, e.g. Microsoft Word and Excel, email and social media outlets

5.  Experience working in / with financial and administrative processes and systems

This is an amazing opportunity for the right person – are you ready to join the TCCC family?

IF SO, please send a copy of your resume to DirectorSearchTeam@tbcrichmond.org

?Include your FULL NAME in the subject line of the email please!

NO PHONE CALLS & Please email any questions regarding the role or posting! 

THANK YOU!

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE JOB DESCRIPTION

Virginia Baptist Disaster Response and Baptist General Association of Virginia leaders are continuing to monitor the still-ongoing situation in southeast Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey. With the rain finally moving out of the area, volunteers will be mobilized and sent to Texas once the floodwaters start receding.

Our current partners for this response are:

• Texas Baptist Men/Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
• North American Baptist Fellowship
• Baptist General Convention of Texas Crisis Resiliency Team
• American Red Cross
• Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster at the local, state, and national level
• These organizations are working in coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management. We are continuing to maintain close communication with these partners as they determine a response plan that is helpful and effective.

Right now, there are three of ways you and your church can respond.

First, you can pray. Please pray for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Please pray for officials to make the best decisions in the coming weeks and months ahead. Please pray for those who will be responding to the disaster once cleanup begins. The situation in Texas is simply overwhelming; pray for those who strive to be the hands and feet of God as they offer comfort and relief.

Secondly, you can give at BGAVDR.org/Harvey. You can make the biggest difference right now by making a financial contribution. When your gift is combined with thousands of others, we can provide exponentially more relief. Furthermore, all donations designated for Hurricane Harvey will be used to maximize the benefit to the individuals and families affected by the storm. One-hundred percent of your financial gifts will help disaster response volunteers obtain materials and supplies, food and water, equipment operations, pay for onsite operation expenses, and much more. The BGAV does not retain any funds for overhead or staff administrative costs.

Additionally, we have received a request for Flood Buckets and Hygiene Kits, which we are collecting for distribution through a partner already in place and prepared for this operation. We have received NO other requests for material contributions and will not accept any at this time because we want to focus our relief efforts in the most beneficial manner. If we receive requests for material contributions, we will pass along that information. Financial contributions are the most effective option right now.

Lastly, you can volunteer. Trained volunteers should inform us of your availability over the course of the next several weeks by going online to BGAVDR.org/Harvey. Please inform us of your availability over the course of the next several weeks. Please inform us of your availability over the course of the next several weeks. Individuals interested in volunteering who have not yet been trained should consider attending one of the upcoming training events (see below) or by monitoring the website and Facebook pages for opportunities. There will definitely be opportunities for untrained volunteers for this response, particularly when we move into the recovery phase of the operation.

Upcoming opportunities to train will be held September 3 in Nickelsville, September 23 in Alexandra, and October 7 in Waynesboro. View the training calendar for registration information.

“Virginia Baptists have ALWAYS taken the ‘long view’ when it comes to our responses,” Aaron Lee, Virginia Baptist disaster response coordinator, said. “This response will be no different. There will be opportunities well into 2018 for teams to go and serve.” He added, “As always, we will be looking to establish a long term relationship once the initial relief phase draws to a conclusion.”

The latest updates will be posted at BGAVDR.org/Harvey. You can also follow Virginia Baptist Disaster Response on Facebook.

Should we hire a PT Assoc. Pastor for Families with Children or a FT shared position with our Child Care Center Ministry (Associate for Families with Children + TCCC Assistant Director)

Dear Parents,

At Tabernacle, we feel strongly that the formation of a child’s spirituality is built in several ways.  These include the relationship between religion in the home and times set aside for learning in the church body (Sunday School, mission classes, etc.) as well as through worship.  As we examine the life of the church as a whole, it is imperative to see, as Karen Marie Yust suggests in her book, Real Kids, Real Faith, whether the congregation has welcomed children into the whole life of the church, specifically in worship.

Here, at Tabernacle, we have made a conscious effort to include young children in active ways in our worship.  However, one may still witness the curiosity of a seven-year-old turn into the apathy of a ten-year-old over time when it comes to singing, prayer, and listening attentively to a sermon in worship.

Everyone Worship! has been designed to give both children and parents the tools they need:

? to be engaged in worship, 

? to understand church “lingo,” 

? to be exposed to the intentional rhythms that are part of worship at Tabernacle, 

? to open wide the windows of conversation about baptism, communion, prayer and the church year, and 

? to include the children who find their way into this faith community in one of the most important things we do here – the worship of God!

We will begin the six-week Everyone Worship! program on October 1^st.  The children will be dismissed from the sanctuary at the same time as the Worship Explorers. While the Worship Explorers go to the front of the sanctuary, the Everyone Worship children will go to the back of the sanctuary. This program will be led by Penny Jenkins, and may have a handful of “guest speakers” come in to talk about certain topics.  Because this program has not been offered in the last few years, children in 3rd to 5th  grades are invited to participate.  Each week parents of participating children will receive information about the topic discussed that morning to assist with review and reinforcement during the week and in worship in the weeks ahead.

Please be in touch with Jessica Corbitt at Jessica.corbitt@gmail.com if your child will be participating.  Missing a session or two will certainly be understood.

We are looking forward to this time of learning and growing for your child and your family. We hope that as we continue to worship together, that your child will know that their presence in worship is important and valued. Thank you for your trust as we walk this journey together.