Tuckahoe Presbyterian Church

60th Anniversary Celebration

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:06:57 +0000

Celebrating 60 years of God’s faithfulness at TPC.

Tuckahoe Presbyterian Church was chartered in 1952 to meet the spiritual needs of Richmond’s fast growing West End. From the tiny seed planted by first minister, Bill Wilson, and the 59 original charter members Tuckahoe has grown into a vibrant community of faith with over 400 members (four of whom were with TPC from its humble beginnings in Duntreath house). Join us May 5th and 6th as we celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past and our excitement about the future. We’ll see old friends, eat good food, hear God’s Word proclaimed in scripture, sermon and song. The complete list of activities and events is below.

(Photo: Celebrating the completion of TPC’s first sanctuary, Wilson Hall)

Saturday, May 5

Family Photo Session	Duntreath Hall	4:00 – 5:30 p.m .
Picnic (please bring a side or a dessert to serve 8-10 people)	Lawn (or Duntreath Hall)	5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Children’s Games		5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Recognition of former staff and charter members	Duntreath Hall	6:15 – 6:30 p.m.
Dessert & Concert by Richmond Swing Orchestra	Duntreath Hall	6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 6

Morning Fellowship-coffee, Danish	Duntreath Hall	9:00 a.m.
Sunday School		9:30 a.m.
Inquirer’s Class	Office Workroom	9:30 a.m.
Sunday Worship		11:00 a.m.
Fellowship Hour – recognition guests, Charter Members	Duntreath Hall	12:00– 1:00 p.m.
Family Photo Sessions	Duntreath Hall	12:15 – 1:45 p.m.

2012 Lenten Small Groups

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:50:26 +0000

Our Lenten small group signups are Sundays, Feb. 5-12 after worship in Duntreath. A member of the Christian Formation division will be on hand to tell you about available small groups, ask questions and sign up for a group.

1. In the fall, come talk with leaders about the small group ministries associated with TPC. Ministries featured include TPC Home Groups, Men’s Bible Study and Presbyterian Women’s Circles.

2. Before Lent – TPC invites the whole church family to take part in a small group during Lent. There will be a small group station in the weeks before Lent to help you find a group or list your group. This year, we’ll be reading Sam Wells’ Power and Passion.

About TPC Small Groups
At TPC, we believe that taking part as an active member of a small group study is one of the most powerful ways to grow as a disciple of Christ. Small group members study the Bible, pray for and encourage each other as each member seeks to become more like Christ.

Finito!!

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:36:05 +0000

The house is done! We finished what we came to do. The day started out like every other, with an early breakfast and crowing rooster (really at 3 AM). Mom and I started our day off around that time by killing two spiders about the size of silver dollars. However, it didn’t dampen the day and the construction team left around 7 to start work on the final parts of the house. When we arrived this morning, there was the back wall to finish with siding and there was no roof. By the end of the day, the roof was on and siding was completed! Lucky was a great leader for the siding team, and was willing to listen to everyone’s ideas. Robins and Josh deserve a lot of praise because they stayed on the roof all day, determined to finish. After a delicious meal at Senor Jack’s (pronounced “Yack” according to Rusty and Josh), the VBS team wanted to prepared for the final day but the kids showed up 2 hours early because they liked us so much so we just played with them. VBS was a review day and ended with the kids pulling numbers out of a hat and getting presents. A few were upset to see us go. Everyone headed over to the site to see the finished product. Once it was done, Steven performed a beautiful dedication ceremony for Carolina, Reimi, Michel, Michalito, and Mayline. It was then that we realized how much this trip would stay with all of us. Carolina’s tears of thanks were all we needed to realize that the heat and the bugs were nothing compared to her gratitude. Reimi was too sad to say goodbye and Michalito didn’t want us to leave and followed us to Ellen’s. The day was ended with a great dinner where Jack, his wife, Reimi, and the visiting dentists joined us. We finished the night with devotion filled with thanks and remembrances and we’re all looking forward to coming home to A/C and long showers.

Can’t wait to see everyone!

Meagan McGee

Never thought a shower in the afternoon could feel SOOOOOO good!

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:07:52 +0000

Well, it’s Thursday evening – one full day of work left to go! Carolina’s house is finally beginning to look like a house (a lot of people have described it that way) due to the majority of the roof work being completed. All but the rear walls have been completed (way to go siding team!), so we should be able to get a good chunk of the work on the house done. I never thought we could do so much! Like “mi tia” (Kim Richardson) wrote on the previous post, we started with literally a concrete slab and have created an entire house – which may just be the biggest project I’ve ever taken on personally.

Mom’s (Karen Cooke’s) vacation bible school has been extremely successful so far. The children from the surrounding villages and houses who have come by each day look like they are truly enjoying their time with each other. Today, I got to assist in being Jesus by giving the children piggie-back rides across a bottomless pit of snakes, tarantulas, and lord knows what else (So technically I was Indiana Jones too… COOL!) Also, on a more goofy note, Jeb, Kim, and myself got to ride to the construction site in the back of Jack’s truck after lunch, and we all pretended to be “banditos” storming the village

But seriously, everyone on the trip has enjoy boatloads of laughs over the past week. Everyone has been working very hard – whether they be with the construction crew or the VBS crew. They should all be really proud of the effect they have had on San Jose Adentro. After only one week, I can tell that everyone on the trip has been changed by the cultural experience we have all shared.

Whoops! Evening worship is about to start! Gotta Go!!!

Grayson “Pepito” Cooke (and Jeb’s “Pepe”. I’ll explain later

The shortest distance…

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:30:09 +0000

Well, we’re deep into it now! The construction crew has put together all the framing for the walls, and even though when we got here there was merely a concrete slab and a few cinder blocks, there now stands the skeleton of Carolina’s house. We have six feet of cinder block wall in place and an additional seven feet of wooden frame above that along with the interior wall frames. All that is missing is the siding and roof, and she will have her new home. We are on schedule to have that completed by Friday. Though we are tired, sweaty and sore, it is all worth it to see the pride and hopefulness in her smile, and the enthusiasm that her children have for taking a part in creating their new home.

We have enjoyed wonderful group meals prepared by Camilla and Ruth Anna, as well as lunches cooked by our host’s wife. These have been Dominican dishes that have been refreshing to try. She has fed an army every day and not once stopped smiling (maybe it’s because she’s not used to seeing men in the kitchen on clean-up duty.)

The Bible School has been going well, and it’s been great to see so many kids participating with our youth! Their outreach is definitely having an impact on the children here. Reimi, Carolina’s oldest son, literally ran the quarter mile down the dirt road in the rain, just to make sure he got to attend, so you know it must be good.

I think one of my favorite observations for the week was something that just spontaneously happened this morning (although every new day brings some kind of wonderful surprise.) We were building the walls to the house when a few of our girls were playing with the village children just down the road. The laughter filled the air, and I took a moment to step out and see what was happening. I saw the little ones riding some huge, dried, coconut-palm fronds down the dirt embankment like a sled, and there were Aubrey and Meagan encouraging them and laughing and giggling with them. I’m pretty sure that Aubrey even took a turn down the hill on the “sled!”

They say that a smile is the shortest distance between two people. Well, there has been enough laughter, both among our group and with the people here, to seal any gap that language might have created. It has truly been a blessing to be here and to serve these people in the name of Christ and Tuckahoe!

- Kim Richardson

Dia quatro y todo es bueno!

admin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:10:06 +0000

Everyone has arrived safely! The construction crew is ahead of schedule. The site is looking wonderful! The children that will be living have been really helpful in the process of applying the mortar and concrete. It went a lot better than expected! Even though the language barrier is tough, we have managed to get our point across in Vacation Bible School with the help of our translator, Katie. The kids seemed to be enjoying themselves and are great to work with! I’m excited to work them all again tomorrow!

-Mary Chris

We’ve arrived in Santiago (but our bus is in Santo Domingo).

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:32:43 +0000

The bus is a myth! It went to the wrong airport so we have to go to the house in shifts. ¡Eso es la Republica Dominicana! It has been fun sitting with our amazing group!

Mary Chris Werner

Here We Go.

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:56:21 +0000

At 5:30 tomorrow morning 21 members of TPC will board a bus to Dulles Airport where we’ll catch a flight to Miami and then head on to Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Once there, we’ll catch a bus to the village of San Jose Adentro where we’ll stay at the Christian Medical Mission Facility and begin our work. Bags are packed. Spirits are high. Please keep us in your prayers and stay tuned for updates.

Denominational Update

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:29:06 +0000

As you may have learned in press reports, on Tuesday, May 10, a majority of the presbyteries in our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), have approved a change to our constitution regarding the way we examine candidates for the ordained offices of elder, deacon, and minister of word and sacrament. Let me take a moment to share with you what has changed and what has not.

What has changed…

With the passage of Amendment 10-A, the following language (G-6.0106b) has been removed from our Book of Order:

Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.

A new paragraph will now replace this one, which obligates presbyteries to examine their candidates with the guidance of Scripture and the historic confessions of the church and which delegates any judgment on sexual ethics to the local ordaining body. The paragraph that replaces G-6.0106b reads as follows:

Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.

The net effect of this change to our book of order means that candidates for ordained service (elders, deacons, and ministers of word and sacrament) are no longer automatically barred from ordination on the basis of sexual behavior. All judgments about the suitability of candidates for ordained ministry to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament will now rest upon local presbytery bodies – the Committee on Preparation for Ministry in the case of candidates seeking ordination, and the Committee on Ministry in the case of ministers who are already ordained and seeking transfer into the Presbytery of the James.

The change in language is reflective of the difficulty our denomination has had in identifying, addressing, and applying a normative Christian sexual ethics across a theologically diverse body. In some fashion, the debate over sexual ethics has been a reality at virtually every General Assembly since 1978 and is not likely to disappear in spite of this amendment’s ratification.

What has not changed…

Tuckahoe Presbyterian Church will continue to bear witness to our living savior, Jesus Christ. We will continue to ordain and install those who confess themselves to be sinners in need of grace, who joyfully acknowledge that the gift of this grace is found in Jesus Christ, and who faithfully strive to live their lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

We will continue to celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ in our worship, in our celebration of the Sacraments, in our teaching, preaching, and in our mission partnerships.

We will continue to work hard at being a community that joyfully invites and welcomes people from across all dividing lines.

Our Pastor Nominating Committee will prayerfully and thoughtfully seek the very best candidate whom God has called to ministry and in whom the church has recognized the gifts and graces necessary for leading our congregation toward that which Christ has called her.

It is difficult to know at this point how the change in language will affect our life together as a denomination or as a church community. As an indication of how divisive this issue has become, when our presbytery voted on amendment 10-A in the fall of 2010, the vote was deadlocked at 152-152 with three abstentions. We acknowledge that there will be a variety of expressions greeting this change and are committed to hearing any members who wish to give voice to their thoughts. Richard and I will say more in weeks ahead. In the mean time if you would like to speak with either of us, our doors are always open.

The peace of our Lord,
Steven Good
Associate Pastor

Lenten Small Groups

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:16:26 +0000

Our Lenten small group signups are Sundays, Feb. 27-March 6 at 12pm in Duntreath. On a Small Group Sunday you can learn about available small groups, ask questions and sign up for a group.

1. In the fall, come talk with leaders about the small group ministries associated with TPC. Ministries featured include TPC Home Groups, Men’s Bible Study and Presbyterian Women’s Circles.