A Particular Church
On January 18, 2004, Tabernacle Presbyterian Church was particularized by the Blue Ridge Presbytery at an evening worship service. Dr. Cortez Cooper delivered the sermon. Rev. Don Ward examined the memberships and declared the church as a full member of the Presbytery. Rev. Ken Aldrich installed Essen Daley to the office of Pastor and Teaching Elder for Tabernacle. Ruling Elder Gary Shickel lead the ordination of Frank Root and then installed both Frank and Chuck Bading as Ruling Elders for Tabernacle. Ruling Elder Jeff Jordan delivered the charge to the congregation and a reception was held for a time of praise and fellowship.
At a congregational meeting held May 30, 2004, the members present voted to approve Mike Lindsay for the Office of Ruling Elder and to approve Bill Elliott and John Lockridge for the Office of Deacon. On June 6, 2004, following an evening supper held on the front lawn, Tabernacle held a service of ordination and installation for the new officers.
In the meantime, numerous properties adjacent to the church had been purchased by a group of investors and then resold for commercial development purposes along with the construction of a large Lowes Home Center. As part of the development planning process, the church was given opportunity to acquire its former manse on the property next door to the west.
Tabernacle’s first Pastoral Intern, Rick Gilmartin, served the church in June & July 2004 as part of his education at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. The church continued to grow in weekly worship attendance so much so that at the direction of the Session, Tabernacle began holding two Sunday morning services in August 2004.
Around the same time, the church Worship Director, Tim Peters, communicated to the Session that he did not feel strongly called to full-time ministry and resigned from his position. With the church’s growth, the Session commissioned a Staffing Committee to consider future church needs and to recommend staffing alternatives. The Director of Worship & Discipleship staff position was created and Rick Gilmartin was hired for the job to begin after the conclusion of his seminary studies in January 2005.
By September 2004, the wooded areas behind the church had been cleared and the land regraded so that the church property was visible from Lew Dewitt Blvd. In October, the church finally acquired the manse property and began the work to convert the old house into use as the church office. By year’s end, the neighboring homes to the east of the church were demolished and cleared away.
