We began 2022 with our annual Church Prayer. I’ve been reflecting on the prayer inspired by a prayer written by Paul concerning his passion and focus on the importance of the church in his day. He prayed for the rapid spread of the Gospel message of Jesus. He knew that this message of grace and steadfast love was what the people in his day needed most. Then he goes on to pray that the church would be focused on God’s plan to spread the love of Jesus to our world.

When you go to our fantastic TCC website, the banner greets you with this thought: Where Hope Is Found. That doesn’t mean that we believe hope is found in us, but we want everyone to experience the message of hope found in Jesus, whom we reflect. As Pastor John talked about in his message from Sunday, we are Christ’s ambassadors, placed here to represent Him well. 

As we celebrate our 30th birthday on Sunday, we want to remind ourselves that we are here to spread the fragrant aroma of God’s love and mercy to our world. We are here to be salt and light. We want everyone to know the hope of what it means to follow Jesus, become like Jesus and love like Jesus loved. 

Kim and I have poured over hundreds of pictures of our 30 years here in Western Nevada County. As we did, we saw countless faces of people who have been touched by the purpose and passion of our church. It was so satisfying, and we made sure to pray, thank God, and give Him all the glory for what He’s done through our church. Seeing these pictures also caused me to want to experience even more of God’s love, power, and presence. We heard from a young woman who brought her kids to check out TCC last weekend, and she was so thrilled with her experience that she is coming back this weekend and bringing friends with her. Folks, I’ve written about this before: We are in a season of rebuilding. Let’s engage together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday – either in person or online – for our celebration and DONUTS!

Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE, STRENGTHEN FAITH, SERVE OTHERS, and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community. 

FAMILY FILM NIGHT – Friday, March 25 at the church in the Student’s Multi-Purpose Room. We’ll be watching 'Twas The Night Before Easter by the VeggieTale gang.

EASTER EGG CANDY COLLECTION – After two years off because of COVID, we’re ready to bring our families and community together for an incredible Easter experience. We want to have over 10,000 eggs stuffed with candy for the Egg Hunt. Will you help by bringing candy to church? You can order online and have your candy shipped to the church if it’s easier. Please make sure to order individually wrapped miniature candy. The deadline to receive candy is Wednesday, March 30 so we can get it stuffed in our plastic eggs. 

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, March 25, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. We’re also receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Here’s how you can find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donations. 

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. We have two part-time jobs open right now for the person who not only wants to work but wants that work to make a difference in the lives of others. Here is the link to see the current job openings. If you’re interested in any of these positions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the person listed. We look forward to having you join our team of motivated servant leaders. 

THIS SUNDAY, we get to begin our UNLEASHING HOPE series. In this series, we’ll talk about the ways the Gospel message of Jesus can change our everyday lives. The MOVING FORWARD series talked about where we’re headed as a church. It showed us just what we can expect as we walk this road together. I loved this quote by Richard Rohr: “A good journey begins with knowing where we are and being willing to go someplace else.” I have been praying for you and me – that we will join Jesus on the journey He has for us. We can be people who continue to be transforming because of the hope we have in Jesus. This week, we will focus on how this message is the best hope our world has.

Here are the links you’ll need to prepare for Sunday’s Service: 

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

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