We Need Each Other + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • February 11, 2022

It’s so fulfilling to hear the positive feedback every time we do a message series like MOVING FORWARD. There’s something about vision and clarity that gives us direction and ownership. I was thrilled at your response to the SHARE LIFE message on Sunday. Friends, Twin Cities is a place where God is experienced, Jesus is lifted up, and lives are changed. It’s great to gather together and share the life we have in Jesus and with one another. We all want to know that there is a place for us in God’s plan, and Acts 2:42-47 painted such a beautiful picture of life in community. Please watch the service if you didn’t get to engage on Sunday.


Let me take a moment to speak words of pastoral care and compassion. Some people heard me talk about the benefits of being together on Sundays at church, and they felt conflicted because of their desire to remain safe during our COVID reality. Let me say that I understand your caution – especially if you have loved ones who are compromised because of underlying health issues or if you have your own health concerns. I know that I am at a higher risk than a healthy person because of my cancer and the impact of the treatments I’ve undergone. Yes, I ended up getting COVID a few weeks ago, and it was a kicker. I was in bed for four days, and I am still recovering physically and emotionally from my experiences. So, I understand your reticence to gather in person. I care about how you’re feeling. 


I have a suggestion that may help. If you’re going to remain online only for a season, will you please look for ways to be more than an observer? Will you work to engage? Will you sing, fill out a Connection Card, give us your prayer requests, give financially, and dialogue with the online pastor and others who are watching? If online church is going to fill the need you have for connection, you’re going to have to work to stay engaged. It won’t happen just by tuning in, you’ll also need to participate. I don’t say this for you alone. You can make a difference in the lives of others as you stay engaged through communication and sharing. I’m so grateful for our Worship Arts Tech Teams who make these services available to us each week, and they can fill a need during this time of separation. I love you and want the best for you and your journey with Jesus.


The writer of Hebrews wrote: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) 


Friends, these verses tell us that our hope, trust in God, love for each other, and acts of service – our overall well-being is based upon our gathering together. You cannot have those things consistently in your life if you try to go it alone. We need each other. 


I write this because we began a new series last Sunday. It’s our annual Vision series. We’re going to have a conversation about how we will continue MOVING FORWARD to become the people and church God has in store for us. Our vision is tied to the fact that we have been called to follow Jesus and love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Each week in this series, we’ll talk about an aspect of what it means to journey with Jesus as we practice His ways. 


Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community. 


GROW UNIVERSITY registrations are now open for our Spring semester of classes that begin on Monday, February 28. Go to our website and look at the specialized offerings designed to help you grow in your faith as you live for God’s purposes in our world. You can take Financial Peace University, Marriage Works, Life After Death,  and GriefShare


Our next BAPTISMwill be on March 6. That’s our 30th birthday! What a great time to go public for Jesus as you take this step of identification and intimacy with Him. If you’ve never been baptized after you said “YES” to Jesus, please pray about this opportunity for you. Check it out and register on our website. 


GROWTH PATH is Sunday, February 27. Growth Path is a great time to find out more about our church and how you can fit in here. We all need a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated. I hope you’ll go to our website and register to attend the class that fits you best. 


EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. We have several part-time jobs open right now for the right 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 continue our Vision series called MOVING FORWARD. We’ll focus on what it’s like to follow Jesus and STRENGTHEN FAITH together. When we commit to Be With Jesus, we Become Like Jesus, and end up Living Like Jesus. It’s all about being on a journey with Him. This is the way God made things to work. See you Sunday as we gather to worship and be inspired by Him. 

 

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


   

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

New Paragraph

By TCC March 6, 2026
Life doesn’t always go the way we hoped it would, does it? Disappointment, loss, conflict, unanswered prayers — suffering is a very real part of the human experience. But as painful as it is, our suffering isn’t necessarily meaningless, nor is it beyond God’s ability to use for good. This weekend, our founding pastor, Ron Thompson, will explore how God meets us in hardship and how the Holy Spirit can use even our trials to strengthen and shape us to become more like Jesus. I look forward to learning alongside you. Please remember that this Sunday is Daylight Savings time and we will be springing forward an hour. We’ll see you bright and early and we will have coffee ready. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC February 27, 2026
I’m still overwhelmed by last week’s baptism service, where 40 of our brothers and sisters in Christ went public with their faith. It was a powerful reminder of the transformative work God is doing in our church community. Speaking of community, this Sunday, Pastor Mark will be sharing about the transforming power of doing life in community. More often than not, the deepest change happens through relationship. God works in and through His people to heal, strengthen, and grow one another into the likeness of Jesus. This weekend will remind us why God intends for us to do life together in Christ. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC February 20, 2026
This weekend we’re continuing to explore the role that the Holy Spirit plays in real, lasting transformation. We’ll talk about the core changes that God does within us, both in the moment of our surrender as well as the fruit of our continued surrender to His love. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to actually live in step with the Spirit day-to-day, not just on Sundays, this is a weekend to be here. We’ll also be celebrating baptisms in both services! Baptism weekends are, without a doubt, my favorite weekend and you won’t want to miss it. If you’ve been considering baptism, it’s not too late to participate. We have one more baptism class today (Friday) at noon at the church. Even if you can’t make that class, you can still get baptized. Just show up 30 minutes before either service and meet near the baptismal. I can’t wait to celebrate with you. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC February 13, 2026
This weekend we’ll continue our How We Change series by exploring the person and power of the Holy Spirit — because if lasting change is possible, it won’t come from willpower alone. It will require God’s presence and power at work within us. This is such a broad (and often misunderstood) topic that I’m inviting my friend Dan Prout of Sierra Ministries to join me for a live conversation. Here are a few questions we’ll explore together: What does it actually mean to be “born of the Spirit” — not just improved, but remade from the inside out? What is an appropriate way for believers to think of and relate to the Holy Spirit? What does our “part” look like — how do we cooperate with the Spirit without slipping into either striving or passivity? And what can we do when we feel dry, stuck, or unchanged? If you’ve ever felt unsure, curious, skeptical, or hungry for more — this weekend is for you. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC February 6, 2026
In our current series, How We Change , we are learning how to take hold of the life that is really life. We’ve already explored the power of our thoughts and our practices, but many of us have felt the same discouraging pattern: we can hold it together for a while… and then something gives, willpower fades, and we find ourselves right back in the places we hoped we’d leave behind. So, this week we’re naming the tension we all feel: what if the change we long for requires more than willpower, insight, or better habits? According to Jesus, if we want to experience true and lasting change, we need to be “Born Again.” That is a loaded term in our culture, carrying decades of assumptions and conflicting ideas of what Jesus meant. So, this weekend, we will go back to the original conversation and seek to understand what Jesus meant when He said we need to be born again. If you’ve ever tried to “fix yourself” only to end up back at square one, then this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC January 23, 2026
The first step to true and lasting change is to change our minds, but it’s definitely not the only step. There’s a huge difference between thinking a new way and actually living a new way. That’s why information alone doesn’t transform us and why willpower alone tends to be insufficient to the task. If you’ve ever felt discouraged by the gap between what you believe and how you live, this week will put language to that struggle and point toward a pathway forward. We will also equip you with a tangible tool to help you take an honest look at how you’re currently being formed. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC January 16, 2026
Last weekend we talked about a simple but important truth: you are being formed. Not just by big moments, but by the steady rhythms of everyday life – what you give your attention to, the voices you trust, and the patterns you repeat. So, the question isn’t whether you’re being shaped, but what’s doing the shaping and where it’s leading you. As we discussed last week, we don’t want to live a life shaped by the pressures of the world, but by the transforming work of the Spirit from the inside out as He helps us renew our minds. Which raises an important follow-up question: how does that happen? How do we renew our minds so that we can know and live out God’s will for our lives? That will be the focus of this weekend’s conversation. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday.
By TCC January 9, 2026
This weekend we’ll continue our How We Change series with a simple but important truth: you are being formed. Not just by the big moments, but by the steady rhythms of everyday life — what you give your attention to, the voices you trust, and the patterns you repeat. The question isn’t whether you’re being shaped, but what’s doing the shaping and where is it leading you? But there’s another way: a life shaped not by the steady pressures of the world, but by the transforming work of Spirit from the inside out. If you’ve been longing for real and lasting change, come join the conversation this weekend. Also, we’d love for you to join one of our Bible reading plans so we can read Scripture together as a community. You can choose a plan that takes you through the entire Bible, or a plan focused on the New Testament. Click here to join the plan of your choice. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry Can’t wait to celebrate with you!
By TCC December 26, 2025
As we come to the final Sunday of the year, we’ll pause to do something sacred: remember . Together, we’ll look back and reflect on the many ways God has been faithful to us, celebrating the stories, milestones, and blessings He has poured out on our church family over this past year. It’s a moment to give thanks and to recognize that every good gift truly comes from Him. We’ll also gather around the Lord’s Table and celebrate communion, our tangible reminder that while we are grateful for what God has done, the best is still ahead. Because of Jesus, we don’t just look back with gratitude, we look forward with hope. We have eternity with Him to look forward to. Year-End Gift As we close the year, we’re also inviting those who feel led to give one final financial gift to help us finish the year strong. Every gift — large or small — helps us care well for our church family, support our ministry partners, and honor the staff who serve so faithfully. Your generosity enables us to continue being a church marked by gratitude, faithfulness, and generosity. Click here to learn more about our Year-End Gift or to give now. I am incredibly grateful for all God has done in and through Twin Cities Church this year, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in the New Year. See you Sunday. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry Can’t wait to celebrate with you!
More Posts