The Connection Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

the

CONNECTION IN THIS ISSUE:

upcoming sermon series upcoming events MOPS Expand Initiative Update Student Ministry Farewell to Shelby Smith

GATHER

GROW

GO

NEXT STEPS- James Jones We’re in a month in which we think about love, and even though we often associate Valentine’s Day with romantic love, we’re obviously aware that there are many kinds of love. We want people in our community to associate our church with love. Love is at the heart of our mission. We exist in this place to love God and love others. Our goal is to communicate the love which God has for us and for the people around us by expressing our love for them.

Our strategy to fulfill that mission is simple and involves three short words: Gather, Grow, & Go. It seems simple, but we could spend the rest of our lives interpreting what this means in our lives, our church, and our community. We need to gather because the church finds its identity, its mission, its purpose, and its calling when it gathers. We worship and learn when we gather. We make connections when we gather. From its earliest days, the church has seen the need to come together for worship and teaching, and we continue to have this need.

We grow when we come together in smaller groups. We make deep and lasting connections when we meet with a few people. We can share life, its joys and struggles, when we are in smaller groups. Our staff and elders are working this year to develop new opportunities to develop more small group gatherings, especially as we gain access to our new building. Sometimes we gather for Bible study or prayer. At other times, we gather for the sake of developing relationships or even just for fun and to share in common interests. All of these things feed our growth with each other and our growth together in our relationships with God. Finally, we go. We cannot restrict our ministry to what happens in any of our buildings. Jesus and the early followers all went out of what was comfortable in order to reach people who had not yet heard the message. We need to go to serve and speak about Jesus. This can be done in all kinds of creative ways as we think about the needs of our community and the people who surround us.

Gather, Grow, & Go. It’s simple, but it’s a guide for all that we have to do in our community.

Coming up at TCC

Current Sermon Series February 4- Commit to Trust February 11- Commit to Gather February 18- Commit to Grow February 25- Commit to Go

Upcoming Sermon Series March 4- Self Control March 11- Authenticity March 18- Courage March 25- Humility

Stay Connected visit taylorvillechristian.com for more information, sign up for our weekly church update emails, and be sure to follow us on social media

FROM THIS

MOPS

TO THIS

Our new building has been coming along nicely, we have made so much progress since the start of the new year.For more pictures and information visit our website taylorvillechristian.com

TCC began it’s first year of Mothers of Preschoolers this year. “MOPS International is a Christian non-profit organization that believes in working with local Christian churches/parachurches to maximize ministry opportunities to God’s Kingdom.

MOPS programs are started in churches of many different denominations and Christian traditions, but all share the common desire to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to bring glory to God in everything”.

MOPS believes in “the simple but revolutionary idea that remarkable things happen when moms come together”. They strive to “rally women, in their own neighborhoods, to help them become more brave, kind and honest, one gathering at a time”.

TCC wanted to reach out to the mothers of young children in the church and in the community to give them an opportunity to connect and form a small group of close-knit ladies. So often, these moms can feel overworked, overwhelmed, and just discouraged. They have such an important job to do and just need to know that they are not alone or forgotten about. This is why MOPS is such a great thing.

If you are still interested in joining this fantastic group you are not too late! It meets on every 2nd and 4th Wednesday morning at 8:30 AM in the TCC Fellowship Hall. Connect with LeAnn Jones for more information. The group will meet: February 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, April 4 and 18, May 2 and 16.

The first MOPS meeting was held on the morning of February 7th. The young mothers watched a video, ate some breakfast, and basically just got to know each other, and get acquainted with the new group.

STUDENT MINISTRY- ZACH CROWLEY

Our Student Ministry is in the midst of a very exciting season. This school year, we have reached highs in attendance in both our jr. high and high school ministries. Combined, we have sixty-five students! All of this numeric growth has left everyone overflowing with anticipation for the new building to be completed. In addition to numeric growth, our students are growing in their personal relationships with Jesus. In February, we’ve been focused on growing deeper in our faith by having two separate lock-ins - Girls Night and Guys Night. These events have given our students an opportunity to wrestle with gender-specific topics and discover how God is at work in their lives. Our students have also been able to strengthen their friendships with peers as they share common struggles, successes and walk together arm-in-arm.

All of this momentum will carry us into our #summeroffun. Throughout the summer, there will be several different opportunities for students to build community, serve others, deepen their relationship with God, and simply have fun! Our most notable events are our annual trips - MIX (jr. high) and MOVE (high school). These trips are a “must” for all of our students to attend as we spend an entire week focusing on just one thing – God.

Student Events March 2-3 June 3-7 June 25-30

Farewell to Shelby Smith

TAYLORVILLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 1124 North Webster Street Taylorville, IL. 62568 taylorvillechristian.com James C. Jones Lead Minister james.jones @taylorvillechristian.com Ken Manning Worship/Seniors Minister ken.manning @taylorvillechristian.com

To my TCC family, You have blessed me more than words can say over the past 2 years! I am thankful to God that you and I have crossed paths and I will miss you all deeply.

Ministry isn’t always easy, and life doesn’t always happen the way we think it should, but that is one of the many reasons why we need God’s provision! He works everything for the good of those who love Him and I am holding strong to that truth as I navigate this new season of life.

Thank you for your encouragement, support, prayers, love, friendship, and partnership. Taylorville Christian Church will always hold a part of my heart.

Thank you for everything.

Shelby

Let’s Celebrate Baptisms & New Members Baptisms: Sam and Tammy Carter New Members: Vicky McMahon

Zach Crowley Student Minister zach.crowley @taylorvillchristian.com LeAnn Jones Children’s Minister leann.jones @taylorvillechristian.com Shelby Smith Contemporary Worship Coordinator shelby.smith @taylorvillechristian.com Steve Basham Ministry Assistant steve.basham @taylorvillechristian.com Taylor Dexheimer Secretary/Communications taylor.dexheimer @taylorvillechristian.com