Receive Encouragement + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • March 3, 2023

Wow, talk about snow! I would have never dreamed that we would have two major snowstorms in Nevada County the last two winters. Snowmageddon 2022 and Snowmess 2023 both left many of us reeling. I was without power for 72 hours in this last storm, and we received 20” of snow at my house! In my 31 years in Nevada County, I’ve never witnessed a snow event like we saw this week. I’m mostly referring to the number of days in a row where we received that much snow. And guess what? It’s supposed to snow again this weekend. 


This gives me a chance to talk about our Sunday Snow Day Policy. Here it is: If we can get to church, we will have church no matter the weather. That’s it. If we can’t get there, we will alert you on Sunday morning by email or social media. Just a tidbit here – soon we will be able to deliver alerts by text since that’s the way most of us communicate in today’s world. Please make sure you make the safest decision for you as you choose what to do on a snowy day.


This Sunday we will do the following: Celebrate 31 years as a church, celebrate Jesus and His redemptive story as we watch 14 people get baptized, eat lots of donuts, and begin our new Message Series – Stand Firm. This message series will help us know how to stand firm in the face of adversity from those who stand against the Gospel message of Jesus. This is a perfect series for the time in which we live. The first message is Receive Encouragement. We will dig into 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12. When you read those verses before Sunday, you will be amazed at how much we need to comprehend and be enraptured by the truths of the justice of God. Folks, this series is one of the most sobering I remember us ever doing. I hope you will come learn as Paul talks to us about how to Stand Firm between now and the future when Jesus comes again. You won’t want to miss Sunday. If you don’t think it’s safe to drive – we are supposed to get another storm this weekend – please stay home and watch the service online.


You can attend every gathering in person, live stream online, or watch on demand. Please navigate through our website to find the schedule of messages and service. If you want to stream a service live or watch an archived message or service, you can find the links you need there. We welcome you to join us soon.


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


   

I want to end by thanking you for your caring, loving, graceful responses to the news that Kim and I are beginning our transition into retirement. Please go to this FAQ page, watch our video, scroll through the FAQ section and be in prayer for the next Lead Pastor God is already shaping to lead us into the future to reach the next generations with the love of Jesus.


Speaking of love, I love you so much!

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Taking a Closer Look + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 27, 2026
This Sunday we begin our journey to Easter with Palm Sunday and it’s going to be an adventure. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the streets were packed with people carrying huge expectations about what He was coming to do and how He would do it. They were ready for a revolution… but they had the wrong enemy in mind. Palm Sunday has a way of confronting our assumptions, clarifying what kind of King Jesus is, and inviting us to follow Him on His terms, not ours. Come ready to lean in, reflect, and prepare your heart for Easter. And don’t miss the beginning of the service. Our Children’s Ministry has a special surprise for us, and you’ll want to be there for it. Also, you have the ability to help change the eternal trajectory of someone’s life. Surveys consistently show that a high percentage of non-churchgoing adults say they would attend an Easter service if invited by someone they know. That means your personal invite to a friend, coworker, or neighbor is far more impactful than any post or mailer we could produce. So please prayerfully consider who you will invite to join you this Easter. I’m looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of our King. 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.

Don’t Try Harder + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 20, 2026
This weekend, we’re wrapping up our How We Change series, and we’re ending with a simple but freeing truth: real change doesn’t come through more willpower, but through steady surrender and training with Jesus. In a world that craves instant results, spiritual growth is often slower than we want, but as we walk with Him over time, the Holy Spirit does the deep work of shaping us into people who live and love more like Christ. This weekend, we’ll look at how lasting change really happens — and how to keep saying yes to Jesus one step at a time. Also, don’t forget: this Saturday is our Man Time Breakfast , and it’s not too late to sign up. It’ll be a great morning to connect, eat well, and be encouraged together. More info and sign up here . Hope to see you this weekend. 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.

How Service Helps Us Grow + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 13, 2026
This week we’ll continue our series on how we change by exploring something simple, but deeply transformative: service. It’s easy to think of serving as addressing needs or helping out, but serving doesn’t just bless others, it forms us. It reshapes our hearts, reorders our priorities, and trains us in the way of Jesus. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your growth, weary in your faith, or hungry for something more grounded than good intentions, this weekend will point us toward a path Jesus Himself walked. 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.

The Blessing of Suffering + Sunday Morning Resources

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.

Made One, Made New + Sunday Morning Resources

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.

Spirit of the Loving God + Sunday Morning Resources

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.

The Spirit of Change + Sunday Morning Resources

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.

Are You Born Again? + Sunday Morning Resources

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.

Change Is Worked for, Not Wished For + Sunday Morning Resources

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.
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