We are in full swing here at Tamarindo Church as high season is here, and it has been great to have the opportunity to connect with so many of our seasonal residents and visitors.  A lot has been happenning here, so I’ll just jump right in to catch you up.  

TAMARINDO CHURCH- FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
On January 15th we celebrated Tamarindo Church’s 4th Anniversary.  We shared a great day of worship together, and I (Lyle) shared a message based on the first sermon I ever preached at Tamarindo Church when we launched four years ago.  It was a message reiterating our vision to be a church that is welcoming to all… and that relationally lives out the grace and love of Christ in our community.  It was such a great refresher and reminder for us as we revisited that message. Following the service, we gathered together at the Best Western for our monthly pizza and pool party.    Good times as always connecting with folks.  And a special thanks to Ricky and Becca for footing the bill for the pizza that day!  Muchisima Gracias!

Another aspect of our Anniversay celebration that you should know about is that… during the service, I had the joy of sharing some pretty exciting news.  A couple of weeks ago we  made an offer to purchase a piece of property on which we will build our future church facilities!  And pretty cool aspect of our signing for the property was that… without even being aware of it… we actually signed the offer for the property on the exact date that we launched the church four years ago… January 13th.   Coincidence??… Not!  haha. I think that was one of those “God wink” moments… letting us know He’s with us.  Anyway… we are still in the due diligence period and if all goes well… we will be closing on the property on February 14th.  Please pray with us that all goes well!  

Another highlight in January was our annual mission trip to to help our brothers and sisters in the barrio of Cristo Rey in Tipitapa, Nicarauga.  There were 18 of us that headed up to Nicaragua to build homes, distribute food bags, and do VBS arts and crafts with about 60 kids.  And as usual, while we went up there in hopes to be a blessing to those we served, we came home with much more than we gave.  We want to say THANK YOU to all who contributed toward our tirp with prayers, financial donations,  clothes and shoes, and all those who served by making the trip up there with us.  Our mission trips are always a “church family” effort, and we are grateful for all who participated.  And finally… a special thanks to Ken Saner for preaching a great message on missions for our congregation on the Sunday of our teams return. 

On a side note, there is one more part of our trip that I would like to share with you.  I would like to share about a need that I encountered while up in Nicaragua.   Meet our friend and brother in Christ, Pastor Gameliel.  Gameliel is the Pastor at El Faro Church in the Barrio of Cristo Rey.  This is the church that we have partered with over the past four years as we have served in Nicaragua.  Gameliel is kind of like one of my heroes.  He is a guy who is in Cristo Rey day in and day out, teaching, preaching, praying for, caring for, and shepherding  the poor among God’s flock there.  Well… one of the things I noticed on this past trip was that Gameliel didn’t arrive at the church as he usually does in his pickup truck.  Every trip we have taken before, he arrived in his old, black, beat up pickup truck….  that he would use to help us pick up bunk beds in town to distribute the local families we built houses for.  Or that he would use to drive people in his community to the hospital in cases of emergency… Since almost no one in his barrio owns or could ever afford to own a vehicle… he and other pastors who have cars serve as the community ambulance.  Anyway… I think you see where this is going.  I know that pastor Gameliel would be super blessed to have a pick up truck… maybe something like what’s in the picture above.  I asked him how much a used pickup would cost, and he said about $6,000.

So… I’m just putting this out there to you all.  If any of you have been praying about where you might be able to give toward God’s work this year… please prayerfully consider this opportunity to bless Pastor Gameliel.  And if you are moved to contribute toward this effort, please contact me and we can toward getting him a truck.  lyletamarindo@gmail.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PIZZA FELLOWSHIP- Sunday Feb 26th 

Join us on Sunday the 26thafter Church for hanging out, pizza, and a swim in the pool at Monkey Bar/Tamarindo Best Western Vista Villas.  This is a great opportunity to connect with others in the church in a way that we just don’t get to do on Sunday’s after church service. Don’t forget your bathing suit and towel.  Hope to see you there!

Directions From Church:Drive toward Tamarindo.  You will see Best Western Vista Villas and Monkey Bar on your left.

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HAVE YOU BEEN BAPTIZED?

Have you been baptized?  Are you interested in being baptized?  Baptism is an act of obedience to God’s word that believers through the ages have followed.  Baptism symbolizes a person’s new life as a follower of Jesus Christ.

At Tamarindo Church, we do not perform infant baptisms, but “believer’s”, as we see this as the pattern for baptism found in the scriptures.  In the early church that we see attested to in the book of Acts, when individuals came to believe, their belief was always followed by the act of being baptized.  This is what is meant by “believer’s” baptism.

As an alternative to  Infant Baptism, Tamarindo Church performs “Baby Dedications” where an infant/child is dedicated to the Lord before the congreation… and where the parents and congregation commit to raising our children as followers of Christ.

If you are interested in being baptized (or baby dedication), please contact pastor Lyle to let him know of your interest, and he will set a date to meet after church with those who are interested in learning more.  lyletamarindo@gmail.com

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TC Youth 

Youth nights at Tamarindo Church create an environment where teenagers feel welcomed and safe to be themselves.

Friday nights at Tamarindo Church has become a place where teenagers come to hang out, participate in wild and crazy games, and hear the gospel. Last week we had a Costa Rican snow day! Living in the tropics, we needed to get a little creative to have a snowball fight… so we improvised with shaving cream! It was a blast.

Join us on Friday nights! 7-8:30 pm at Tamarindo Church. All 6-12 grade students are welcome!

For more information, contact Ashley Look: 8416-8807    Ashleylook9@gmail.com

Join our Facebook group “TCYouth” to stay up to date with events!
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MUSICIANS WANTED 

We are seeking people with a musical and vocal talent to join our worship team. If God has gifted you with musical or technical talent, we want you to be able to use it for His glory! Our immediate need is for instrumentalists, primarily Bass and Drums. Other instruments are welcome to join in (i.e. keyboard, ukulele, etc.) but cannot be supplied by the church at this time. Here are the first few steps for becoming part of the worship team…

• Prayerfully consider your involvement.
• Contact Steve Page: tamarindochurch@gmail.com expressing your interest. The email should include:
  • Musical or technical experience and skill.
  • The reason you are interested in joining the worship team.
  • Steve and Pastor Lyle will review your information and schedule time when you can join us for an audition.

If you have questions please contact Steve Page at tamarindochurch@gmail.com.

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~ WOMEN’S GROUP–

WHEN? Tuesdays@10am-11:30pm

WHERE? Meetings are at the Watson’s home.

For more info contact Stacey staceycostarica@gmail.com

or call 8706-7479

~ MEN’S GROUP–  New Time & Place

WHEN? Wednesdays @ 8:15am

WHERE? Come join us on Wednesdays 8:15 AM at Pastor Lyle’s hom.  If you would like to come early and hang out over breakfast or coffee, several of us meet early at 7:45.

For more info contact pastor Lyle at lyletamarindo@gmail.com or call 8868-0871

Tamarindo Church Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for……
VISION
that God would guide us in our vision and strategy for reaching and serving our community.

MINISTRY TEAM
Thanks to God for our staff and volounteers who serve in many roles in the church.  Please pray that God would continue build a sense of unity and family among our core church members.

FINANCES
Please pray to our Father that he would meet our needs in the coming year through pledges and regular supporters!  We are $20,000 short in pledges, but trusting God will meet our needs as the year unfolds.

OUTREACH
That God would create a spiritual hunger in our community, and that we would see many come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.  Please pray that our church members would be salt and light in the community to those who are not saved.

CHURCH PROPERTY
Some very exciting news to share is that we have made an offer to purchase on a property for the church!  We are in the due diligence process at this point… and look to close on the purchase in a week or two.  Please pray with us that the property is free and clear of any hindrances to purchase, and that God will provide the rest of our financial needs to build the church.  Thanks be to God for allowing us this joy of building a church that will care for and reach folks in Tamarindo for years to come.

LYLE & STACEY
-For spiritual wisdom and direction as we lead the church.
– For Stacey’s job in real-estate… that she would find balance between family, ministry and work.  And that she would make enough to cover our children’s school tuition.

OUR FAMILY
For meaningful times together and healthy balance between family and ministry.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION 
Prayer of spiritual protection over our family and our church Ministry Teams…. guarding us from anything that causes dis-unity and divisiveness.