TC Update/Announcements- May 2020

Hey TC Family,

I want to start by saying… I really miss seeing you all on Sundays.  Church is not the same… being at church alone and preaching from my office desk… and not having any time to connect with you all after church. I miss seeing folks greeting one another face to face with smiles, handshakes, and hugs. I miss experiencing the movement of the Spirit as we pray together,  learn from God’s word together, and lift our voices in praise together in worship.  I’m missing all of that and more. And from conversations I’ve had in the past weeks with some of you… I know that many of you are feeling the same. We miss our weekly gatherings together.  Man… I look forward to the day the day we can start gathering again in person for worship and in fellowship.  
Ok… =( Done with my lament. LOL.

But…. while we are in this season of physical distancing (we can still be social)… when things “just aren’t the same”… I want to encourage you all in this time to make an extra effort to do one thing…
… Stay Connected.  Stay connected with community.  Even if you dislike the limitations of doing community through technology. Even if it feels strange to connect in new and different ways.  Even if it’s “just not the same”… please stay connected with church family.  When we get disconnected from our family of faith… what inevitably tends to happen is… we begin losing our connection to the fullness of life that God created us to experience.  The fullness of life that comes from living life in relationship with Him, and life in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.   God’s two greatest commands couldn’t make this point more clearly.  God calls us first and foremost to love Him and… and secondly to love one another.  And it is impossible to fill that second command without being connected in with our brothers and sisters who are also followers of Christ.  

Personally… I have to admit that I’ve been a bit guilty of this myself.  Guilty of lingering in disconnectedness. I’ve been thinking… I don’t want to make too many changes in moving toward an online/quarantine-style church and community…. because things are just going to go back to normal soon.  Thinking to myself.. soon enough we’ll be connected again… so don’t introduce too many changes or new things.  Well… over the past couple of weeks my thoughts have changed on that.  I’m realizing that I need to put aside the idea of just waiting for things to go back to “normal.”… and the idea of putting off introducing and encouraging new ways for our church family to connect.  Over the past few weeks it has become clearer and clearer that we just don’t know if or how long it will take for things to get back to “normal”.  And while I/we may not like it, it appears that this new norm is going to be around longer for than any of us prefer.   And that means making more adjustments now.  Adjustments what it will look like for us to be a church and to stay connected in community.  So if you aren’t already, I encourage you to join us for Sunday morning services online on Facebook or Zoom.  Join us on Wednesdays for bible study.  And join us for our monthly prayer meetings online.  In addition… check in on one another by a phone call, by text, or via internet. Please… Stay connected.  I hope and pray you will join us as a church family and stretch out of your comfort zone to explore NEW ways of being the church and staying connected… while we patiently await the day when things start getting back to “normal”.

Please read below to find out the latest happenings at Tamarindo Church….

SUNDAY MORNING CHURCH ONLINE 
Just want to make a quick comment regarding our weekly Sunday church services online.  We apologize that there is no ability to comment and chat socially during the service that we stream through Zoom.  We are doing this as a security measure so we don’t risk getting “Zoom bombed”.  But… if you do prefer a more interactive and social alternative for watching the service, please join us for online services on Sunday mornings at 10:00AM by going Tamarindo Church Facebook Page .  Or… for those who don’t have Facebook, go to the Tamarindo Church welcome page on our website and you will find a Zoom link for our Sunday live services.    

Also… just a reminder that if you are not available to join us on Sunday mornings… you can always view the sermons later in the week as they will be saved to our TC Facebook feed. Just scroll down on our FB page posts until you find the Sunday sermon/video you missed.  

FOOD BANK IN LOS POCHOTES
Thank you all again for your continued generosity toward the feeding center we are supporting in barrio Los Pochotes in Santa Cruz.  Earlier this month it was pretty exciting to see that the church we support there caught the attention of the local news.  We are grateful to see God glorified through his local church there as they serve the community by meeting not only physical needs, but spiritual as well.    Click Hereto view the news interview where you will find our friend Evelyn being interviewed.

SMALL WORLD
Earlier this month I received an email from our friends at the local non profit organization CEPIA.  They do a great job serving the poor in our community, and they asked if Tamarindo Church could help a woman whose house was in bad very shape. In a rain we had a few weeks ago water came in through her roof and drenched her belongings in her home.  After that incident, she had no where to live… and needed help.  Thanks to your financial support  of TC, we were in a position to buy  materials for her to build a basic but sufficient home built for her and her family.  The home is much like the ones we built in Nicaragua during our mission trips.  Well… in talking with this woman and meeting her extended family, it wasn’t long before we found out we had something very interesting in common… Cristo Rey!  This family (about 10 in all) fled Nicaragua arrived in the Tamarindo area about 4 months ago.  How crazy is that!?  Small world! Once this fun fact was discovered… we felt like instant family.  They invited me for coffee and French fries they were making… and we chatted for a while.  We will be following up with another visit to see if they have any additional needs in the coming weeks.

MARK YOUR CALENDARAs we look to the months ahead be sure to read below about upcoming events and mark your calendars.  You can findout details about these events by scrolling down further in the newsletter.  

~ Prayer Night
Join us for prayer or send in prayer requests for our Prayer Gathering on Monday, May 18th @ 6:30pm.  See more info below.

PASTOR’S PERSECTIVEAs the weeks have passed since all of this began… I’m starting to hear more and more stories about the hardships that people are enduring… whether that be health issues or financial issues.  It is sad to see so many people struggling.  I haven’t heard from all of you… but I’m guessing there are a number of you who are struggling to.  I pray God will give you the wisdom and resources to get through whatever challenges you are facing in your current circumstances and in whatever you face in the weeks to come .  I pray God surrounds you with His love, His peace, His presence.  I pray God’s blessing of grace and strength to help you persevere.  

The Lord bless you, and keep you;The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’


~ Numbers 6:24-26

Peace,
Lyle & Stacey

PRAYER GATHERING
Monday, May 18th 
6:30pm online via Zoom


On Monday, May 18th @ 6:30 we will be hosting a prayer meeting online via Zoom. Join us for an hour of prayer together as we pray for for our church, our community, and for requests shared among those gathered.   If you would like to join the meeting, please email/message pastor Lyle to let him know and he will send you the Zoom link for the meeting.   If you are unable to make the meeting but have a prayer request, please send your prayer requests to tamarindochurch@gmail.com

MUSICIANS WANTED – 

Has God gifted you with musical or technical talent that you want to use for His glory? If so, we are looking for people to join our worship team. Whatever instrument you play, we’re open to give it a try.  Here are the first few steps for becoming part of the worship team…

  • Prayerfully consider your involvement.
  • Contact Elizabeth:eguntonbunn@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.
  • Elizabeth, our worship team leader, will review your information and schedule time when you can join us for an audition. 
TC PRAYER REQUESTS- 
Please continue to pray for Tamarindo Church……TC VISION – That God would guide us in our vision and strategy for reaching and serving our community.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit would give us creativity on how to do this best in our current context of the pandemic and social distancing.

MINISTRY TEAM-  That God would grow our church board, staff and volunteers in unity of Spirit, in wisdom, and in humility as we serve Him.  Please also pray spiritual guidance and protection over our church leaders.  

VOLUNTEERS-  Thanks be to God for our volunteers who serve in many roles in the church. Please pray that God would give us discernment in finding the best places for individuals to serve… and that God bless our volunteers in their service to Him.

FINANCES-  Please pray that God would meet the rest of our financial needs for 2020 through unforeseen gifts and Sunday offerings.  Pray also that God would give us wisdom in being good stewards of the resources he has given us.

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.  And pray for our church members to be sensitive to open doors to the love of Christ, to share the gospel, and to invite someone to church.

CHURCH LIFE- Prayer that God would raise up a team of prayer warriors for our monthly prayer meetings.Prayer for God’s continued blessing over the new church community in Los Pochotes.Prayer for the barrio of Cristo Rey Nicaragua… for God’s provision and protection over our friends there during this pandemic.Prayer that God would use our church family to reach and bless the community around us.
THE WATSON FAMILY- 
Please pray spiritual wisdom and direction for Pastor Lyle as he leads the church.  For Stacey to find good balance between family, ministry and work.  For their children Olivia and Wolfie… that they would continue to grow to know, love, and serve Him.  Please also pray for spiritual protection over their family.