Tamarindo Church- February Updates/Announcements

Hey Friends,

The new year really kicked off with a lot of action here at Tamarindo Church.  We started out the year with guest Pastor Paul Dreesen from  International Baptist Church in San Jose sharing a powerful message that challenged us to commitments in four areas of our lives that would help us grow spiritually.  If you didn’t know it already, the IBC Church in San Jose is a sister church of Tamarindo Church as we are both member churches of the International Baptist Convention.  The IBC church in San Jose also played a role in Tamarindo Church being planted six years ago.  Thank you pastor Paul for starting our year of with a challenge for growth in our spiritual walks.

SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY & INAUGURATION CELEBRATION

 On Sunday, January 13th our church gathered in celebration of having six year of ministry in Tamarindo… and in celebration of the blessing of our new church building.  It was an awesome day of worship… thanking God, and thanking our church family for all they have done to get us to this day.  After church, we enjoyed a great time of fellowship together, sharing a great meal and great conversation together.  And what a joy it was to have so many of our supporters come into town on that weekend to be here for the celebration.  I am so grateful for the body 

of faith that God has drawn together over the past six years, and I look forward to seeing how God will advance His Kingdom into our community through our church family in the years ahead.

JOURNEY TAMARINDO SCHOOL
When we designed the church building for Tamarindo Church, one of the ideas that we had was to build it in such a way that we could rent the rooms on the first floor to a local pre-school or school.  As God 

would have it… before we even started building, God drew Jim and Christa Niven to become a part of the Tamarindo Church family.  Jim and Christa have years of experience in starting several schools in the United States and, a few months into their involvement with the church, Christa shared that she felt called to start a school here in Costa Rica.  And… she said that they were interested in renting the rooms on our first floor for the school.  To make a long story short… just after our church building inauguration in January, Journey school began meeting for classes at Tamarindo Church.  It has been a great partnership between the church and the school as we are building community together, and bringing the unchurched into relationship with the church in genuine, authentic ways.  We are grateful for this partnership, and we anticipate God bearing much fruit through this crossover of community and relationships.
2019 PLEDGE DRIVE UPDATE

We’d like to give you a final update on our Pledge Drive for the 2019 operating budget.  Tamarindo Church’s operating budget for 2019 is $114,844, and our goal has been to raise $90,000 in pledges.  As of January 31st we are thankful to say that we have reached $80,000 in pledges!  That is great news, as we are now only $10,000 short of our goal.  At this point, we are trusting that the remaining amount for the budget will be met through Sunday offerings and unforeseen gifts throughout the year. Thank you to all who have already partnered with us by making your pledge.  If you have not made your pledge of financial support but would like to, CLICK HERE for instructions on how to do so.  Thank you!

COMING UP IN FEBRUARY
As we move into February below are few events coming up on the Calendar that we thought you might be interested in knowing about.

Nicaragua Mission Trip
Sunday, February 11-15th   
Please keep us in prayer as a team from Tamarindo Church heads up to Nicaragua to serve our friends in Cristo Rey, Tipitapa. 

Guest Preacher-  February 17th-Tamarindo Church welcomes guest preacher Alex Bejarano from Casa Vida Church who will be sharing a word with us on Sunday morning.

Pizza Fellowship- February 17th Join us after church at Best Western/Monkey Bar in Tamarindo for pizza and hanging out.

Scroll down in the newsletter for more information on the events listed above. 
Thank you all for the many ways you give to support the life and ministry of Tamarindo Church.  For our friends in the US and Canada, stay warm up there!  God’s blessings to you and your families.  We hope to see you at church next Sunday!   

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.~ Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16

Peace,
Lyle & Stacey

ANNOUNCEMENTPIZZA FELLOWSHIP

Sunday, February 17th
Hey all… just a reminder that we are on for pizza and hanging out after church on Sunday the 17th after church.  12:00 noon at the Monkey Bar/Best Western Vista Villas. Bring a bathing suit if you want to swim. Hope to see you all there!
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NICARAGUA MISSION TRIP
February 11-15

On February 11-15th, Tamarindo Church will be headed up to Cristo Rey in Nicaragua for our annual church mission trip.  Please pray for our team as we serve our friends in Cristo Rey.  This year, we will be partnering with the ministry of Fundacristo, a school in the barrio of Cristo Rey.  During our time there, we will be providing school supplies for teachers, buying text books for their 8th grade class, helping with a painting project, and distributing food to the poor.

Here is some interesting information on education in Nicaragua from Fundacristo’s website.  

While many children in the neighborhood don’t make it past a 6th grade education, FundaCristo has a vision for seeing that these children have the opportunity to one day graduate from high school.  Here are some statistics that I gathered from their website on elementary education in Nicaragua… 

Only 72%of children finished primary school in 2009, the latest year for which data is available. This low figure hides bigger inequalities as only 65% of children from the poorest 20% of families completed primary school compared to 98% from the richest homes.

Secondary school figures are unsurprisingly much worse:46% finished the first tier (9th grade/year 10), and only 19% completed 11th grade (year 12). In the poorest families, only 6% of children finished secondary school.

GET INVOLVED

If you would like to be involved in making a difference in the community ofCristo Rey, please consider sponsoring a Child at the Fundacristo School .  Fundacristo has a goal of getting 30 sponsor for kids by the end of February.  You sponsorship would help Fundacristo minister to children in Cristo Rey.  In addition to giving these kids a free education that they would otherwise not receive, Fundacristo also shares God’s word with these kids, and feeds the students twice a day.  An added bonus for sponsoring a child here is, we visit them at least once a year.  So when you sponsor a child, you would have the opportunity to visit and personally encourage your sponsored child by joining us on one of our mission trips.  Pretty cool.  To learn more about Fundacristo or to sponsor a child Click Here.
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TC Youth 

Hey Everyone,
Join us for Youth Group every Friday, 7 – 8:30 pm at Tamarindo Church!  Youth nights at Tamarindo Church create an environment where teenagers feel welcomed and feel safe to be themselves.  And join us on Sunday mornings at 10:00am for diving deeper into God’s truth together at Church.

Each week, we start Youth Group with some crazy games… followed by a time of digging into the Bible together to figure out who Jesus is and what He is all about.  All 6th – 12th grade students are invited!

Join our facebook group “TC Youth” and follow our instagram account “tcyouthcr” to stay up to date on what’s happening!  Be sure to “LIKE” our Facebook page for Tamarindo Church Youth to stay updated on any changes in schedule or special events.  Click here to go to our page.  TC Youth
For more information, contact Ashley Look: 8416-8807    Ashleylook9@gmail.com____________________________________________MUSICIANS WANTED We are seeking people with 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. We welcome those who can play other instruments (i.e. keyboard, ukulele, etc.) but the instruments cannot be supplied. Here are the first few steps for becoming part of the worship team…

  • Prayerfully consider your involvement.
  • Contact Lyle Watson: 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.
    • Pastor Lyle will review your information and schedule time when you can join us for an audition. 

If you have questions please contact Lyle at tamarindochurch@gmail.com.
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WOMEN’S GROUP-WHEN? Wednesdays @12:30pm-2:00pmWHERE? Meetings are in Tamarindo Church Fellowship Room, 1st floor.For more info contact Stacey staceycostarica@gmail.com or call 8706-7479 
MEN’S GROUP–  WHEN? Wednesdays @ 9:00amWHERE? Come join us on Wednesdays 9:00 AM in the Tamarindo Church Fellowship Room, 1st floor.  If you would like to come and hang out over coffee, several of us meet early at 8:45. For more info contact pastor Lyle at lyletamarindo@gmail.com or call 8868-0871 

Tamarindo Church Prayer RequestsPlease continue to pray for……

VISION
That God would guide us in our vision and strategy for reaching and serving our community.

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

LEADERSHIP  Please pray for our Church Board and our Ministry Leadership Team.  Please pray that God would bless our Leadership with wisdom, humility as we lead the church.

FINANCES
We are thankful to say that we are only $10,000 away from our Pledge Drive goal for the 2019 operating budget.  Thanks be to God for His provision.  Please pray that God would continue to provide and meet our financial needs for this year of ministry.

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 Christmas Eve Service will draw many of these people to church. 

CHURCH LIFEPlease pray for our leadership and volunteers as we transition into a new season of ministry in our new church building.  Change and growth is exciting, but often a bit stressful.  Please pray for unity, grace, patience, flexibility among all of us as we adjust to life and ministry in the new church building.

Please pray for our team going up to Nicaragua on Feb 11th-15th.  Please pray God’s safety for the group.  Please pray God’s blessing of our time in fellowship and service to our friends in Cristo Rey, Nicaragua.
THE WATSON FAMILY
Please pray spiritual wisdom and direction for Pastor Lyle as he leads the church.  For Stacey’s job in real estate… that she would find good balance between family, ministry and work… and not feel over-stressed or anxious.  And please pray she would earn enough to cover our children’s school tuition.  For our children Olivia and Wolfie… that they would  continue to grow to know, love, and serve our Lord.  And for spiritual protection over our family.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION 
Please pray spiritual protection over our church and our Ministry Teams…. guarding us from spiritual attack and oppression, and anything that causes disunity and divisiveness in the body of faith at Tamarindo Church.