Announcements & Connection Links 12/6/25
Merry Christmas season, TBC family and friends!
Are you ready for the weekend? We have our grandkids spending the night and going to the play. Hey there is still time to get tickets! The play is free, so if you have time, you can still make the Saturday at 7pm showing. Our youth and young adults have worked very hard to present this play. You will love it!!
A big congrats to Billy Gray and Billy Gillen for becoming members of TBC! Is church membership that important in 2025? Does the Bible make it mandatory? Great questions people ask....but I think those are the wrong questions. Better questions might be what are the advantages of church membership? What do I need to do to join TBC? The New Testament speaks to membership in a couple of ways.
At Pentecost in Acts 2 the scripture says 3000 were baptized and added to the church. So there must have been a structure in place to keep up with what was going on in the early church. Paul tells Timothy to put elders (pastors) in the surrounding churches that Paul directed him to. Again structure and offices like deacon adds to the importance of belonging officially. Practical reasons in the USA would include the idea that churches operate as non-profit organizations with requirements to have officers and at least a yearly business meeting to vote on the affairs of the church. Another practical reason is finding teachers, deacons, pastors among the membership. We could say more, but let me ask you to take your membership seriously, or if you attend here regularly, prayerfully consider officially joining TBC in 2026.
Those who attend and those who are members are equally loved and cared for by our staff and deacons! I will say more on baptism soon as we plan to baptize in January.
We have candy canes for you to take to thank those who wait on you in stores and restaurants this Christmas season. Please treat these folks the way you would want to be treated if you were them. Share some love by giving them a candy cane with a joyful message tag attached.
December is a giving month. Your offerings allow us to do a lot of things to reach people for Jesus. Thank you for giving regularly to TBC. This is where Carol and I regularly give during our time with you! Secondly, we are reaching out to needy kids at Maple Street School by bringing in food to send home with boys and girls in food scarcity situations. Look for our sheets of what is needed. We have till Dec 21st to bring in the food so it can go in backpacks! I want to say thank you in advance for being the hands and feet of Jesus to kids we may never meet.
Sunday morning we will be looking at another Christmas season topic, and Sunday evening, Pastor Rowley will be bringing the message on the topic of "How Could God Allow This to Happen?" Pastor Rowley will help us look at an incident in the life of David, that seemed like the worst thing had happened, but God was doing a great work which no one could have foreseen. This message will help us not to lose hope when all seems lost.
Pastor Pat
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. NEW MEMBERS: We welcome Billy Gillen and Billy Gray as our newest TBC members! TBC members will also be voting on Kirsten Muirhead this Sunday for membership.
2. DRAMA PRESENTATION TICKETS: Everyone is invited to attend the Truth Teen Drama performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tonight still at 7pm. "In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids—probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won't believe the mayhem—and the fun—when the Herdmans collide head-on with the story of Christmas! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is adapted from the bestselling Young Adult book, and has become a holiday staple for groups across the United States. The crowd-pleasing comedy features a few favorite Christmas Carols and lots of laughs. It is family friendly! Tickets are free, but tickets are required to attend. Please reserve your tickets at this link for the performance time you plan to attend. We will have concessions available for purchase to raise money to cover the costs of the play.
3. CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM REHEARSALS: We are asking all children to attend at least one, but preferably both, rehearsals for the Children's Christmas program at 9:15am on Sunday December 7th and December 14th in the auditorium. This rehearsal is for ages 2 - Junior High. The Christmas Program will be Sunday evening, December 14th at 6pm. We will have a cookie fellowship after the program, so we are asking each family to bring 2 dozen cookies to go along with our theme, "Sweets for our little sweeties." If you have any questions, please see Amy Pepe!
4. LADIES HOMEMADE COOKIE SWAP: All ladies are invited to attend our annual Homemade Cookie Swap on Monday, December 15th at 6:30pm at Linda Ploszaj's home in Windsor, CT. Please reply to this email if you need the address. All cookies should be homemade and packaged in packs of 6 cookies. Please also bring some light snack/hors d'oeuvre to share. If you would also like to swap an ornament, you can bring an ornament to swap. We will swap and fellowship, and you will go home with an assortment of our favorite homemade cookies to freeze or use for the holidays! If you want any more information, please see Linda Ploszaj or Kateri Tower.
5. TBC BASKETBALL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Our TBC Outreach Basketball League is starting up on January 17th. We need many volunteers on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings to make this ministry run smoothly and be a blessing to our community! We need coaches and assistant coaches, scorekeepers, cafe assistants, experienced referees, setup and takedown volunteers, and lots of teens to assist in team drills, gameday substitutions, court set up, basketball distribution (younger vs older), basketball clean up, lowering and raising hoops for the changeovers, and more! If you have wanted to assist in the past, but are a bit uncertain of what to do as a coach, we are happy to provide guidance. Though basic knowledge of the game is suggested, we do have basketball 101 info, drill suggestions, and devotion guidance. Volunteering for this ministry should not be intimidating, and we want to make it as much of a great experience for you as for the players.
6. CHRISTMAS EVE WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE: The Rowleys invite everyone to their home on Christmas Eve at 6pm for pizza, fellowship, and an annual tradition of a white elephant gift exchange. Please bring one wrapped gift valued $10 or less per person (you can find it from around your house!) to exchange. If you can, please also bring some snacks or a side dish or appetizers or dessert to share. Please RSVP to Deanna Rowley if you plan to come.
7. CHRISTMAS CARD TABLE: Lists are available in the lobby with the names of the regular attenders. We have a table set up in the lobby where everyone can exchange Christmas cards with each other, an annual TBC tradition. Please check your slot on the table each time you come in December! Cards will be removed by the first Sunday in January.
8. SAVE THE DATES:
- December 5 & 6 - Teen Drama Presentation
- December 14 - PM - Children's Christmas Program
- December 15 - Ladies Homemade Cookie Swap
- December 19 - Teen Gingerbread Building Activity
- December 21 - PM - Christmas Meditations Night
- December 25 - Christmas Eve White Elephant Gift Exchange
- December 31 - New Year's Eve Party
- January 17 - Basketball Begins
- January 25 - Men's & Women's Ministry & Fellowship
- July 13-17 - VBS 2026
WEEKLY CONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES & LINKS:
Sunday, 9:15am - 2's - 5's Sunday School Class
Anyone in this age group is invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - 1st - 2nd Grade Sunday School Class
Anyone in this age group is invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - 3rd - 4th Grade Sunday School Class
Anyone in this age group is invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - 5th - 6th Grade Sunday School Class
Anyone in this age group is invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - Junior High Boys Class (7-9th grade)
Any boys in this age group are invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - Junior High Girls Class (7-9th grade)
Any girls in this age group are invited.
Sunday, 9:15am - Teen Class (10-12th grade)
Any guys or girls in this age group are invited. Fresh baked snacks available most weeks. :)
Sunday, 9:15am - Ladies' Bible Study and Prayer
Join us as we take a walk through the Old Testament Minor Prophets. From Hosea to Malachi, twelve in all, we’ll gain insight as we learn the who, what, where, why, and when of each letter, along with how each one applies to us. We meet in a classroom in the gymnasium, all ladies are welcome!
Sunday, 9:15am - Parenting Together
Join Eli and Madeline for a series called Parenting Together. Parenting Together focuses on helping couples strengthen their marriages while also leading their families. Starts at 9:30am. Their class meets in the room across from the teen room.
Sunday, 9:15am - The Book of 1st Peter (In Person & Zoom)
This class is studying the book of 1st Peter. We are seeing that Almighty God has called us out of an idolatrous, demonic world to be His ETERNAL ambassadors of light for Him in time. We are also seeing our ETERNAL position in Christ, contrary to that of a subjective, demonic position of darkness. We will pray from 9:15-9:30 and have some brief fellowship before diving into the Bible and discussions right around 9:30am. Anyone is welcome to join in the Young Adult room in the gym.
Sunday, 9:15am - Membership Class (Zoom By Request)
Pastor Rowley is teaching a rotating class focusing on what we believe and why we believe it. This class has time for Q&A each week and meets in the Junior Church classroom below the auditorium. Anyone is invited to join at any time.
Sunday, 10:30am - SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
The livestream can be accessed on Facebook and YouTube and our website 10-15 minutes before the start of the service.
Sunday, 10:50am - Junior Church
Junior Church is for children ages 2-9 and begins after the morning worship time in the auditorium.
Sunday, 5:00pm - Prayer Time for Church and Community Needs (Adult Classroom in Gym & on Zoom)
Anyone can join and pray with us!
Sunday, 6:00pm - SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE
The livestream can be accessed using the livestream button at the top of our website. Childcare and a Children's program (ages 2-9) are provided.
Tuesday, 7:00pm - Joseph & Rebecca Pondugula Life Group (Zoom Only)
This life group is studying the book of Exodus and is open to anyone via Zoom.
Wednesday, 10:00am - Chuck Jutras Life Group
Everyone is invited to join this life group that meets across from the church office at 10am on Wednesday mornings at the church. They are currently studying the love of God.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Women's Bible Study
All ladies are invited to join us as we study the book of Revelation.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Teen Group
Any teens are invited to join in the teen room at church. Pastor Rodriguez leads the teen group.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Rudy Nelson Life Group
Everyone is invited to meet to discuss the Bible passage and sermon presented in the Sunday morning worship time. We meet downstairs in the Junior Church classroom under the auditorium from 7-8:30pm.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Ron Radziewicz Life Group
We share snacks, fellowship, encouragement, prayer, and we'll discuss "Answers to Your Questions About Heaven" by David Jeremiah.
Please accept an invitation to our TBC Life Group meeting each Wednesday, at 7:00PM, at the home of one of our members.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Pastor & Deanna Rowley Life Group (Zoom Only)
We study various Bible topics and books of the Bible. Anyone is invited to join via Zoom.
Wednesday, 7:00pm - Kevin Tower Life Group
We study various Bible topics and passages. Anyone is invited to join in person at church.
If you would like to join a Life Group or Adult Bible Fellowship group, please text or call Kevin Tower at 860-916-5062.
If you have a prayer request or need help in some way, please contact the any of our staff and/or the Care Team at CareTeam@truthbaptistchurch.org.
Looking Unto Jesus,
TBC Staff
