Church Update 03/07/26

Good afternoon, church family,

May grace and peace from the Father be with you on this beautiful Saturday! Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day, and we look forward to gathering together as His church. Right off the bat, I want to remind you that daylight savings begins tomorrow, so…

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward.

Granted, most of us use fancy digital devices these days that do this automatically for us, but it’s still good to be aware. We can all drink lots of coffee together tomorrow to make up for losing that hour of sleep… or we could go to bed early. I vote for coffee.

Come up to the church building at 9:30am to join a Fellowship Group. Pastor Dwight has been leading a study on the Holy Spirit from 1 Corinthians. Beth Walsh is leading a group focused on prayer. Susan Kitzrow leads our young adults group, and Ryan Stephens leads our youth group. There is a place for everyone, so come and join us for this time of growing in our faith and fellowship together.

Our service will begin at 10:45am as usual. Our focus passage is Philippians 2:5–11 as we take a look at the mindset of a Christian. That mindset is firmly rooted in Jesus and His example. Having the attitude of Christ according to Philippians 2:5 is not merely about adopting a newer, improved positivity or something of that sort. It’s not about being nicer or softer. It is about being immersed into Jesus. It is about participating in Christ to such an extent that we come to share His way of seeing, evaluating, and discerning everything. It means we agree with Jesus, even when His truth is entirely contrary to the world and to our own intuitions. I believe the Lord will enrich us as we explore this passage and its implications tomorrow.

I always encourage us to be praying for one another. If you have a specific prayer need, please message me directly. We will make sure it gets on our prayer list and that you are prayed for during the week. Please continue praying for Tom Westover as he recovers from hernia repair surgery, for Pam Dihmes as she continues to fight off an infection in preparation for gallbladder surgery, and for our friend Sarah Mann from Grounds 4 Compassion as she recovers from brain surgery.

Starting this Wednesday, our Community Prayer Service will begin at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary. This is a time dedicated to prayer and worship. All are welcome. I believe intentional prayer is critically important to our ministry together.

Tulakes Covenant Fellowship will have the privilege and joy of taking a group of youth to Falls Creek Youth Camp this year! The dates are July 19–25. We will be partnering with Bryant Avenue Baptist Church, and we are very excited to grow our friendship with this wonderful sister church family also serving the OKC Metro area. Begin praying now for our youth, and if you have a young person in your life who might benefit from spending a week at camp with us, I would encourage you to connect him or her with our youth minister, Ryan Stephens. Contact Ryan if you have any questions about youth camp. More details will be coming soon.

Let’s prepare our hearts today as we prepare to gather tomorrow. God has special grace for His church—to minister and to grow together when we are present with one another. It is His plan to develop us into Christian maturity. Jesus promised to build His church, but He never promised to build a lone Christian. None of us were designed to do life without the community of Christ. I hope you will make every effort to be with us in the morning. Not only will you be blessed, but when one of us is missing, the rest of us miss out on the blessing of your presence. You are more important to God’s work and plans than you probably know. I love and appreciate you all!

In His steps, 
Pastor Nick

Philippians 2:7–8 (CSB) — 
“Instead he emptied himself 
by assuming the form of a servant, 
taking on the likeness of humanity. 
And when he had come as a man, 
he humbled himself by becoming obedient 
to the point of death— 
even to death on a cross.”