meet jesus
Meeting Jesus is simple. Just ask. Romans 10:14 says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. He already knows You. He created you. Acknowledging that you want a reciprocal relationship with Him is for your own benefit. It's amazing how God will "speak" to you when you are consciously open to "hearing" him. After you acknowledge that you desire a relationship with your Creator, be prepared for Him to make His presence known to you. A good discipline is to find a time each day when you can be still, without even reading the Bible or praying and just listen. Ask Him to show you what you need to hear and wait. He will speak to you in your language. It might be a feeling in your gut, an image in your mind or a thought that you can't shake. Matthew 7:7 says it this way, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
read your bible
Reading your Bible can be intimidating for people both old and new to the Christian experience. Keep in mind that it was written over the course of hundreds of years, by several different authors, in various cultures. It is not a book that needs to be read cover to cover to understand. The New Testament was written through the context of Jesus. It might be helpful to start there. The books are also smaller and easier to digest. Psalms is easy to read as it was written in poetic form and communicates feelings that are timeless and authentic. Genesis and Exodus are also packed full of stories that are foundational to the Christian faith. If none of these methods suit your fancy, say a prayer and try Bible-roulette! Pray first, open the Bible and read what's on the page! There are also many devotionals available, and when all else fails, Google "How do I read the Bible?" There are also several Bible Reading apps available for smart phones and tablets.
get baptized
Baptism is like a wedding of sorts. It's the public declaration of your covenant with and commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, much like a wedding is the public declaration of a covenant between two people who intend to spend their life together. Baptism also illustrates the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It's a milestone that an individual can reflect on as the demonstration that their sin was buried (submerged into the water) and they were cleansed (emerged from the water). Typically, TWC has a baptism once or twice a year. However, we will accommodate it ANY time God lays it on the heart of an individual. We also try to have a time of prayer over those being baptized in conjunction with the actual baptism to encourage them and bless their specific calling in Christ. We view baptism as something to be celebrated! Though it's not a common practice, we will also sprinkle babies as part of a child dedication if it is important to the parent or guardian.
get plugged in
TWC has many ministries. It is our desire to facilitate an atmosphere where people can live out their ministry dreams and callings. If you can think it, we will do our best to accommodate it! As the church grows, there are also plenty of opportunities to get plugged in. check out the Ministry section of the web page for specifics. This is ultimately the purpose of our faith, sharing it with others! We have discovered repeatedly that being on the giving end of reaching out to the community is more of a blessing than receiving is. It is the key to our faith. Having said that, plug in. :)