News & Notes

By Jeridan Dyck 09 Jan, 2024
Happy New Year, TCC! As we prepare for all that God has for TCC this year, we are excited for where and how God is leading us! We, the pastoral team, have been praying and seeking the Lord’s direction for this new year. It seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit to hold fast to the directions he gave us in the fall which were (1) to continue to implement truly inter-generational worship as a united body, (2) to set out a theme of preparedness for the coming of the Lord (Matthew 24:44-47), (3) and to put attention and effort behind the TCC mission statement, “to be and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:18-20) After a strong summer coming out of Camp TCC, we were excited about the momentum and the theme of readiness. We were eager to implement the Biblical Discipleship Hour (BDH), age-appropriate, biblical education and discipleship. Kids’ hour accommodated 0-5 th grade, Youth BDH, 6 th – 12 th grade, and Adult BDH, college students to pensioners. During the 9:30 service hour, the hope was that families would be able to come to BDH and Kids’ hour to be discipled in the word of God then transition together to the 11:00 service to worship as a family. The momentum was strong at the beginning of the fall, but as time went on, we had fewer and fewer attend the Biblical Discipleship hour. As we evaluated how the fall services had gone, we recognized this loss of momentum. We felt that part of the problem was the competition between the 9:30 service and BDH. Asking families to come an hour and a half early for worship to participate in the education hour was a stretch even for the most stalwart especially with school, sports, and other weekly activities also making demands. In answer, beginning in February, we are going to implement a one-service model at 10:00 with a fellowship / coffee time from 11:00-11:30, followed by Biblical Discipleship Hour from 11:30-12:15. We hope this will facilitate a few different things. (1) A return to the summer worship schedule will reunite all of us into a single worshipping body; a better reflection of our unity in Christ (Ephesians 4:3). (2) Competition between a 9:30 service and BDH will be eliminated; it is more palatable deciding simply to stay after the service than expend the effort required to come early. (3) The worship team will have an extra half hour of prep and could also participate in BDH if they choose. (4) Pastor Tom, having to preach only once, will be free to participate, teach, and be more actively involved in the discipleship element on Sunday morning as well. The one downside is for the staff and volunteers regularly serving our kids in LTA (coinciding with worship). If things continue as they are, they would be unable to participate in the worship service. To facilitate their participation, we will need a rotation of volunteers who are willing to serve our kids one or perhaps two Sundays per month. Would you be willing to regularly serve on a rotation? We pray that this structure will better serve the vision the Lord has given us. If you have any questions or concerns, please email, call, text, or visit me on site during office hours. May God our Father bless us richly through the unity of the Holy Spirit as members of his only Son, Jesus Christ! Jeridan Dyck Pastor of Family Ministries and Outreach jeridan@tccwayland.org (406)849-0675
By Tom Petter 31 Aug, 2023
Guiding Principles for the Ministry Year 2023-24 Trinitarian Congregational Church Ministry Theme: “Are You Ready?” This probing question is based on the Gospel of Matthew, which we will cover in our Sunday morning services both in the Fall and Spring terms. Jesus challenges us to move from a ‘spectator’ role (self-satisfied and ‘comfortable’) to an active ‘participant’ role in the discipleship experience. ‘Un-discipled’ disciples (Pastor Pete James’ phrase) fail to persevere, disengage with the Word and therefore mute the witness of Christ to our neighbors. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus challenges our priorities and calls us to new levels of readiness. Readiness both in the now (“come unto me”) and readiness for the future. Matthew 24:44 captures the theme well: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Our goal for this ministry theme (reached upon as a team at our summer staff retreat at Toah Nipi Camp) is that TCC Life Groups would commit to the study of Matthew at some point during this ministry year to apply the urgency to be ready: the urgency to witness to our neighbors both in sharing the good news of forgiveness of sins and through acts of compassion. The prayerful outcome, by God’s power, is to see the multiplication of new believers during this ministry year at TCC. “This Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Growth through Biblical Discipleship Hour at 9:30am on Sundays To foster family-rooted discipleship, we are implementing new Biblical Discipleship Hour programs at 9:30am on Sundays for middle school and high school students, as well as for adults. Following is a description of the new program: Last words are important! Jesus’s last words to his eleven disciples in Matthew are this, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). In keeping with the Great Commission, our Mission Statement, “To Be and Make Disciples” is critical. Accordingly, we are implementing an important teaching/training hour on Sunday mornings, 9:30am to 10:30am, for disciples of all ages and stages. We will hold two separate sessions during the hour upstairs in the main church building. Jeridan and Erin Dyck will supervise one session geared for our younger disciples. Donna Petter will supervise one session geared for older disciples. On certain occasions we will offer combined classes! Teachers and mentors from our own community will contribute weekly to the program. As we journey with Jesus, we must “learn” what walking with him entails. Our focus will be fourfold: defining discipleship, the demands of a disciple, the decisions of a disciple, and developing disciples. These overlapping categories will allow us to address important topics from a biblical worldview. These broad categories also permit us to have combined teaching sessions (at times) with younger disciples in our midst. Growth through Outreach Our identity as a sending church means we are committed to evangelism (proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and Savior) to our neighbors across the street. In addition to existing opportunities (Bridge House in Framingham), 2023-24 is the year to create new outreach programs under the pastoral guidance of our new Pastor of Family Ministries and Outreach, Jeridan Dyck. The Send mobilization conference (September 16 at BU’s Agganis Arena) officially launches our efforts to participate in evangelistic outreach in MetroWest. Collaboration among local churches is a critical dimension of The Send's vision and TCC is actively participating in this movement. Growth through Worship The 2023-24 ministry year marks the launch of our new permanent worship team with the recent hiring of Mia Hustad as Worship Leader. Alex Kouris serves as worship coordinator, Karen Johnson as seasonal choir director, and Charlie Orr as our organist. Mia is forming a core team of volunteers with the goal of a weekly practice in addition to Sunday morning practice. Mia and Alex’s vision calls for an anointed family worship hour representing the highest quality of Christian worship from the standpoint of performance and the adoration and praise of the Living God. Our goal for the year is to see new families join the church as our experience of God through worship grows both in Word and Spirit. Growth through Men’s Discipleship Programming This fall we are re-launching our men’s ministry program with a new name: Don’t Walk Alone. We will gather September 17 for a hike, bonfire, some grilling and some much-needed fellowship among the men at TCC. The goal is to foster an atmosphere of openness and transparency in sharing the struggles common to men so that we feel supported in our disconnected and isolated culture. Boundary and Accountability Principles The Board, committees, Senior Pastor, Pastoral and support staff, and the congregation as a whole come under the accountability structures established in the TCC By-Laws of 2010. We are all accountable to the Lordship of Christ and His Word. In Christ, the Judgment of the Last Day has already come to us as “righteous” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Also, we will all have to give an account on that Day as to what we did in the body in our justified state (2 Corinthians 5:10), whether we were zealous for good works or not (Titus 2:11-14). Theme Song for 2023-24 – “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship In the crushing In the pressing You are making new wine In the soil I now surrender You are breaking new ground So I yield to You into Your careful hand When I trust You I don't need to understand Make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus bring new wine out of me In the crushing In the pressing You are making new wine In the soil I now surrender You are breaking new ground You are breaking new ground So, make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me 'Cause where there is new wine There is new power There is new freedom And the Kingdom is here I lay down my old flames To carry Your new fire today 'Cause where there is new wine There is new power There is new freedom And the Kingdom is here I lay down my old flames To carry Your new fire today So, make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be God, I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Sing that again, like me Make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be God, I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Oh, Jesus, bring new wine out of me, oh Jesus Jesus, bring new wine out of me (it means we're getting back on the altar) We're saying we surrender everything, Lord Bring new wine out of me, Jesus Jesus, bring new wine (keep going) out of me (Jesus) Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me 'Cause where there is new wine There is new power There is new freedom And the Kingdom is here I lay down my old flames To carry Your new fire today Where there is new wine 'Cause where there is new wine There is new power There is new freedom And the Kingdom is here I lay down my old flames To carry Your new fire today So, I say make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me, Jesus Jesus, bring new wine out of me Jesus, bring new wine out of me Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Brooke Gabrielle Fraser New Wine lyrics © Hillsong Publishing, Hillsong Music Publishing Australia
By Jen Calverley 24 Aug, 2023
Introducing: Biblical Discipleship Hour Last words are important! Jesus’s last words to his eleven disciples in Matthew are this: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). In keeping with the Great Commission our Mission Statement, “To Be and Make Disciples” is critical. Accordingly, we are implementing an important teaching/training hour on Sunday mornings, 9:30am to 10:30am, for disciples of all ages and stages. We will hold two separate sessions during the hour upstairs in the main church building. Jeridan and Erin Dyck will supervise one session geared for our younger disciples. Donna Petter will supervise one session geared for older disciples. On certain occasions we will offer combined classes! Teachers and mentors from our own community will contribute weekly to the program. As we journey with Jesus we must “learn” what walking with him entails. Our focus will be fourfold: defining discipleship, the demands of a disciple, the decisions of a disciple, and developing disciples. These overlapping categories will allow us to address important topics from a biblical worldview. These broad categories also permit us to have combined teaching sessions (at times) with younger disciples in our midst. P.S. Please identify yourself as a potential teacher or mentor for the program! Take a step of faith and communicate with me if you feel tugged in this direction. I would love to help you discern. Warmly, Donna Petter donna@tccwayland.org
By Tom Petter 23 Jun, 2023
With the support of the Board, Finance Committee, and staff, we are thrilled to announce that coming September 2023, TCC will launch a pilot residency program to train pastors for New England churches. The program (see description attached) will run from September 2023 to the end of June 2024 which will allow the candidate to be placed in a church as a senior pastor by Fall 2024. By God's grace, we already have a wonderful candidate for this very exciting venture! Fall 2023 also coincides with my retirement at the seminary, which frees me up to mentor the candidate (along with Donna and others, as well). Part of this vision is the reality that current seminary education doesn't adequately prepare students for the realities of pulpit ministry in a senior pastor role. In a real sense, it's a return to a model that harks back to the earliest times of the Christian Church and also during the Reformation, where future pastors were mentored both academically and spiritually within a local church (Calvin's Academy in Geneva being the model). Additionally, New England churches tend to be small without the budget for full-time youth and associate pastors, which are the typical funnels for senior pastor roles in larger churches. So there is a real need to prepare these Residents well for this task with a view that their ministry is measured in decades rather than a few years as is often the case now. This vision for a Residency program is shared by other churches in the area, including Faith Community in Acton, led by Dr. Ryan Fields. Dr. Rick Lints, who is no stranger to TCC, is an active leader in The Presbyterian Church in America churches in New England. Rick also holds a senior leadership role with Tim Keller's Redeemer City-to-City Residency program in NYC. Together, we share the vision of a future Residency program where multiple churches from different denominations participate together in forming the next generation of pastors in our area. We view this collaborative work as an essential part of the vision for this Residency program to flourish. The hope is to run yearly cohorts of 10-15 pastoral candidates in individual churches, with the future creation of a 501(c)(3). So this pilot at TCC is just the beginning of the venture. We are planting seeds for the future. As a pilot program we have already received some funding, but we are looking at raising $5K per month from September 2023 to June 2024 (a total of $50K). In a very real sense, this is a local outreach effort as we seek to train a new generation of workers into the harvest right here in New England. Tax Deductible donations can be made via a Restricted fund at TCC. Mary Ayotte, our contributions officer, can be contacted at contributions@tccwayland.org . In His service together, Pastor Tom
By Jen Calverley 01 Jun, 2023
This is a subtitle for your new post
12 Apr, 2023
This is a subtitle for your new post
By Mirza Ryan 13 Mar, 2023
This is a subtitle for your new post
By Jen Calverley 10 Mar, 2023
Dear TCC, What a privilege it was to spend this last weekend at Camp Berea with the students! The theme for the weekend was “Shatter.” It was a time to identify sin or good things in the wrong places that were hindering us from deeper relationship with Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). After the sessions, we as leaders were able to go deeper, asking what was impressed on them during that time. What a joy to hear how God was speaking to each of their hearts! Their thoughtful reflection and insights told me these young people have incredibly soft hearts toward the Lord! There was also a lot of time for fun; everything from paintball to scrabble! A few brave souls even jumped into a frozen lake for our amusement! The weekend whirled by, but it was precious time for me to get to know them better! Relationships can only be made by spending time together. It is with great joy that I am taking this position as Family Ministries and Outreach Pastor! As many of you already know, I came back from my latest trip to Ukraine on February 15th. The purpose of the trip was to close the contract for our house, sell our appliances and car, donate the furniture and household goods, and pack up our personal possessions to be shipped here to Massachusetts. I was also able to spend some quality time with our friends and encourage them in the work God has called them to perform. The close of that chapter of life and ministry was sad, but there was also joy in being able to fully reorient ourselves toward life and ministry at TCC. Erin and Elsa are also excited for the future with TCC! Erin is an excellent leader and teacher, and she is especially excited to walk alongside the young women. After getting to know many of the students last weekend, compassion for them and the struggles that they are going through, confirms to me that the Lord has indeed called us here to serve the families of TCC. I am so pleased with the efforts of the staff and volunteers who have been faithfully serving in the interim! From planning and coordinating Deep Freeze, to Gospel Project, to Alpha, to Bible Overview, excellent groundwork is already being done to launch the programming for the Fall! As we, the Student Ministries team, move forward, we recognize the hostile environment we find ourselves in, hostile to meaningful faith in Jesus and biblical truth. We have heard you, the parents, and understand how critical a responsibility it is to educate our youth in Christian faith. Paul writes to Timothy, “…so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Teaching sound doctrine, being that pillar of truth, is a core stewardship God has given his church. We are excited to add an educational hour on Sunday mornings starting this fall for students and adults at 9:30am. We will continue to have family worship together at 11:00am as well as the regular 9:30  am service. In this way, we uphold both of our values for intergenerational worship and for Christian education together. It is my desire as Family Ministries and Outreach Pastor, to come alongside parents, to partner together in discipling students; teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us, to stand firm in the face of opposition, and to confidently go out into the harvest as laborers for the kingdom of God. Through prayer, collaboration, and relationship I want to carefully build on the foundation of Christ that has been laid before me. I am inviting you to send me your input and ideas. You can email me, or text me at any time. After we move here, come see me in person. I look forward to serving with you! In Christ, Jeridan Dyck Email: jeridan@tccwayland.org Phone: 406-849-0675
02 Mar, 2023
This is a subtitle for your new post
27 Jan, 2023
Dear Friends, This week has been an exciting time focused on family discipleship with the visit of Jeridan, Erin and Elsa Dyck. Jeridan is our incoming Pastor of Family Ministries and Outreach and Erin our Student Ministries Assistant. In their get together with parents on Tuesday night, they emphasized the critical roles of parents in the discipleship of our children and how, as parents, we all lean on the Holy Spirit for insights! If you didn't have the opportunity to meet them, Jeridan will be back for Berea's "Deep Freeze" and a couple of more times in the spring until they relocate to the area sometime in June. Please do pray for Jeridan as he returns to Ukraine in early February to finalize the closing of their house, the selling of their car and to ship their belongings back to the States. For Wednesday night Rise! (our adult education program), we welcomed Chelsea Erickson who spoke on the values of family discipleship and intergenerational worship. Chelsea has over 12 years of youth ministry experience (most recently at First Congregational Church of Hamilton, MA) and now serves at Rooted as Director of Publications, among other responsibilities. You won't want to miss her keen insights and wisdom. You can have access to her presentation via our YouTube channel. On the heels of our annual meeting, clearly the Lord is at work in our midst and there is a great sense of renewal and anticipation for what He is doing. We want to be quick to give Him all the praise and glory for His provision, protection and guidance this past year and for His sustaining power for 2023. In His service together, Tom
Show More

Praying for the World

The first thing we want to do as people of faith is to pray for the world and the needs of our community. If you have prayer concerns please send them to  frontdesk@tccwayland.org. A link to a regularly updated prayer list will be emailed out to our Email Newsletter mailing list. (Signup here)


Pre-Worship Prayer| Sunday Mornings | 8:45am

Need Help?

If you know someone who needs help, or if you yourself need help, please reach out to the office at 508-358-7717 or frontdesk@tccwayland.org.

Deacon’s Fund

For those experiencing financial hardship during this pandemic it is our joy to invite you to apply for support via the Deacon’s Fund. This fund is not only used to serve real needs in the community directly, but it’s a resource that members of our TCC community could utilize to help meet the needs of neighbors and others in Metrowest.

Deacon's Fund Application

Please fill out this form and email it to frontdesk@tccwayland.org

Food Pantry

Food pantry is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4P-5:30P.

Share by: