Terra Nova Church » From the Pastors

SUMMER SERIES IN PROVERBS | begins july 8th

Terra Nova Church — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:15:17 +0000

This summer we will be digging into the book of proverbs, specifically looking at what the book has to say about a number of very practical matters. Check out the schedule below. Sign up for the podcast on I-tunes to catch any sermons you miss while on vacation.

PROVERBS SCHEDULE::

July 8^th- Proverbs begins: Why Biblical Wisdom Matters.

July 15^th- Humility

July 22^nd- Family

July 29^th- Emotions

August 5^th- Words

August 12^th- Derek Levendusky preaches. Not related to the series. Derek is the newest church planter that Terra Nova is supporting. He is planting near Rochester in Avon, NY. You may know Derek from the local band Isaiah 6.

August 19^th- Friendship

August 26^th- Money

Sept. 2^nd- The Sluggard

ASPIRING TRIBE LEADERS | training opportunity

daniel — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:16:54 +0000

Terra Nova family,

As we continue to grow numerically as a church, we are ever mindful of the need to grow deeper as disciples of Jesus – something that happens for us primarily at the level of our tribes. Each of our tribes are led by an individual or couple called to teach, shepherd (care for), and cast vision for the group’s missional involvement in their community.

Over the next several months, we will be holding a training for aspiring tribe leaders who are a part of the Terra community. These three sessions, along with follow-up readings and online discussions, will cover basic topics of theology, the Gospel, discipleship, etc. We will also talk extensively about the philosophy of tribes and tribe leadership at Terra.

This training is open to any and all individuals or couples at Terra who sense that this could be a way in which God has called you to serve His body. This may apply to those of you who are already being mentored within your tribe for potential future leadership, have experience in this kind of leadership from the past, have had others affirm giftedness in this area, or are just sensing that someday in the future you may serve in this way.

The schedule for the training is as follows:

Session 1: March 31, 1-4pm

Session 2: April 28, 1-4pm

Session 3: June 2, 1-4pm

If you are interested, please fill out this form and we will update you with any further information you’ll need to know.

Daniel Williams (Discipleship)

FAQ SERIES | exploring the most frequently asked questions of Christianity

Phil Taylor executive pastor — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:32:27 +0000

What questions about faith, God, the Bible, or Christianity in general have you always wanted to ask but never knew how or where to ask it? Maybe you were afraid you’d look like you lacked faith for asking it? Maybe your question was too painful to ask? The FAQ series at Terra is your chance to ask whatever you want.

We’ll choose 10 of the most frequently asked questions and spend 10 Sundays answering them together.

The Schedule::

-Submit your questions HERE by March 15th.

-Look on the Blog or City for the series breakdown on or around April 1st.

-The series begins on April 22nd and runs through the end of June.

The Place::

All teachings will happen at Terra Nova Church. Meeting in Revolution Hall at 425 River Street, Troy, NY.

The Form for your questions::

Submit your questions ON THIS FORM by March 15th. If we choose your question, and you’ve left an email address with us, we’ll let you know if we choose your question and what Sunday we’ll be answering it.

Alternately, you can submit questions by emailing faqseries@terranovachurch.org or by tweeting to @faqseriesTN .

Feel free to share this post or the form link with as many people as you’d like.

MARRIAGE SERIES | book suggestions

Ed Marcelle lead pastor — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:57:41 +0000

The sermon series has been on the Biblical basics of marriage. It has touches on four foundational pieces.

Marriage and the Gospel
Compliments: Trinity, Roles in Marriage, and Sex
Love: Speaking and Living It
Marriage as Ministry

As a result, there is a lot of depth and tangential issues that are not touched on within our times on Sunday. I encourage you to discuss that in your Tribes [community groups at Terra Nova Church].

Further, I want to recommend the following books on marriage, sex, and dating. [If you click on the links, you can buy them on Amazon]

Best Old School Book

St. John Chrysostom on Marriage

These are sermons from the patristic preacher who became known as the golden tongued. The amazing thing is the sermons are not clever, trendy or a running list of applications for every demographic available. They are biblical, honest, and gracious.

Best Complete Overview

God, Marriage and Family

Andreas J. Kostenberger

The book is thorough and biblical. While Kostenberger is one of the smarter guys on the team, a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Seminary and a professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the book is readable and practical.

Best Yet to Be Published

Real Marriage

Mark and Grace Driscoll

I received eagerly the advanced reader copy. This is what we would expect from Driscoll at his best. It is filled with a biblical vision of what families can be under Christ and peppered with his charismatic personality and propensity to spin well the right story. This is a book for couples and families by a pastor who loves the Church.

Best Pastoral Counsel Book

What Did You Expect?

Paul David Tripp

On staff at 10^th Presbyterian in Philadelphia, Tripp is a pastoral counselor. This a book focusing on the nature of sin in people and the realities of sin in marriage. He calls us to 6 key commitments to making marriage endure with grace.

Best on Marriage Reflecting God and Grace [also my wife’s favorite]

Sacred Marriage

Gary Thomas

The book challenges us that marriage is more than the coupling of two people, it is the display of God and his grace to each other, our family and beyond. This book calls us to marriage as an act of service and worship with God.

Books Used in Pre-Marital Counseling at Terra Nova Church

The Marriage Builder

Larry Crabb

While you will want to ignore the drawings of foppish men with mustaches and women who appear to have been hung from heaven, the content is practical and challenging. Its section on communication and ministry versus manipulation have always been especially helpful.

The 5 Love Languages

Gary Chapman

What if you said I love you, but your spouse never heard you? This book expands on some of the ways people perceive and express love. It is an eye opener for most couples. While most know pretty quickly what their love languages are, there are also free online questionnaires.

Intended For Pleasure

Ed Wheat

This is THE book on sex. Every married couple should read it.

Other books of note:

This Momentary Marriage

John Piper

When Sinners Say “I Do”

Dave Harvey

Love & Respect

Emerson Eggerichs

Two Becoming One

Don and Sally Meredith

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY FILM | watch it here

Phil Taylor executive pastor — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:12:26 +0000

This past Sunday we celebrated our 5th Anniversary at Terra Nova. We are overwhelmed by the way that God’s grace has been demonstrated in the lives of so many who call this church home. This five minute film gives a brief look into those 5 years, set to the soundtrack of a song written by artists at Terra. In many ways, Pilgrim Song IS Terra’s story. Pass the you tube video onto others. Link to it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Pause to thank God for giving you a role in this church.

2010 ANNUAL REPORT | read it here

Phil Taylor executive pastor — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:30:44 +0000

The 2010 annual report is here! This interactive document is designed to give you a quick snapshot of the year we just left behind. While we do talk about numbers here, it’s important to remember that those numbers represent people, and their stories . . . and God’s grace, both in 2010, and in our 5 years of history. We hope you’ll take 10 minutes to read this, we think you’ll actually enjoy it. There are even a few pictures to make it interesting! If you have any follow up questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of the pastors. READ THE REPORT HERE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS | from your pastors

Terra Nova Church — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 05:32:01 +0000

Dear Church,

It is a privilege to serve you all as your pastors. What God accomplishes through Terra Nova, he does through each and every person who calls Terra Nova home.

Thanks for reflecting Christ in a continually inspiring way.

Merry Christmas!

(looking Left to Right)

Pastors: Paul Gordon, Ed Marcelle, Phil Taylor, Scott Womer, Matthew Miller

NUCLEUS CLASS | monday october fourth

Terra Nova Church — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:31:50 +0000

Are you new at Terra Nova? Trying to figure out what this church is all about? Have some burning questions? Ready to take the next step in engaging with us? If so, then Nucleus Class will be a good use of a couple hours of your time. Come on out on Monday October 4th from 7-9 in the office/education building at 409 River Street, just a few doors down from our Sunday worship location (Revolution Hall). A couple of pastors from Terra Nova will walk through various aspects of the church and leave plenty of time for questions. In order to allow for good interaction, we try to keep the classes small. With this in mind, please sign up in one of the following ways:

1. Using your Terra Nova CITY account. (If you don’t have one, stop by the Welcome Desk on Sunday).

2. Sign up at the Welcome Desk itself on old fashioned paper.

3. E-Mail us at THIS ADDRESS and let us know how many will be attending.

We hope to see you there.

NUCLEUS CLASS | monday september 13th

Phil Taylor executive pastor — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:23:06 +0000

Nucleus Class is your opportunity to learn what it means to be a part of Terra Nova Church. You’ll sit down with a couple of pastors for a couple of hours. The class runs from 7-9PM and meets at 409 River Street, Terra’s office and education building. If you would like to be a part of this class, be sure to sign up as we try to keep the number of attendants to no more that 15. Send an email HERE to sign up. If you miss this class, no worries . . . the next one will be October 3rd.

SURVEY | fill it out soon if you attend terra nova

Phil Taylor executive pastor — Sun, 02 May 2010 13:09:08 +0000

We are seeking some information from everyone who attends Terra Nova. Taking just five minutes to fill this out will really help the leadership as we make plans for the future. Click HERE to fill out the survey.