What To Expect

As you arrive at Tusculum, there are parking spaces all around the building, and all of the doors are open until time for services.  After worship starts on Sunday mornings, all of the doors are locked except the ones at the covered entrance on the north side of the building. As you enter, our hope is that you will be greeted with a friendly smile and offered a copy of our weekly bulletin. Sunday morning worship services are held in the main auditorium, and Sunday evening services are held in the chapel. There are no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere you choose.

Our song service is a cappella, meaning that we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. We simply want everyone to worship God in the purest way possible, focused on praise to our heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 4:15; Ephesians 5:18, 19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12). All songs will be displayed on two large screens. We hope you will find the singing worshipful and meaningful. We invite everyone to participate.

Prayer is an important part of our gatherings. As followers of Jesus, we believe in the power of prayer, and we often pray for specific needs and requests. We support and practice the Christian discipline of prayer and fasting and encourage all Christ followers to participate individually and with the fellowship that meets at Tusculum.

The sermon will likely be from 25 to 35 minutes in length. We believe you will find it refreshingly Bible centered. We display the scriptures on large screens so you can easily follow along.

Inviting worshipers to make a commitment for Jesus will be a part of the sermon. At the close of the lesson, the speaker will extend an invitation. He will encourage those who wish to respond to come to the front of the auditorium or visit our library while the congregation sings. Some of our elders will be at the front to meet and minister to any who respond. Other elders will be in the library in case someone wishes to respond privately. Some may respond for baptism, some to confess sins, and some to ask for prayer for a specific need. Several people may respond, but sometimes no one goes forward. 

If anyone responds and wants to be baptized, you will witness the baptism during the service. The baptism will be by immersion (Acts 8:35-39; Romans 6:3, 4; Colossians 2:12) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

The Lord’s Supper will be included in the worship service every Sunday. The reason for this practice is our desire to follow New Testament teaching. The first-century church celebrated this observance on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

At Tusculum, baptized believers are encouraged and expected to participate in the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. If you choose not to participate, do not be embarrassed. The Lord’s Supper is the original way of remembering the sacrifices Jesus made on our behalf.

Each week, we collect the financial offering (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2). As our guest, you are not expected to make a contribution. 

We place no expectations on our guests. You are welcome to participate, but please do not feel obligated to do so. As our guest, you are welcome to participate in any non-leadership activities, including service activities, Bible classes, and discussion groups.

Should you decide to place membership at Tusculum, you will meet with one or more of our elders. This allows them to learn a little about your desire to become a part of this body of believers and to answer any questions you may have regarding membership. The New Testament church clearly expected every believer―every committed follower of Jesus Christ―to be committed to his or her local fellowship.

Christians are expected to:

• Be regular participants in our worship services (Hebrews 10:25).
• Be “plugged into” Bible classes and other opportunities for teaching, fellowship, and personal growth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• Be involved in ministry or service (Ephesians 2:10).
• Be good stewards of the resources God has given them and faithfully support the Lord’s work (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).
• Develop personal and spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, giving, fasting, etc. (Galatians 6:8).

If you are a new member, we encourage you to participate in the Tusculum 101 class that meets during Bible class time on the first Sunday of each quarter. This is a time for you to ask, listen, and learn all about being part of the Tusculum family! Our goal is to provide you with opportunities to use your time, talents, and treasure for the glory of God.

You can expect to find a broad spectrum of people at Tusculum. Like many groups, we are diverse, coming from various backgrounds and with different levels of understanding and different stages of spiritual growth.

We do not claim to know everything, but we are learning. We do not do everything right, but we are improving. We do not always treat each other as we should, but we are trying. We have not arrived; we are on this journey together.

We were not brought together by any illusion of our perfection or personal righteousness. We were brought together by our recognition that we are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of Jesus (Mark 2:17; Romans 5:6-9; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7).

We were brought together by a common goal: to be God’s people, organized and worshiping according to God’s plan. We want to be Christ’s church. Here at Tusculum, you will find us to be people who love Jesus and love the Bible. We hope you will join us in our quest for Him and His Word this Sunday.