Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 17, 2012

 

Dear Central Family,

 

RESISTANCE! 

 

I don’t know about you, but I see this all around me every day, as I seek to be the husband, the dad, the pastor, and the man that God wants me to be!  The enemy knows exactly which buttons to push in order push back at me and keep me from fulfilling what God desires each day.  I am so convinced that is the message that we all need to hear that we are going to kick off a new 4 part series called RESISTANCE…A Study of the Old Testament Life of Joseph starting this Sunday!  I will be speaking in the 9:30 Classic Worship Service and Jared Alcántara will be preaching in the 9:30 and 11:00 Contemporary Services.  We are going to see that Joseph is more than a fugitive from a flannelgraph board, but instead his life shows us the resistance that the enemy tries to take to get us off course, and the victory that is ours if we only grab ahold and press on.  So I hope you will be with us for this new series – it is going to be powerful!

 

I also want to let you know that we are really excited about the upcoming Leadership Summit that we will have on March 4 at 6 pm.  This is for everyone in our church who serves in any way.  The Elders are calling us all together so that we can share with you our ministry priorities and plans for the next three years.  We want to praise God for where He has been working, and we want to look expectantly at what He has before us.  So please plan to be with us as this is going to be a special night that I know God is going to be present and challenge us all.  Childcare will be provided.

 

One last thing:  This Sunday, we will unveil our new worship folder.  Wait till you get your hands on it!  We have designed a tool that you can use not only on Sunday, but it is perfect for you to give to friends during the week.  We are really excited about this new tool to connect people with what God is doing at Central.

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 10, 2012

Dear Central Family,

 

I am looking forward to this Sunday and I hope that you will be able to be with us and with take this opportunity to invite your friends to come along with you! 

 

This Sunday we are all going to rejoice in what God did through our Haiti World Impact team this past Christmas.  The Haiti team will be presenting a report of what God did in and through them through testimonies, slides, and special messages given by Pastor Gilmer in the contemporary services and Bryan Bunagan in our classic service.  Both Pastor Gilmer and Bryan participated in this trip so they have much to share.!

 

We will also be rejoicing in the celebration of Believer's Baptism at both the 9:30 and 11:00 contemporary services.  If you have not stepped out and shown your faith through baptism, this is your chance to make it known.  Just bring a pair of shorts and t-shirt, and plan to be blessed as you step out in obedience!

 

I am thankful for what God did in our last sermon series, The Me I want to Be.  Next Sunday, February 19, we will be starting a new series that I am really looking forward to,  We have called it THE RESISTANCE and we will spend the next four weeks focusing on the Old Testament character of Joseph and how his life is filled with lessons that speak to our lives in the 21st Century.  As I am studying, I am seeing so many practical truths that will impact our lives.

 

Finally, I want you to know that we are really looking forward to a special Leaders Summit that we will be holding on Sunday, March 4 at 6 pm.  The Overseeing Elders are calling for everyone who serves in any way in our church to come together for a special night of worship, prayer, and casting of vision as they lay out the priorities that God has placed before us for the next three years.  The elders have been prayerfully working on putting together a clear compelling vision that will be our track for the next three years and we want to share this with our entire body.  You may wonder, “Should I come?”  If you are serving in any way at Central, whether you are a member or not, we want to encourage you to come and hear what God has put on our hearts.  So please plan to come.  Child care will be provided.

 

I thank God for what He is doing at Central!  Just today I was out in the community and someone came up to me, and said, "Pastor Gay!  I will be there on Sunday!  I started back this past Sunday and was so blessed, can’t wait to come back this Sunday!"  I can’t tell you how this encouraged me to hear this.  So I hope you will be there this Sunday to bless others like her!

 

In His Grace,

 

Pastor Gay

 

 

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 3, 2012

 

Dear Central Family,

 

What a series this has been and I hope you will be with us this Sunday as we conclude our series, The Me I Want to Be. 

 

We will be looking at how our Story, unique as it is, fits together as part of God’s Story, as vast as it is.  We will conclude with celebrating communion as we rejoice in what Jesus did for us all!  I want to ask you to consider if you could sum up in one word what your life was like before you met Christ, and one word that describes your life after meeting Christ,  what would those words be?  That is the sum of your testimony of life change, and we want to celebrate that change this Sunday in each of our contemporary worship services.  So think about it, and come prepared to be blessed!

 

I will be preaching at 9:30 and 11:00 contemporary services, and Jared will be preaching in the classic service.

 

A few dates to keep in mind:

 

Sunday, February 12

We will be hearing from our Haiti team as to what God did through them.  We will be concluding each of the contemporary services with a celebration of baptism. 

 

Sunday, February 19

I will be starting a new series called the Resistance, which will focus on the story found in the life of Joseph.  This promises to be a challenging time of seeing how God is so much bigger than any pain and suffering in our lives.  I hope you will take time to invite someone to come with you for this new series.

 

I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!

 

Pastor  Gay

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 27, 2012

 

Dear Central Family,

 

God continues to bless our congregation as we are meeting together on Sunday morning during this series, The Me I Want to Be.  I hope you will be with us this Sunday as we look at what God has to say about who He has made us to be.  If we grab hold of the truths we will be sharing, it can make a dynamic impact on our lives.  I will be preaching at 9:30 and 11:00 Contemporary Services, and Ryan Kennedy, a young man who is preparing to go to the Mission Field and serve in Papua New Guinea, will be preaching in the Classic Service at 9:30.

 

Please pray for our senior high students as they are away on a retreat.  Pray for safe travel, for powerful Holy Spirit impact, and life change.  I thank God for all that is going on in our student ministries.

 

Finally, if you are a member, we will have our Semi-Annual Congregational Business Meeting this Sunday after the 11:00 Service.  We only hold two of these a year, and this is your opportunity to be brought up to date on what is happening in our ministry and what exciting things God has placed before us as we go into this new year.  Please plan to pick up your children after the 11:00 Service and join us in the worship center.

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 20, 2012

 

Dear Central Family,

 

Ever feel like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t see the progress you desire in becoming who Christ wants you to be? 

Is there any hope that change can take place, or do you just need to try harder? 

 

We are going to continue our message series THE ME I WANT TO BE this Sunday.  The message title is Training not Trying!  We are going to look at how to get off the treadmill of performance, which can be exhausting, and learn what it means to train ourselves in godliness as we remember who we are and then see God make us into the Me we want to be. 

 

I will be preaching at the 9:30 and 11:00 Contemporary Services and Jared will be preaching in the 9:30 Classic.  For those of you who attend the classic service, we have a very special new addition to our classic team this week that you will want to come and see.  I know it will bless you!

 

See you Sunday morning, and I hope that you will come with expectant hearts for God to do something powerful in all of our lives.

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 14, 2012

 

Dear Central Family,

 

I am looking forward to worshipping with you tomorrow! We will continue our series, The Me I Want to Be!

 

Our message title tomorrow is me=He!  I will be preaching at the 9:30 and 11:00 contemporary services and Jared will preach in the 9:30 classic.  We will be focusing in on why God works in our lives ....and it might surprise you what this life we are called to live is all about! So I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!  

 

Also, LifeGroups will kick off tomorrow!  So check out the wide variety of opportunities you have to connect with others on Sunday mornings or during the week.  You can see a full list at our website, worshipatcentral.org, or stop by the Life Group fair in the Fellowship Mall. 

 

Enjoy your Saturday! See you in the am!

 

Pastor Gay

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 6, 2012

 

Dear Central,

 

Hope you had an awesome Christmas and enjoyed some great time with your family. 

 

I am sure looking forward to having everyone back together this Sunday as we kick off a brand new series...The Me I Want to Be!  We are going to start off this week by taking an honest look at ourselves in light of the Word of God as we set forth to see Christ formed in us this new year.  I will be preaching at both contemporary worship services at 9:30 and 11:00 and Jared will be preaching in the Classic at 9:30 in Allen Hall.  I hope that as you prepare your hearts for worship you will ask God to open your heart so that you will be able to hear from Him this Sunday.  I really believe that God has something special in store for all of us this Sunday!

 

We will be giving you a great opportunity this Sunday to see all the new life Groups that we will be offering this semester.  Take time to walk through the Life Group Fair in the Fellowship Mall and check out the many options you have to choose from, whether on Sunday morning or during the week.  Above all, GET CONNECTED!  We want everyone to get connected in community with others, as this life is meant be lived in connection with other believers.

 

Besides Life Groups, we are excited to let you know that we are going to be offering two opportunities for you to get connected through Starting Point.  Starting Point is a small group discussion that is meant to help all of us discover God's Story and how we fit into that Story. I am looking forward to being a part of one of these groups on Wednesday evenings  and help to guide the discussion as we all learn together from each other that God has a purpose for our lives that is so much bigger than us.  We will offer a group on Sunday mornings at 11:00 that will start January 15 and another one on Wednesday nights at 7 pm starting January 18.  If you wonder about what Starting Point is all about, I encourage you to go to the website  www.startingpoint.com.  We also will be having a brief orientation at the end of each of the worship Services this Sunday.  Just come down to the front for a few minutes and you will get a good handle on why we are excited about our Starting Point discussion groups.

 

I also want you to know that the Haiti team got back home safely and I want to thank you for your faithful prayers!  We are planning in the weeks ahead to give you an opportunity to hear firsthand what God has done through this team.  I thank God for their willingness to be the hands and feet of Jesus and look forward to hearing how God answered our prayers, so keep an eye open for that time of sharing God's power.

 

So I guess you can see why I am looking forward to this Sunday!  See you then!

 

Pastor Gay