Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 20, 2009

 

Give Thanks!

 

I love this time of year as we gather together to reflect and focus on all that God does for us and shows us through His loving care on a daily basis.

 

This Sunday is going to be a packed day!  In the morning, I will continue my series on our Identity in Christ when we look at what the Bible has to say about being a manager of all that God has blessed us with.  I am going to ask all of us to ask some important questions about how we are doing with what God has placed in our hands.  I am looking forward to it!  Pastor Ray has planned dynamic services as we express gratitude for all God means to us.  It is going to be a dynamic morning of worship and praise. 

 

Then to top the day off, we will be gathering for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at 5 pm which will be followed by a wonderful time of worship and praise and testimony for the whole church family at 6:30.  Sign-up for the dinner is closed, but we would love to have you join us for praise and worship in the Worship Center.  Nursery will be provided for children up to age 5, so bring the whole family.

 

I hope that you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving and reflect on all that God does on a daily basis for us.  Join me and giving thanks!

 

                A Grateful Pastor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 6, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

One of the greatest pieces of the puzzle of your identity in Christ is summed up in the statement, “I am a priest!”  I wonder if you ever thought of yourself in that light before? 

 

Well, when you read the Scriptures, one of the great privileges that we have as followers of Christ is that we are a kingdom of priests!  What does that mean?  What difference should that make in our lives?  Those are the questions we are going to answer in my message on Sunday morning.  I hope you are planning to be with us, as this is important life-giving truth that will make a difference in how you view your life.

 

            We have a number of exciting things coming up here at Central, so open up your calendar and mark these dates down!

 

Saturday, November 14 is our Focus on the Family Focus on Parenting Video Simulcast conference.  There is still time to register at the discounted rate, so please take time to check this out by going to our website.

 

Sunday, November 22, will be our annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Worship Service.  We did this for the first time last year and it was a big hit!  A great home-cooked meal followed by a dynamic time of worship together as a family in our Worship Center—what a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving Week celebration.  You can sign up on line and the suggested donation is $5.00 per person and $20.00 per family.  We are looking forward to a wonderful time.

 

Saturday, December 12 is our Characters of Christmas Community Outreach.  Check out the website for all the info you need.  This is a great tool for you to use to invite friends and co-workers to a clear presentation of the love of Christ in a non- threatening format of music and drama.  It is going to be a lot of fun.

 

One more thing that will happen this Sunday: we are going to reveal our new Church logo, which our creative team has been working so hard on, so you don’t want to miss that!

 

Hope you have a great weekend!  See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 30, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

Don’t forget to fall back! 

 

This Saturday when you go to bed, don’t forget to change your clocks so that you can enjoy an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night!  Then plan to be with us on Sunday morning for one of our two worship services, fresh and ready to go! 

 

I began a new series last Sunday I have called “Who Am I?” and we are examining our identity in Christ.  We asked the question, “Who do you think you are and why this is so important to understand?”  The answer is so that we can live a victorious Christian life.  I will continue this series this Sunday as we examine how we are His children and will celebrate that fact around the Lord’s Table.  I am looking forward to this time and I hope you will be present.

 

Sunday evening, I will continue my series in the book of Colossians and examine the subject, “RULES, RULES, RULES!”  This is an area we can easily get confused on in our Christian life, and as a result, we can get stuck in our growth.  So come on out and learn the Biblical response to legalism.

 

I hope you have a great weekend, and I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

 

One more thing, my family and I want to express our deepest appreciation to you as a congregation for the wonderful recognition of our ten years of ministry with you that we experienced this past Sunday.  I was definitely surprised and we were all deeply touched!  We love this congregation and every day thank God for the opportunity to serve you in His kingdom! 

 

(Pastor’s Assistant’s Note:  If you missed the video tribute shown last Sunday, October 25 commemorating Pastor Gay’s ten years at Central and thirty years in ministry, click HERE.)

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

P.S.  GO PHILLIES!!!

 

 

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 23, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

“So who do you think you are?” 

 

If you are like me, you heard that question on a number of occasions as you were growing up.  It is a very important question for all of us to ask in this age of identity confusion and identity theft. 

 

I am looking forward to being back in the pulpit this Sunday as I start a new series called “Who Am I?”  Ken Boa has said, “We cannot consistently behave in ways that are different from what we believe about ourselves.”  Who are we really as a follower of Christ?  We are going to be looking at our identity in Christ, and how when you know who you really are, you are free to be who you are!  I would encourage you to take a glance at the key passage we will be studying this Sunday, 1 Peter 2:9-10.  I hope you are going to be with us this weekend so you can learn how to be free!

 

Sunday night will be a special evening as we celebrate Believers Baptism during our 6 pm service.  It’s always exciting to hear the stories of individuals who have trusted Christ and of their desire to be a fully-devoted follower of Christ. 

 

Following the 6 pm service, we will have our quarterly congregational meeting for all members.  If you are a member, please plan on being present. Not only will we take a look at what has been going on in the ministry, but I will be sharing some exciting plans that we have as part of our fall and Christmas schedule designed for you to bring your friends to experience the love of Christ.

 

Finally, I want to ask you to please come out for a special evening of Worship and Prayer this Wednesday night at 7 pm in the Worship Center.  We will be gathering as a Church family to worship our Lord who answers prayer and to call on His name to intervene in our lives, our church, and our community.  We will have regular children’s programs that evening, so your children will be ministered to.  Please plan to come out and be part of our body as we call on our Lord to do great and mighty things.

 

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

 

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: October 15, 2009

 

 

Dear Central Family,

 

I hope you are having a great week! I know I am, as I have taken a week off to be at home with my wife as we celebrate our wedding anniversary and also attempt to get a bunch of stuff done at the house. 

 

                I’m having fun here at home, but I look forward to being with you in a few days for our Impact Your World Sunday!  We have a powerful day in store for you this week!  The message will be given by Steve Tecco who serves with Open Door Eastern European Ministries working with the churches of the Czech Republic.  Steve has a passion for reaching people for Christ and will be headlining our team of World Impact Staff who will be present with us, including: Paul and Jan Bothwell of Mission Door’s CityChurch Movement in New England, Bill and Gina Laky who will soon be moving to Spain to minister to North African immigrants, and Tom and Lorna Simcox who minister to the Jewish people for the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.  In between the morning services you will have a chance to visit with each of these staff members and see how God is working through your faithful prayers and gifts to impact people for Christ.

 

That evening, we will celebrate in worship at 6 pm, which will include a panel discussion with our World Impact Staff.  At that time, you will have a chance to ask our missionaries some questions about what it is really like to serve Christ where they are serving or preparing to serve.  We will finish the evening with a great ice cream social. 

 

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.  Gotta go!

 

Grateful for you!

 

Pastor Gay

 

 

 

 

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: October 9, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

            What a fun week this has been!  The highlight was attending a Phillies playoff game on Thursday!  I had a blast!  The only problem is that they lost, which was no fun! 

 

I am looking forward to finishing my series “What NOW” this Sunday as we look at the topic, “Get in the Game!”  In times like these, it is time to get off the bench and into the game.  We are going to look at the most important truth to make that a reality!

 

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

 

Go Phillies!

 

Pastor

 

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CBC Pastoral E-Letter: September 18, 2009

Jeff Bell

 

Dear Central Family,

 

Wow, God blessed us in so many ways this past week on our Back to Church Sunday! 

 

It was so exciting to see so many of you back after your summer vacations.  We had a great beginning to a new year, and the excitement continued on Wednesday night with all the kids’ programs, adult classes, as well as two nights of awesome ministry to our students in Breakaway! 

 

As you can see, Central is a happening place!  Please let us know if we can help you get connected with one of the many opportunities for growth here at Central!

 

I hope you join us this Sunday and that you bring a friend along with you!  It will be Bring a Friend Sunday, and we are going to be blessed by the worship and the message that God is going to bring through Pastor Jeff Bell, who is the Elkhart Campus Pastor of Granger Community Church in Indiana.  Oh yes, he’s also the big brother of our own Pastor of Student Ministries Jeremy Bell! 

 

Jeff is a dynamic communicator, shepherd, and pastor at heart, and I can’t wait to hear how God is going to use him to minister to us and our friends.  Jeff will be presenting the gospel during both morning services, and I encourage you to bring someone with you who does not know Christ, so they can be impacted.  Jeff will be also ministering to our leaders at our Leadership Kickoff on Saturday, so it is going to be a fun weekend! 

 

On Sunday evening, we will wrap up the day with a time of worship at 6 pm as we continue to study the book of Colossians. 

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, and please bring a friend!  You won’t be disappointed! 

 

Blessings,

 

Pastor