CBC Pastoral E-Letter: July 30, 2009

 

 

So what does a Tent in the middle of the dessert with a bunch of furniture have to do with me, today, with my hassled life, my busy schedule, and my media-driven existence? 

 

You might be surprised!  Make plans to show up this Sunday at either the 9:30 or 11:15 worship service to participate in a multisensory worship experience you will not soon forget.  Bring your elementary kids along with you, as this is a teaching and worship experience for all ages.  We will also be celebrating communion together as a community. 

 

I hope I have intrigued you enough to come and be a part of the worshipping community of Central this Sunday.  I mean it when I say you won’t be sorry!

 

Also, a brief reminder that this Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, Central Christian Bookstore will be having its Blowout Sale at the Allen Hall gym!  The bookstore will be offering its products at drastically-reduced prices to make way for new inventory.  Bring your kids, as there are some activities for them.  Check out www.cbcnj.org for more information.

 

Finally, I encourage you to check out a slide show of our senior high youth and their weeklong trip to Harvey Cedars.  About 50 of our youth and leaders went to Harvey Cedars the week of July 13 to examine Living Life Redefined.  The slide show is on www.cbcnj.org (scroll down). 

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

CBC Pastoral Letter: July 24, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

This has been a week that I will not soon forget!  The way that God worked through over 100 volunteers to reach 177 kids who were registered for VBS was totally amazing!  We saw the gospel presented through the faithful work of the whole team and saw at least 5 children make decisions to trust Christ, though the seed was planted with over 157 kids!  Pray that the fruit will remain and bring honor to Christ! 

 

This has been a week of unbelievable impact! On Thursday night, I watched the gospel being presented in the Firefly Finale and I saw parents fill the stadium seating or stand in the back.  With tears coming down my face, I thought: THIS IS WHY WE BUILT THIS FACILITY! THIS IS WHAT THE VISION IS ALL ABOUT!  I then thanked God for each one of you who has given sacrificially to build this facility so we could build into the lives of children and impact eternity!  I told you this has been a great week!!

 

I have invited the children to come back on Sunday am at the 11:15 service to sing and worship with us.  We also invited their parents to come along!  We have a special drama planned that will tie the whole week together.  If you invited neighbors to VBS, I would encourage you to invite them to come and sit with you and experience this powerful morning. 

 

If you cannot come at 11:15, we have a dynamic service planned for 9:30.   I will be preaching on how to listen to God—a message that God has been using in my life all week and I can’t wait to share with you.  Finally, we will wrap up the day with a powerful evening service of worship and praise as we continue to study the book of Colossians and see how Jesus is more than just a superstar!

 

Thanks again for all your prayers this week.  Our VBS team did such a great job, and special kudos to our co-directors Kim Gay and Beth Canterberry.  WELL DONE!

 

See you Sunday, I CANT WAIT!

 

Pastor

 

 

Prayer Request: VBS

Please pray for Vacation Bible School tonight as the Gospel will be presented to the children.  Please pray that the Gospel will be presented clearly and for God to open the children’s hearts.  The pastoral staff and others will be available to pray with the children tonight.   

 

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: July 17, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

            Doors of Opportunity! 

 

God continues to open up many doors of opportunity for us walk through in order to effectively minister to this community. 

 

I hope that you are going to be present this Sunday at one of our three services as I share with you an exciting announcement about a new door of opportunity that we are going to walk through to reach our community.  We always desire to be diligent in making sure that we are ready to reach people where they are with the message that will never change.  I will be making a special announcement of such an opportunity this Sunday during my messages at all three services.  This is one you will not want to hear second hand.  I hope you will be with us. 

 

Also, at the end of each morning service this Sunday, we will dedicate the Vacation Bible School team in prayer as Crocodile Dock starts this Monday!  I hope you will join me in prayer for the rest of the week as we pray for all the volunteers who will be working hard to reach young people for Christ. 

 

God is at work and we are grateful for the opportunities He is placing before us.  See you Sunday!

 

Pastor

 

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: July 9, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

Both of our missions teams are back, safe and sound!  God worked in powerful ways through both our students who served in Savannah, Georgia, and our Romania team who served in Carapcesti, Romania.  We are working on a creative way to share what happened through our missions outreaches including the Saints Prison team, so stay tuned! 

 

By the way, there was another missions team that worked on July 4!  You may not know it, but a number of our adults and children manned the Ewing Fourth of July Parade telling people about VBS!  Thanks for stepping out and letting people know what is coming up!

 

Things keep rolling at a fast pace here at Central even though it is summer--which is GOOD!  This Sunday we will feature a guest speaker in the morning services.  Alan Brown grew up at Central and he and his wife Malinda serve on our World Impact Team in Hungary.  You will enjoy hearing how God has used them to impact lives. 

 

The Browns will also be present at the evening service for a Q & A, after which we will hold our quarterly business meeting.  This will be a good time of updates on what has been happening and where we are going as we approach the fall.  If you are a member, please plan on attending.

 

Also this Sunday, we will kick off the first week of our Starting Point class, which will be led by Tucker and Cathy Brown.  This is a great opportunity for you to get your questions answered about what it means to be a follower of Christ in a warm, inviting, non-threatening manner.  Just show up in the board room at 9:30 to check it out—you will be glad you did.  At 11:15, the newly-revised Foundations Class will meet.  This is a four-week class designed to help you know who we are, where we are going, and what it means to be a member of the Central family.  If you are interested in joining Central, Pastor Anthony Gilmer leads this lively class and it is what you have been looking for.

 

Be sure and add to your daily prayer list our upcoming Vacation Bible School which will be held July 20-24.  You can tell people to sign up on our website.  All the info is there.  We are fully staffed, and now we are just waiting for the children!  So get the word out!

 

Also, moms who are dropping off their kids at VBS: there is a class that week for you!  From 6:45 to 8:45 pm, join the VBS Moms’ Class for Bible study, crafts, and refreshments!  Please click here for more information or to register. 

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Gay

 

VBS Co-Directors E-Letter: Friday, July 3, 2009

 

Dear Central Family,

 

Greetings from your Vacation Bible School Co-Directors Beth Canterberry and Kim Gay!

 

It’s hard to believe, but VBS is only a little over two weeks away! 

 

Vacation Bible School 2009

Crocodile Dock

Where Fearless Kids Shine God’s Light

Monday to Friday, July 20 – 24

6:30 to 9:15 pm

at Central Baptist Church

 

We are so excited as we are just about fully-staffed and prepared for 250 kids!  We thank everyone who has volunteered, and we look forward to seeing how God will work through this program and His servants as we reach kids for Christ. 

 

As VBS approaches, we ask that you lift up the following prayer requests:

 

1.       Please pray that many more kids will register these next two weeks.  So far we have about 90 kids pre-registered. 

 

2.       Please pray for our VBS volunteers that we will be united our mission to reach young people for Christ.

 

3.       Please pray for Central’s participation in the Ewing Fourth of July Parade tomorrow that as VBS flyers and candy are handed out, more kids will register to come, and more importantly, learn about Christ in an age-appropriate and captivating way.

 

If you haven’t registered your kids, please register them on Central’s website (www.cbcnj.org) and invite friends and neighbors to come.  VBS is our biggest community outreach and it’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce families to our church. 

 

We thank you so much for all your support!

 

In Christ,

Beth Canterberry and Kim Gay

VBS Co-Directors