Pastor's Musings

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

2012-02-17T15:18:00.001-05:00

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

2012-02-10T14:36:00.001-05:00

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

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-27T14:37:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-20T10:01:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-14T14:18:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

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

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

Christmas is almost here, and I can’t wait!

I am excited to meet with you this weekend as we Party BIG TIME! Hope you will be able to join us for one of our 4 Worship Services this weekend!

Christmas Eve

5:30 and 7:00 pm

Music, Worship, Children’s Story, and a message to encourage our hearts! Bring the whole family!

Christmas Day

9:30 and 11:00 am

Whether you open your gifts early or late, we have a Christmas Day Worship Service for you! We will provide childcare from newborns to preschool and look forward to worshipping together as a family on this Special Day! We even have a special video Christmas Card!

If this past Sunday is a barometer as to how God is going to meet with us this weekend, it is going to be a weekend to remember! See you Saturday!

Because He Came,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

It’s the Sunday before Christmas!

I am really excited to see how God is going to continue to work in our worship of Him this Sunday. Both our classic service and contemporary services will be filled with music, worship, praise, and a message to challenge all of us.

Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the classic service at 9:30 in Allen Hall. If you know of folks who enjoy classic Christmas worship, this is the service to invite them to join you in attending. The handbells will be playing, the choir will be singing, and the candles will be lit in the Advent Wreath. So take a step today and invite someone to come with you who will connect with God through this special Service.

I will be preaching in both contemporary services at 9:30 and 11:00 in the Worship Center, and all I want to tell you is BE SURE TO GET THERE EARLY! If you are not there at the beginning of the service you are going to miss something special! I will be focusing on the most powerful gift that we can give to each other during this Christmas season. This is a message you will want to hear and a great one to invite your friends and family to come along with you. We also will be welcoming 11 new members into our congregation in all three services and sending out 29 of our family to minister in Haiti during the Christmas break. So you can see that God is doing some very exciting things and you will want to be here on Sunday so you can experience it yourself.

Just a reminder about next weekend: On Christmas Eve, we will have two services at 5:30 and 7:00 pm for the whole family, including music, worship, special Children’s Story, and lots more. Then we will all meet as a Church family on Christmas Day during two services at 9:30 and 11:00 am. Childcare will be provided from newborns to preschool during the Christmas Day services.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and your family a blessed Christmas. See you on Sunday!

Pastor Gay

P.S. DON’T BE LATE! J

Fire Pits Needed: Live Nativity at Central

2011-12-09T15:21:00.001-05:00

The Live Nativity starts tonight and we will have over 30 people volunteering outside in 30-degree temperatures. To keep our volunteers and guests warm, we are in need of fire pits.

We know it seems cumbersome to load up your dirty fire pit into your car and drive it over to church, but please reconsider. Last year we welcomed 1342 people through the Live Nativity and they all got to see and hear the story of Jesus' birth. Many of those people now call Central their church home.

Please help us make this year's nativity a warm welcome to the community. If you have a fire pit, please bring it to the church today (Friday) by 6:00pm.

Thank you!

If you have any questions, please contact Irene Knott at iknott@cbcnj.org.

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 9, 2011

2011-12-09T08:47:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

What a weekend this is going to be! We kick off our Christmas Season and hope you are going to be with us and what great opportunities to invite a friend to come with you!

Friday and Saturday, 6-8 pm: Live Nativity. Come enjoy the music, the lights, the live actors, the food, the fun kids activities, and the Christmas sweets. This is a great opportunity for you to invite someone to come with you and experience firsthand the peace and joy of Christmas! So look for the spotlight in the sky and follow the star to 2015 Pennington Road. I can’t wait to see what God will do!

Sunday, 9:30 and 11:00: Sunday Services. At all three services, we will be starting a new Christmas series called When Love Comes to Town! Jared Alcántara will be preaching in the classic service, and I will be preaching in both contemporary services. We have planned special services that will fill your heart with joy. So gather the family and plan on celebrating with us!

Finally, make sure that you bring your Angel Tree and Christmas store gifts with you this Sunday and drop them off in the Fellowship Mall! I am so thankful for all of you and the generosity that you have shown to impact the children in our community. The Love of Jesus is going to be spread deep and wide because of your generous hearts. You all amaze me over and over again with the way Jesus is flowing through you.

See you this weekend!

Pastor Gay

Reminder: Christmas Worship Schedule

2 Christmas Eve Services for the family at 5:30 and 7:00 pm

2 Christmas Day Services for the family at 9:30 and 11:00 am with childcare from newborn to age 5

3 New Year’s Day Services at 9:30 and 11:00 with Communion and Baptism

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T11:18:00.001-05:00

Happy December!

This Sunday is going to be a special one as we celebrate Communion. Whether you attend our 9:30 Classic Service with Jared Alcántara speaking or the 9:30 or 11:00 Contemporary Services where I will be speaking, we are looking forward to worshiping around the table and celebrating His Grace!

We are counting down the days until our Christmas outreach through the Live Nativity. Make plans to pick up some invite cards this Sunday to give to your friends, to come and see the Christmas story come to life. You will be able to pick these up at the Welcome Center this Sunday, or you can direct them to our website for more information. Plan to get the word out, and get ready for what God will do through this exciting outreach!

We still need help in getting everything set up for the Live Nativity, so if you can donate some time to help string lights, set up trees, and many other chores either this Saturday or Sunday, we would sure appreciate it! Here are the times we need help:

Saturday (tomorrow), December 3

10:30 am until dark

Sunday, December 4

After church

As we are thinking about Christmas, let me fill you in on some special pieces of information:

Sunday, December 11

Kick off special Christmas message series, “When Love Comes to Town”

Saturday, December 24

Two Candlelight Christmas Eve Services for the whole family at 5:30 and 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 25

Two Special All-Church Family Christmas Services for the whole family at 9:30 and 11:00 am

Childcare available from newborn to age 5

Sunday, January 1

Special New Year’s Morning Services including Communion and Baptism at 9:30 and 11:00 am

Time to go and get our lights hung at our house!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T11:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day!

Last Sunday, our two Thanksgiving services were off the charts filled with joy, worship, praise, and thanksgiving to our awesome God! I will never forget hearing all the written testimonies that you as a congregation gave. Thank you for making our Thanksgiving a memorable one! Add to it, the response of generosity that you displayed in leaving both our Angel Tree and Christmas Store tree totally barren after both services! Over 250 gifts and counting were committed to in order to show the love of Jesus to the children in our community. You certainly are getting it when it comes to connecting with God's mission! Thank you so much!

We have planned some special services for this Sunday! Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the 9:30 and 11:00 Contemporary services, and I will be preaching in the Classic Service in Allen Hall. I hope you will plan to bring your family with you to worship this Sunday! There will be no LifeGroups or Junior or Senior High Breakaway groups this Sunday. So just pick a service and come as a family to be blessed.

One last thing: This Sunday after the 11 service, we will be starting to decorate and set up for our Live Nativity that will soon be here! If you can stay afterwards, we will provide lunch, but we need an army of volunteers to set up trees, string lights...you get the picture. : )

One more last thing (I promise): Please plan to start inviting your friends and family to attend one of our Live Nativity presentations on December 9, 10, 16, and 17. Presentations will be from 6-8 pm. This is a great opportunity for you to invite them to hear of the love of Christ in a non threatening environment that is fun and uplifting. I can't wait!

Gotta go, looking forward to seeing you Sunday! Sooo grateful for you!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 18, 2011

2011-11-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you are going to be with us this Sunday for one of our two worship services at 9:30 or 11:00, both in the Worship Center. We are going have two identical Family Thanksgiving services that will be filled with testimonies, worship music to encourage your heart, and a message that is designed to encourage, uplift, and challenge all of us. I have asked Jared Alcántara and Pastor Anthony to join me in preaching this Sunday, so we will have a tag team preaching experience that is going to be a lot of fun. Our topic, JOY over WORRY as we finish our study in Philippians. So you can see it is going to be a special way to kick off Thanksgiving week. Please plan to be with us!

I also want to remind you that this Sunday we will have two Christmas trees in the Fellowship Mall that will be filled with opportunities for all of us to show the love of Jesus in a special way. Whether it is—a gift for a child through project Angel Tree or a special gift for a child in our Central Christmas Store—we are asking all of us to participate by planning to purchase a gift for someone in need and let the love of Jesus shine, shine, shine! It is going to be an exciting time of showing our love for Jesus by loving others. So make plans to stop by the table either before or after the worship services. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do through all of us!

See you Sunday morning! It is going to be a day to REMEMBER!

Thankful for all of you!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 11, 2011

2011-11-11T17:40:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you are having a great week! What an awesome worship time we all experienced last Sunday! The spontaneous baptisms were such a blessing from the Lord, and the way that God worked in all the services was an encouragement to all of us and brought God so much glory!

This Sunday we will continue our study on The Joy Genome in Philippians. Jared Alcántara will be preaching in the contemporary services, and I will be speaking in the classic service in Allen hall at 9:30. I hope that you will be here with us.

I also want you to know that we will be announcing the roll out of our Christmas plans to impact our community this Sunday by letting you know of two special opportunities that you will have to give gifts in the name of Jesus. I can hardly wait to share these opportunities with you, but you will hear all about them if you are here on Sunday.

Finally, I want to let you know that you need to make plans to be here for one of our two Thanksgiving Praise Services on Sunday, November 20! We are going to rejoice in what God has done in showing Himself to all of us this past year. We will have two services, 9:30 and 11:00, both in the worship Center. The worship will be a tremendous blessing, and Jared, Pastor Gilmer, and myself will be tag team-preaching in each service. You will also have an opportunity to give testimony of God’s faithfulness to you. It is going to be one you won’t want to miss. So make plans now to be here with us!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T09:32:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

November? I cannot believe it is here! We will continue our study in Philippians this Sunday we have called The Joy Genome. We will be examining closely what will be the most practical effect of when we choose to allow joy of Christ be the guiding power in our lives. I will be in the contemporary services and Jared will be preaching in the Classic Service. I hope you will be present. We will be celebrating Communion as a community and know that God has something special to give all of us as we seek Him in worship. I have planned some creative ways to bring the point of the passage home this Sunday, so I hope you will be with us.

Every month we take a special offering for the Deacons Fund using special offering boxes at the door as you leave the service. I want you to know that this month this offering is critical to our ability to be able to minister care to people who are hurting in our body. We have just about depleted the Deacons Fund due to the number of requests we have received on a weekly basis. Therefore, we are asking you as the people of God to give an extra sacrificial gift to replenish this fund, so we will not have to say no to those who are hurting in our body. Thank you for your generosity!

Please join with me in praying and asking God to work in a special way this Sunday as we all learn to live the life of Joy that God has equipped us to live!

Choosing joy!

Pastor Gay

P.S. A reminder that Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so please remember to set your clocks back on Saturday night!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 28, 2011

2011-10-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that as a result of kicking off our Joy Genome series this past Sunday, that this week you were choosing joy in your response to what has come at you. I know that I have been challenged every day to think through what God challenged us with last Sunday. I also hope that you are going to be with us this Sunday morning in one of our three services. We will continue our Joy Genome series and be focusing in on Joy in Life and Death. The Apostle Paul gives us some great challenges to consider as we ask what does it mean, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”? What does it look like if Christ is living in me? How does all that work? These are questions we will answer this Sunday! Jared will be preaching in the 9:30 classic, and I will be bringing it in the two contemporary services.

I wanted to remind you that this Sunday we will also be taking a special offering for the December Haiti project. This special offering will be used to help purchase materials for the building of an addition to The King Center orphanage in Fort Liberté, Haiti. Thank you for considering all that you have and have been blessed with and giving in response to meet the needs of these orphans. I recently heard a message by Andy Stanley where he challenged me with this thought: "Do for one what you wish you could do for all!" We cannot help everyone, but we can help one, and this is an opportunity to help the orphans in Haiti. Just mark your check Haiti and put it in the offering plate with your regular giving; we will do the rest. I look forward to what God is going to do this Sunday through your generosity.

Just a reminder... Christmas is coming! We are getting very excited about the upcoming community outreach through our Live Nativity on December 9, 10, 16, and 17. We will need an army of volunteers to impact our community, and many of you have signed up already. So plan to stop by the Live Nativity Table in the Fellowship Mall this Sunday to sign up, and we will have a training meeting after the 11:00 am service on Sunday, November 6. Come see what part you can play; it is going to be MAGICAL!

Finally, I want to invite you to come to Allen Hall this Sunday night for a Night of Worship, Drama, and Prayer. Elizabeth Goida, our Director of Classic Worship, has had a vision for a night of worship for the whole church that causes us to all step back and just enjoy the presence of God. We will be meeting at 7 pm in Allen Hall for a special night meant to touch our souls with His presence. I hope you will join us. Nursery is provided from birth to preschool age.

ENJOY the weekend, come Sunday ready to be CHANGED...I will!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 21, 2011

2011-10-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I am very excited about the new series that Jared and I will be kicking off this Sunday, called The Joy Genome! We are going to be studying the book of Philippians over the next 5 weeks as we all learn what it means to live with the joy of Christ at the foundation of our lives regardless of our circumstances. I hope that you will take time to read Philippians 1 this week in prep for this series. I will be speaking in the contemporary services and Jared will be preaching in the classic service.

Thank you for praying for our baptism services last Sunday. For the first time, we opened up the opportunity for people to just share their salvation story and then step out and get baptized right on the spot. We had planned to baptize 8 people, and we ended up baptizing 18! It was a powerful morning of God’s presence, and a couple of adults who trusted Christ Sunday morning, then stepped out and followed the Lord in believers baptism right away. We are continuing to thank God for how He showed up this past Sunday. Please pray that we will all experience the power of the Holy Spirit this Sunday as we meet to worship the King! Pray also for our men who will be away at a retreat this weekend at Sandy Cove Bible Conference Center in North East, MD. Pray that God will use this to stir our hearts as men to be the men He wants us to be.

Finally, I want to let you know of a special night of worship that is being put together by Elizabeth Goida, our Director of Classic Worship for Sunday evening, October 30. Elizabeth has a passion for an all-church night of worship that brings us together as a body to worship the Lord in spirit and truth through music lead by a worship choir, drama, and prayer. I have seen the program and know that the choir has been working very hard. So I hope that you will plan to be with us in Allen Hall at 7 pm. Nursery will be provided from birth to preschool.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Phone System: October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

Please note that the phones at the offices of Central: A Christ-Centered Church are currently being serviced and we are not able to take any calls at this time. We hope to resolve the problem by late this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Thank you for your patience and we apologize for the inconvenience.

The Staff of Central: A Christ-Centered Church

Central's Pastoral E-Letter Addendum: October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T14:23:00.000-04:00

I also want to mention that Jared is back!

We are excited to let you know that this Sunday, Jared Alcántara will be back preaching at the 9:30 Classic Service. So if you enjoy classic worship, please plan to attend the Classic Service at 9:30 in the Allen Hall gym, then join us for a special baptism service at 11:00 in the Worship Center.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

From: Richard Gay [mailto:pastorgay@cbcnj.org]
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 9:55 AM
To: Weekly Pastoral Email
Subject: Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 14, 2011

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are planning on attending Central this Sunday! We are going to finish our Dangerous Church series with a SPLASH!

In both contemporary services we will be focusing on the challenge that Christ has given all of us to show the world around us that we are His followers by being baptized. Already we have 7 people planning to get baptized, but here is the most exciting part. After I preach on Sunday I am going to challenge anyone who wants to get baptized to come to the church office, share their testimony of how they met Christ with a pastor or elder, and then step out and get baptized! This is a perfect illustration of what happened in the early church, as we read over and over again in the book of Acts, “they believed and were baptized!” So here is what I am asking you to do:

1. Start praying now that God’s spirit will work to challenge and convict hearts to trust Him as their Savior

2. Pray that those who have not been baptized will take the plunge and show everyone they love Jesus

3. If you have not been baptized that you will choose to come and take the next step of obedience to our Master’s Call on your life

If you desire to be baptized, just bring a pair of shorts and t-shirt to change into, and we will take it from there. Don’t worry if you forget; we will have extra sets of clothing here on site.

We have all been challenged to be a Dangerous Church, and a Dangerous Church is filled with Dangerous Christians who have chosen to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

Don’t miss Sunday, it is going to be AWESOME!!! Looking forward to what God is going to do!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T09:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are planning on attending Central this Sunday! We are going to finish our Dangerous Church series with a SPLASH!

1. Start praying now that God’s spirit will work to challenge and convict hearts to trust Him as their Savior

2. Pray that those who have not been baptized will take the plunge and show everyone they love Jesus

3. If you have not been baptized that you will choose to come and take the next step of obedience to our Master’s Call on your life

If you desire to be baptized, just bring a pair of shorts and t-shirt to change into, and we will take it from there. Don’t worry if you forget; we will have extra sets of clothing here on site.

We have all been challenged to be a Dangerous Church, and a Dangerous Church is filled with Dangerous Christians who have chosen to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

Don’t miss Sunday, it is going to be AWESOME!!! Looking forward to what God is going to do!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 7, 2011

2011-10-07T09:44:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are continuing to pray that we will become the Dangerous Church that God has designed us to be.

We have learned that for that to be a reality we need to Connect with God and Connect in Community, and this Sunday we will focus on Connecting with God’s Mission. I have asked Tucker Brown, our Overseeing Elder Chair to finish up this series by bringing the messages this Sunday at all three services. God has designed us for a mission, and I am looking forward to how God will speak through Tucker this Sunday.

I also want to remind you to continue to pray about what God would have you contribute in our special impact offering on October 30 for the Haiti mission trip in December. We are looking to provide the needed materials to build an addition to The King Center orphanage in Fort Liberté, Haiti. I am looking forward to how God is going to work through all of us.

See you on Sunday! We will be back from our vacation and look forward to worshipping with all of you!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 30, 2011

2011-09-30T09:46:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I am so encouraged by what God continues to do through our Dangerous Church series!

I trust you are focusing on connecting with God this week and you have been seeing Him do supernatural things in your life. We will take the second step this Sunday as Pastor Gilmer challenges us to Connect in Community! We all know we can’t do this thing called walking with Christ alone, and Pastor Gilmer is going to show us why this is so important in all three services! We will also be celebrating communion so it will be a very special time of worship and growth.

I am also excited to announce that you will be hearing this Sunday about a great opportunity you have to connect with God’s mission through a love offering we are taking for our Haiti mission trip in December. We have designated Sunday, October 30 as the date in which we will take a special offering to help purchase materials for the building of an addition to The King Center orphanage in Fort Liberté, Haiti. Rob Gill will be sharing this Sunday how important a trip this is and how you can get involved.

God is at work, and as we connect with Him and connect with His people, we can then accomplish His mission. Praying for you to be the dangerous Christian that God has equipped you to be! Don’t miss this Sunday.

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T09:29:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

So have you been praying that we would be a DANGEROUS CHURCH?

I gave the challenge this past Sunday as we began our new series to ask us all to pray on Tuesday at lunch that indeed we would become a Dangerous Church for the kingdom of Christ. I hope that you were able to do that! I really enjoyed kicking off this series this past week, and seeing the response of so many of you to take the Dangerous Commitment and post that on our Commitment Wall! If you missed this past week, you can still post your commitment in the Fellowship Mall! Join the team as we seek God to do great things through the vision He has given us!

This week we will look at Connecting with God as part of our mission and vision. We will learn what it means to connect with God, how He is a Dangerous God who takes our prayers seriously, and how He continues to work in us if we just submit to Him. We will also have the chance to hear from first hand testimonies of a couple who have been changed because of the power of God in their lives. So you won’t want to miss this Sunday! I will be preaching in all three services whether in Allen Hall or in the Worship Center at 9:30 and 11:00 am and look forward to seeing how God will work so we can become Dangerous Followers of Christ!

Yours for the King,

Pastor Gay

P.S. Guys, I hope you are planning on going to our Men’s Retreat at Sandy Cove which will be held October 21-23. Come join with some Dangerous Guys who are passionate about following our King! You can sign up on Sunday. I am really looking forward to being with you guys on this weekend!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

So what does a dangerous church look like?

We are beginning a new four-part series this Sunday that answers that question. I so believe that this is the most important series that we have done in the past few years, that we are setting things up so that I can speak in both the contemporary and classic services live at 9:30 and the contemporary service at 11:00. The staff is very excited about this series, and what it can mean as we seek to answer the question, and put the answer into practice.

So, short and sweet: Be here this Sunday, and discover the answer to this important question. Counting down the days till I get to see everyone! It is going to be......Dangerous!

Pastor Gay

P.S. If you have not signed up for a LifeGroup yet, you have one more week! Sign up online at our website. We have groups Sunday morning and throughout the week. I hope you will get connected!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 9, 2011

2011-09-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are making plans to be with us this Sunday as we remember what happened 10 years ago on 9/11. I have been so blessed and ministered to as I have studied for the message this Sunday which will focus on seeking to answer the question of our response to any national or personal tragedy that may invade our lives. We will be looking at the message of hope that is given to us from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk and the way that God seeks to wipe our tears, calm our hearts, and give us hope and joy for the day to come.

The worship that we have prepared for all three of our worship services is designed for all of us to remember, reflect, and experience the peace and presence of God. Pastor Gilmer will be speaking in the Classic service at 9:30 and I will be speaking in both the 9:30 and 11:00 Contemporary services. We realize that so many of you have been effected in many ways through both times of national and personal trials, and we are together going to join hands, open our hearts to the King and worship Him and experience His mercies that are new every morning. Please make plans to be with us, as I believe God has a special message for all of us.

We will then conclude our day of remembering by hosting the Ewing Township community event, “9/11 – A Decade of Remembrance” at 7 pm on Sunday evening in our Worship Center. Below is a link to a flyer giving you all the information. What a great opportunity for us to be host to our community and to invite our friends and neighbors to join us for this special time of remembering those who lost their lives on 9/11.

http://www.phvfc.org/news/9-11-11Ceremony.pdf

I hope that you will take time this weekend to stop and remember and to pray for our nation and that we as God’s people will be the salt and light we are called to be. God bless you!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 2, 2011

2011-09-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I trust you are all fine and have recouped from the impact from Hurricane Irene! We continue to pray for those who were impacted by this storm and if you are aware of anyone with serious needs, please contact the office and let us know.

I hope that you will be with us this Sunday as we wrap up our series, What’s the Difference! I will be preaching in the Contemporary Services and Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the Classic Service in Allen Hall.

My topic this Sunday is going to seek to pull together everything we have been learning by examining how we can explain the difference between what the Bible teaches about eternal life and what all the other religions of the world teach. I will be sharing with you a passage of Scripture that I think explains it in a clear, concise manner so that you can use this to share with others what we believe, why we believe it , and why they should as well. This is a great Sunday to invite a friend or neighbor who is seeking to understand what Christianity is all about. So I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Also, this Sunday, we are having a seminar on Islam during both the 9:30 and 11:00 services. If you have you ever struggled to have an intelligent spiritual conversation with a Muslim or wanted to learn more about how Christianity compares to Islam, come and discover the differences between these two spiritual beliefs. It will be led by Elisheba Stephens who is a professor at Rutgers and has a great deal of experience with this subject. She will also be leading a LifeGroup this fall for more in-depth study on the topic.

Finally, I also hope that you will plan to come out to a special Thank You Lunch that we will have on September 18 to thank everyone who participated in any way whatsoever in our two Kids Camps. You will have a chance to hear firsthand how God used everyone’s gifts of time, talent, and resources to impact kids for eternity. We will also have a special video presentation of Kids Camp Trenton. So come out for a free spaghetti lunch and be blessed by what God did! You can sign up in the worship folder this Sunday or by replying to this e-mail.

See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Church Services Cancelled

2011-08-26T13:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

Due to Hurricane Irene, the elders have decided to cancel all church services/activities for Sunday, August 28.

Thank you.

9-11 Memorial Service at Central

2011-08-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

We have a great opportunity to be a shining light to our community as we host the 9-11 Memorial Service for Ewing Township.

Please plan to attend, and please invite your neighbors and friends to come with you.

The information is below and the flyer is attached.

Thank you.

Pastor Gay

----

A Ewing Township Community Event

9/11 – A Decade of Remembrance

The 10^th Anniversary

Join us

Sunday, September 11, 2011

7:00 pm

at Central: A Christ-Centered Church

Join us as we come together to honor and celebrate all of those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on American soil 10 years ago.

Sponsored by the Township of Ewing, the Ewing Patriotic Committee, and the Prospect Heights Volunteer Fire Company of Ewing Township.

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: August 19, 2011

2011-08-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are enjoying your summer!

I sure enjoyed the past two weeks being off with my family, and I was even able to stay disconnected from the internet and cell phone, which helped even more!

I am looking forward to being back at Central this Sunday. Here is what is happening:

9:30 Classic

Jared Alcántara will continue his study in 1 Peter

9:30/11:00 Contemporary

Bryan Bunagan, our Director of Student Ministries, will be continuing our What’s the Difference series, and looking at what we believe about God’s Word. If you are concerned this is going to be a dry, boring theological lecture, you are WRONG! I have seen a sneak peek into what he is planning, and we are all going to be blessed.

*During both hours Laura Vellenga will be bringing a seminar on Interacting with Mormons in Adult 1-3. These seminars have been well attended and we have gotten great feedback from those who have participated that they have felt equipped. So take advantage of being equipped to share the love of Jesus.

Plans are in full steam ahead mode for our Kids Camp Trenton which will kick off next Monday! I am so encouraged to see the way the staff has taken and run with this, and all the volunteers who have stepped up and filled the gap! Over 140 volunteers are serving in one way or another in Kids Camp Trenton. Here is where we need your help: we need 100 backpacks! On our last day of Kids Camp, we want all 150 kids to walk away with a back pack filled with school supplies, and we need 100 more! So can I ask you before Sunday to go out and pick up one at your local Walmart or Target and bring it with you on Sunday? That would be a tremendous blessing to these kids! Thanks for stepping up and being blessing!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: August 12, 2011

2011-08-12T12:19:00.000-04:00

From Anthony Gilmer, Pastor of Spiritual Development

Dear Central Family,

We finally got a little relief from the heat and I hope you are enjoying the end of your summer. You have a few more weeks to hit the beach!

Last week I heard from many of you that the sermon series and seminars called “What’s the Difference?” have been a real eye opener and blessing. This week we will continue to encourage and equip you with truths about Jesus and what we believe. We will have a seminar focusing on the difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Biblical Christianity in Adult 1-3 at 9:30am and at 11:00am, so come and worship and be filled with the truth.

Last Sunday we did not make an announcement that the Deacon’s box would be available for you to give towards our benevolence fund, so we will have it available as you leave the worship service for both services. As a reminder, these funds are used to assist our members who are going through financial hardships. Thanks in advance for your help and I will see you on Sunday!

Pastor Anthony Gilmer

Pastor of Spiritual Development

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: Friday, July 29, 2011

2011-07-29T15:03:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What an awesome Sunday finale we had last week as we wrapped up Kids Camp Ewing, and announced Kids Camp Trenton! The Worship Center was packed full of parents, children and guests, and the energy flowed as the Spirit of God spoke to hearts! Thank you to everyone who participated.

If you were not present, we also presented a video to announce an open door of ministry opportunity that God is giving to us to take Kids Camp to downtown Trenton to the facilities of Bethany Presbyterian Church. Check out the video here or at Central’s Facebook page! Just to fill you in, we will be holding a Kids Camp in downtown Trenton on August 22 to 26 from 5:30-8:00 pm each evening. We are still looking for help in a variety of ways and you can sign up in the Fellowship Mall this Sunday. As you know, through our CommunityConnections ministry we have been doing a number of outreaches into Trenton, and this is another opportunity to show the love of Christ by sharing the gospel to the children and parents. I hope you will join me in being part of this next step to reach our neighbors in our own backyard.

I also want to let you know that we are continually receiving requests for our Deacons Fund to help people who are struggling financially. As a result, our Deacons Fund has made a number of disbursements and our fund is in need of replenishing. We collect for the Deacons Fund at each communion service, and we will be celebrating communion on August 7. If you would prayerfully consider giving a sacrificial gift, it would help us so much as we use these funds to help those who attend Central in their time of need. There are many families and individuals who are hurting, and we so appreciate your responding to what God would lead you to do. Thanks again for being such a generous congregation!

This Sunday, the classic service will get the chance to hear from Colin Maina, a pastoral intern whom I have been working with. Colin is a student at PBU, and I am excited he will have a chance to minister this Sunday. I will be starting a new series this Sunday called WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? in both contemporary services. This series is going to examine what we believe and how it differs with what other belief systems teach. This week we will be answering the question SO WHAT? Why does it matter? So I hope you will be with us either at 9:30 or 11:00 services.

God is at work, we are His servants, and this is an exciting time to be able to minister!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Norway Update from World Impact Team Members

2011-07-27T09:05:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

Below is an update from Thor and Kate Odland, who are part of our World Impact Team in Stavanger, Norway where they serve with Young Life.

Thor gives an account of how the recent tragedy in the country has affected them.

If the e-mail is not displaying correctly, you can view it here:

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ab0909e2588cc559e7fe56a98&id=c28fd8e4e8&e=7694b3bd99

Please continue to pray for the Odlands and for the people of Norway.

Pastor Gay

From: Young Life Norway [mailto:thor=younglife.no@mail26.us1.mcsv.net] On Behalf Of Young Life Norway
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:37 AM
To: Richard Gay
Subject: YL Norway Update

Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

Dear Friends,

First the good news. Our son "Jack" John Magnus Odland came into the world on Sunday afternoon! He is perfectly healthy and everything went will with the delivery. Kate is still recovering a bit but is in great health. We are both so grateful and thrilled to be parents of this little guy!

As most of you have heard by now, Norway experienced a major attack last week. Apx 70 people were killed, most of them teenagers. Many of you have asked how this has affected us and how we are doing. Needless to say, the birth of John Magnus has provided a very possitive destraction to what would otherwise have been such a tragic time.

Well, for us the tragedy has been close to home. Three kids who were at the Labor Party camp where the shooting occured, were from this part of the city of Stavanger, Hundvaag, where we have our primary YL club. We knew all three students and they have all attended a YL camp in the last 2 years, and been a regular part of our club ministry here these last years. One of the two girls is best friends with one of our jr leaders. She was running from the gun man hand in hand with another friend as her friend was shot. She is still in shock. A young man I have been close with for several years, not the type to cry, was weeping on the phone as he called to tell his parents he was okay and that there were bodies everywhere as he ran for his life.

Lastly, the youngest girl who was apart of our YL confirmation club last year, attend regular club and our fall weekend, is still missing and no-one has heard from her since the incident.

Our hearts break for these kids and their families and the pain they are experiencing. What makes this tragedy especially painful is the fact that it wasn't an Islamic terrorist but one of Norway's own. This type of thing doesn't happen here, especially in one of the worlds most peaceful countries (Norway awards the nobel peace prize each year) and violation we all feel from this sensless violence directed towards kids no less.

This past Monday was a national day of mourning. There were solidarity parades in every city through out the country. Almost every person in the country participated.

This past monday in downtown Stavanger.

The air is still thick today as many are still trying to deal with the fallout.

I recieved this note from a Norwegian friend some days ago:

"We just came home from our local church. Packed with young people crying, lighting candles, praying. I think that is also the best you can do. Pray for these young people returning home. And for the nation to turn to God at this time of crises."

Please pray for us and for Norway. Pray that Norway as a country will turn back to God and that some good can come from this soul seaching tragedy. Pray for the kids (600 kids were on the island at the time of the attack, 70 were killed, many others wounded). Lastly, please pray for us affected by the tragedy on Hundvaag and in Young Life here in Norway. We're so grateful for you all.

In His Grip,
Thor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What can I say but THANK YOU GOD!

What an awesome week we have had in impacting over 300 different children who attended Kids Camp this past week!

The work of the volunteers who just caused this week to run like clockwork,

The passion of so many who decided that they wanted to connect with God’s mission to reach kids for Christ.

The response of parents in our community who saw a church that is focused on doing things with cultural relevance and excellence as their kids were presented with the claims of Christ and the love of God in creative ways.

THANK YOU GOD!

I wish you could have seen the energy that flowed through this place as the worship center was packed full of campers, workers, and parents for the closing assembly each night. THANK YOU GOD!

This Sunday is going to be an awesome wrap up of it all. Please note: During the 9:30 service, Jared will be preaching in the contemporary service, and I will be speaking in the Classic service. Then at 11:00 we will have our KIDS CAMP WRAP UP! There will be a special drama and presentation as the kids sing and lead us in worship. It is going to be awesome! I hope that you will be here, and that you will go out of your way to make all of our guests feel at home, and if need be, willing to give up your seat so that they can be treated like the VIP’s they are. It will be a time you won’t want to miss.

I want to also let you in a secret that we revealed this past week at Kids Camp… Kids Camp is going on the road! God has opened up a door for us to take Kids Camp to downtown Trenton. The week of August 22-26, we are moving the panda and company to the facilities of Bethany Presbyterian Church on Hamilton Avenue to run a kids camp for elementary age kids. The staff is so excited to be able to head this up, but we need an army of volunteers to help with everything from food, to crew leaders, prayer, facilities, security etc. Starting this Sunday in each worship service, you will have an opportunity to sign up to be part of this exciting outreach. Imagine what could happen as we continue to seek kids for Christ and reach out through this opportunity. More coming this Sunday…God is at work, and we are being blessed to be a part of it!

See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 15, 2011

2011-07-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I am REALLY looking forward to this Sunday as we wrap up our Song of Solomon Series in the contemporary services! We will be focusing on the commitment that God has called us to all make as husbands and wives to each other, with the message “Till Death Do us Part”. I hope that you will be here as we give couples a chance to rededicate their relationships to the Lord. It is going to be a special Sunday. Then, at the 11:00 service, we are also going to celebrate in a real honest-to-goodness wedding! We have a young couple who have started to attend Central, and they are choosing to make their commitments to each other this Sunday. What a day it is going to be! Be sure and get here early, and make plans to stay for wedding cake after the 11:00 service! It is going to be a memorable day!

Jared will be continuing his series on the Psalms in the 9:30 classic service, then at 10:15 we will be holding a town hall meeting in the classic service to interact with those who attend this service about this service. This is your chance to speak up and share how this service has ministered to you as well as suggestions that you have to make this service even more effective. Members from the Overseeing Elders council will be present to hear your thoughts, and this is as a result of the All Church Survey we took earlier this year. Your interaction will be key as the elders continue to evaluate this ministry.

Finally, in just a few days, Central will be overrun by little panda bears as part of our Kids Camp! Thank you for your prayerful support this week of this crucial ministry to children in our community. We will be setting up for Kids Camp after the wedding at 12:30 pm, and we need an everyone and anyone who can help us out to do so. I have included a note from Susie Canfield, one of our Camp co-directors as to the need, so if you can give some time to help transform Central into a bamboo paradise, we would sure appreciate it!

“The excitement is building among the kids and the volunteers. In order to kick off camp with a bang, we will be transforming Central from a regular church to a bamboo paradise. In order for that to happen we are calling on as many hands as possible to stay after church this Sunday, July 17, to help with this transformation. This is more than just hanging things in the hallways, as that is important too, but we need some serious man power as it were to move the stage equipment, set up the stage, move tables and chairs and some other heavy lifting. So we are asking for men and women volunteers. The more hands we have, the quicker we can get the decorating done. We will be having a pizza/salad luncheon after church this Sunday for those that will be staying to decorate. I need a head count as to how many people will be eating so that I can order the proper amount of pizza. If you plan on staying, please RSVP to me at susiern@comcast.net and indicate the number in your party.”

Hope you can stay and help!

See you Sunday!

In His Grace,

Richard Gay

Senior Pastor

Reminder: Concert of Prayer tomorrow night at 7 pm

2011-07-12T09:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

A reminder about tomorrow’s (Wednesday) Concert of Prayer at 7 pm in the Worship Center.

Join us as we ask God to impact kids with the gospel during Kids Camp.

See you there!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 8, 2011

2011-07-08T16:05:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend!

We are looking forward to a great weekend this coming Sunday and I hope you will be with us. We will continue our series in Song of Solomon in the contemporary services, as I will bring a message called “Just Do It!” We will be focusing on putting what we have been learning into action. I am looking forward to it! Jared will continue his series in the classic service by studying Psalm 23, so I know you will be encouraged.

We continue to make preparations for Kids Camp, and as of today we have over 200 kids registered! We continue to march toward our goal of 300 children, and are excited about all the work so many are doing to connect with God who is on a mission to reach kids for eternity. I had the privilege of participating in the Ewing Fourth of July parade, and I appreciate all the work done by Steve and Teri Marshall to get the float ready to go! It was exciting to hear one woman yell out to us, “We are registered!” It is going to be a fun week! There are still some ways you can get involved, whether in making treats for our staff, bringing in snack items for the kids, or displaying a yard sign, we all want to connect together as we join God in His mission. Don’t be left out! One last way you can get involved is by coming to an all church Concert of Prayer on Wednesday July 20 at 7 pm. Join us as we ask God to impact kids with the gospel during Kids Camp.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

P.S. The World Changers team of students and adults made it back home safely! Thanks for your prayers. I am encouraged as I hear the reports of life impact that took place!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 1, 2011

2011-07-01T14:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you are enjoying your time now that the kids are off from school and hopefully things are slowing down a bit.

I also hope that you will be with us this Sunday! I will be continuing our series God..Love..Sex.. from the Song of Solomon, and this week we will be looking at newlyweds working through conflict. I have called this message, Reconcilable Differences. As part of this message, I will be sharing something that I have shared with every couple that I have done premarital counseling called the Rules for a Good Fight! So I hope I have raised your curiosity, and you will be with us either at 9:30 or 11:00. Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the classic service and continuing his series in the Psalms, so either place, either choice, I hope you will be with us this Sunday!

We are counting down the days till Kids Camp, and the enthusiasm is building! Let me tell you about a few ways you can get involved:

1. Pray. We are going to be having an All Church Concert of Prayer on Wednesday, July 13 at 7 pm. The purpose for this concert of prayer is to ask God to show up and change kids lives the following week! Please plan to attend.

2. Sign up to pray during Kids Camp. We are looking for a prayer team who will pray from 6:30 to 9:30 pm from July 18 to 22. You can sign up this Sunday or just respond to this email and let me know when you will pray.

3. Stop by the prayer room! During the week we will have the conference room in the main office area open for people to come and pray for Kids Camp. Requests will be left each day so you can pray for specific needs during the week.

4. Pick up a yard sign and display it proudly that Kids Camp is coming to town!

5. Volunteer to be a crew leader. As our registration continues to go up each day, we need to fully staff our team of crew leaders. The job is to love and lead a group of 5 kids through the different stations each night. This is a ministry that will reward you in so many ways as you connect kids with God in community and you participate in connecting with God's mission to impact kids for eternity! Call the church office at 609-882-0337 for more info or to sign up.

6. Donate snack supplies. We are still in need of some remaining snack supplies to feed our hungry pandas! We are planning on 300 kids, and they will be hungry. If you could stop by the display either in Allen Hall or in Central Park, pick up an item to purchase, we would be so grateful.

Happy Fourth of July! See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

P.S. Keep praying for our Student team that is serving in North Carolina! God is using them in a powerful way and your prayers are being answered!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 24, 2011

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you are having a good week and enjoying the blessing of God’s provision and His grace to you on a daily basis!

I am looking forward to worshipping with you this week as we continue our series God…Love…Sex from the Song of Songs. The feedback that I have received on this series has been so encouraging, and it’s great to hear how God is using it to impact so many of you in different ways. Whether you are single or married, God is speaking through the power of His Word about our relationships through dating and marriage. I hope that you will be with us as we continue to focus on these important topics. Just a reminder that if you miss a message you can listen to it on iTunes by clicking here or you can pick up a copy of a CD or DVD at the welcome center. Also, Jared Alcántara will be starting a new series in the Psalms in the Classic Service. So whatever service you choose to attend, I know God is going to be speaking to your heart!

We are continuing to work as we prepare for a dynamic week of Kids Camp on July 18 to 22. We are praying for God to bring us over 300 children to be impacted by the gospel, and we could use your help in a couple of ways. First in getting the word out! This Sunday stop by the Kids Camp table in Central Park and pick up a yard sign! These signs will advertise Kids Camp and open up a door of opportunity for you to invite kids to come to an unforgettable week! Second, we have to feed our hungry campers and are in need of donations of supplies to make this happen. Once again stop by the table in either Central Park or in Allen Hall! Thanks for your heart for the children!

Finally, after the 11:00 am Worship service this Sunday, we will have our Annual Business Meeting. We will be presenting a new ministry budget for 2011-2012 (remember that in our new constitution we adopted a new fiscal year that begins July 1) as well as giving updates from the recent church survey. Nursery will be provided and we will start right at 12:15 pm. Hope you can be with us to hear all that God is doing at Central!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 17, 2011

2011-06-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you were here last Sunday to celebrate all that God is doing in this church!

The baptism service was powerful due to the testimonies that were shared and it was a reminder to all of us how important it is that we stay on task to what our mission is as a church. We are focused on connecting people to God, connecting people in community, and connecting people with God's Mission. It was truly a day to see that in action through both the baptisms of 18 people and the reception of 16 people into membership. God is on the move and we are connecting with him to see His kingdom expand!

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday, as Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the classic worship service at 9:30 and I will be continuing my series on the Song of Solomon at both contemporary services at 9:30 and 11:00. This series, God..Love..Sex, is focused on helping all of us in our dating and marriage relationships. This week we are examining how to Rekindle the Romance. I am excited with what God has put on my heart to share with all of us.

We will also be sending off 31 high school students and leaders for a World Changers Mission Trip in North Carolina. Talk about connecting with God's Mission! I am so proud of everyone who is going on this trip. You will have a chance to sign up to pray for them in all the worship services, and I know it will be a great encouragement to them!

Finally, be sure to encourage your friends and neighbors to sign their kids up at our website worshipatcentral.org for Kids Camp on July 18-22! The sign is up in the front of the church, yard signs will soon be here for you to display, and we have printed 2000 business cards to distribute at the Ewing Fourth of July parade! By the way, we could still use some help with the parade, as we need kids to ride on the back of a truck and people to hand out candy and promo cards. If you can help, please contact Irene at the church office.

Gotta go, but so pumped about what God is doing as we seek to expand His kingdom by connecting with His power!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 10, 2011

2011-06-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I have had a very exciting week as I have had the opportunity to hear the testimonies of so many people who are going to be baptized this Sunday! I am thanking God for the way that He has worked in each individual’s life and how God has used Central as a tool to bring them to this point of commitment!

With that in mind let me remind you of the schedule this Sunday:

9:30 Contemporary/ Classic Worship Services

10:30- Baptism Celebration

11:00- Contemporary Worship Celebration

We will be baptizing 18 individuals and also welcoming in 14 new members. So I hope whether you attend the early service or the later service that you will plan to come to the Worship Center for the 10:30 Baptism Celebration so that you can celebrate with us what God continues to do!

I will be starting a new message series this Sunday called God..Love…Sex where we will be studying the book of Song of Solomon. I am really excited about this series and looking forward to how God will use it in all of our lives.

Finally, I want to encourage everyone to consider how you might help by serving in our Kids Camp which runs July 18 to 22. This is our large outreach for the summer to reach kids for Christ and we are in need of crew leaders so that we can reach over 300 children. Check out the display in the Fellowship Mall and come by and learn how you can help us reach kids for eternity. We will be holding a training this Sunday evening at 7pm, so now is the time to sign up! You can also sign up on line at our website: worshipatcentral.org.

See you Sunday! Bring your dancing shoes because we are going to party as we celebrate the power of the Gospel to change lives!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 8, 2011

2011-06-08T14:12:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I would like to ask that you pray for our Overseeing Elders who will be meeting this coming Friday to seek God’s face as we seek to lay out plans and priorities for this next year.

We would appreciate you praying that all of us would be open to what God wants to do in HIS church and that we would submit to HIS desires and plans so that we can fulfill HIS will for HIS kingdom. We will also be looking at the report given to us by our consultants as a result of the All Church Survey, and will be preparing a report to come to you in the weeks ahead.

THANKS SO MUCH!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 3, 2011

2011-06-03T08:16:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

This past week I took time to watch a historical account of Pearl Harbor with my daughter for a history assignment. It was very moving to think of what the men went through who gave their lives for my freedom today. It was a good prep for our Memorial Day Weekend.

I say that as we are preparing for a very special communion Sunday this Sunday! We are going to remember the cross and ask ourselves the question: What comes to your mind when you think of the Cross? Whether you attend the Classic Service at 9:30 and are challenged by Tim Loesch as he brings the message, or in the 9:30 or 11:00 Contemporary Services as I lead those services, we are all going to reflect…and remember. It is going to be a wonderful time of worship and reflecting on the Cross of Christ in a way that will impact all of us. I hope you are planning on coming.

Just a reminder that we will be having a special baptism service next Sunday, June 12 at 10:30 am in between the 9:30 and 11:00 services. We are excited to see how God is changing people’s lives and to celebrate this through baptism. If you are interested, just show up this Sunday at 10:30 am for an orientation in the Board Room. We will give you all the information that you need to be part of this special day.

One last word: Starting this Sunday, you can preregister your child for Kids Camp which will be held July 18-22! Look for the table in the Fellowship Mall, and while you are there, join the incredible team that God is putting together for this powerful week of impact. You will be so glad you did!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: May 27, 2011

2011-05-27T13:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I hope you will be taking time out to rest and reflect on the goodness God has shown us through the commitment of the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom!

I also hope that you will be with us this Sunday at one of our Worship Services. Pastor Gilmer will be teaching in the Contemporary Services and Jared Alcántara will be speaking in the Classic Service. I know you will be blessed at any of our Worship Services.

A few items to note:

June 5

We are planning a special Communion Celebration in all the services that will enable all of us to focus on what Christ did for us in a creative and powerful way. Don’t miss this Sunday!

June 12

Special 10:30 Baptism Celebration in between the 9:30 and 11:00 services. This will allow everyone who desires to attend. We will hold regular classic and contemporary services at 9:30 and 11:00 in addition to the 10:30 Baptism Celebration.

Also on June 12, I will be starting a new series entitled God..Love…Sex… This will be a study about dating, marriage, and relationships from the Song of Solomon. I am looking forward to how God is going to speak to all of our hearts through this series. I also want to encourage parents to place their children in our dynamic children’s programs during this series due to the mature subjects that will be addressed.

See you soon!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: May 20, 2011

2011-05-20T09:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

God is at work! Last Sunday, you showed your heart for the community by participating in our blood drive and by signing up to help with our next Meals and More outreach through the Salvation Army! THANK YOU for showing the heart of Jesus for our community! There is still time to sign up and get involved in the Meals and More outreach, so take time to come by the table this Sunday in the Fellowship Mall where you can sign up to donate food and other items.

This Sunday, you will also have an opportunity to connect with a recent TCNJ graduate, Priscilla Senyah, who will be going to Los Angeles to serve with Athletes in Action. Priscilla will be spending twenty-four days in the heart of LA living in community with 50 other college athletes and AIA staff from around the country. She will be serving alongside urban ministers across the country at ministry sites across LA to encourage and support urban pastors and lay leaders and energize churches and organizations in key communities. We will be sending Priscilla out during each of the services on Sunday. Please stop by her table after a service to pick up a prayer flyer and encourage her in this ministry. We are excited to be able to support her as she goes forth to show people Jesus this summer.

We will be wrapping up our FAQ series this Sunday as we address an important and serious issue, the Issue of Hell. We will be seeking to answer the questions such as: What does the Bible say? Is there a second chance? Does hell even exist? Once again we will be taking your questions through texting in each of the contemporary services, and then we will dialogue together and seek answers. You can even text your questions now to 609-429-0825. I will be speaking in the contemporary services, and Dave Buschman, a chaplain at Princeton University, will be speaking in the classic service at 9:30. The classic service will also have the special treat of being led in worship by a friend of mine who is a professional musician, graduate of PBU, and grew up as a missionary kid in South Africa. Gordon Gregory has a heart and passion for worship and will be leading the classic service this Sunday, and it is going to be very special.

Finally, I want to let you know that I would appreciate your prayers as I have been burdened to do a Sunday message series dealing with marriage and relationships. As a result, I am planning a series on the Song of Solomon that will kick off on June 12 and go into July called God...Love...Sex... This series is going to deal with dating, marriage, and relationships all from a Biblical perspective. Please pray for me as I prepare this series as the Song of Solomon is a book that deals head on with these issues and I am excited to be able to share this with you. So plan on being present and inviting your friends to come as well. This is not just for married couples but for singles as well. You will be getting more information in the weeks ahead, but for now just start praying and plan to be with us those weeks.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: May 13, 2011

2011-05-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

This is the week you will not want to miss any of our services. I will be continuing our FAQ series, and this Sunday I will be speaking about Christian Liberty. My message title is Tunes, Tattoos, and Tequila? We will be looking at what the Bible has to say about these areas that you have asked questions: What do we mean when we say we are free? What about the "grey areas"? It is going to be an exciting time for sure. So make sure and be on time for either the 9:30 or 11:00 services and remember you can text your questions to 609-429-0825. We will have time at the end of the services for interaction. Pastor Gilmer will be speaking in the classic service on the subject as well.

I also want to remind you that this Sunday is our Blood Drive. So even if you did not sign up to give blood but are interested in doing so, you will be able during the Sunday morning services. Thank you for your willingness to serve our community in this way.

Finally, we are getting excited about our next Baptism Service on June 12 at 9:30. If you are interested in getting baptized and have not contacted the office to sign up, do so today by e-mailing Irene Knott at iknott@cbcnj.org. The list is filling up and we are looking forward to a powerful time of worship and praise for God’s power to change lives.

Gotta go back to the study to get ready for Sunday morning! See you then!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: May 6, 2011

2011-05-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

This weekend is Mother’s Day and I hope that you are going to be with us in one of our three worship services!

We will be continuing our FAQ series, and this week Jared Alcántara will wrestle with the Problem of Evil in the contemporary services and I will be speaking on the subject of Salvation in the classic service. We will once again be opening up the opportunity for you to text questions during the service as we will plan for a Q and A time at the end of each message. Last week, those of you who attended presented very thoughtful challenging questions, and we look forward to being on the hot seat once again. You can text your questions to 609-429-0825. Hope you can join us!

As you are planning to attend, I want to remind you that the times of the services are 9:30 and 11:00. We work very hard to create worship services and children’s ministry programs that minister, and by coming late you miss out on the impact of the full hour. We realize emergencies come up periodically that cause us to be late, but we so appreciate it if you plan to be present at the beginning of the service time so as to not distract others in their worship and for the children’s ministry programs to stay on schedule. Thank you for your consideration and planning to get here on time.

One last item: Don’t forget the Annual Men’s Ministry Free Car Wash for Moms! This Saturday from 11 am- 3 pm, invite a mom to bring their car and use this as an opportunity to express the love of Christ in a very special way to some very special ladies.

Happy Mother’s Day! See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: April 30, 2011

2011-04-30T09:40:00.001-04:00

WOW! That is all I can say as I look back at how God worked in our midst last Easter weekend! I am so thankful to all of you who came and brought friends to one of our three Easter Services! God worked through you so that we broke all attendance records with over 1000 adults and children in attendance! This is because you all prayed, invited, and served! The sea of blue shirts that blanketed our facilities to greet people and care for them from the “street to the seat” was a powerful witness to everyone who came as a guest! Even more exciting is the number of people who indicated they would like more information or would like to attend either Starting point, Financial Peace University, or Discover Central! So thank you for praying, inviting, and serving! It was a weekend of God’s power at work.

I hope you are going to be with us this Sunday as we kick off a brand new message series, FAQ! We have taken the questions that were submitted on Easter Sunday and have put together a series that will seek to answer those questions from a Biblical perspective. Jared Alcántara will be addressing the issue of the Problem of Evil in the 9:30 Classic Service, and in the Contemporary Service, I will be speaking about the issue of Salvation and all the questions you submitted, such as: Can a person lose their standing before God? What about suicide? What part if any do good works play in salvation? What does God expect? At the end of each service you will have a chance to ask questions in each service. During the contemporary services, you will be able to text your questions by using this number: 609-429-0825. You can even text your questions right now, and we will be having a discussion of these at the end of the message. So as you can see we are getting ready for a powerful series, and I hope you will plan on coming and bringing someone along with you.

Are you connected? If not, this Sunday we will have a LifeGroup fair in the Fellowship Mall where you will see all the new LifeGroups that will be starting up the spring/summer sessions which will start on May 15. Be sure and check it out! Some great choices are available for you to grow and connect.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: April 22, 2011

2011-04-22T11:25:00.000-04:00

We are READY!

Come and remember the power of the sacrifice of Christ at tonight’s Good Friday Communion and Worship led by our Classic Worship Choir at 7:30 pm. Nursery provided up to age five.

SUNDAY IS COMING!

On Easter Sunday:

8:30 am

Classic Worship Service featuring the majesty of the organ and grand piano. We will be led in worship by our choir and it is going to be a powerful morning of praise. Nursery provided up to age five. Come early to enjoy our Central Café which will open at 8 am! Do you know friends who love traditional worship? Invite them to come with you!

9:45 am and 11:00 am

Contemporary Worship led by our Praise Band and Gospel Ensemble. We will rock the house as we explore the power of the Resurrection exploding in our lives! Dynamic children’s programs each hour from infants to fifth grade. Come early and enjoy some great refreshments in our Central Café! Still time to invite family and friends to join you!

Don’t forget that at all three services you will have a chance to mark down your FAQ questions you would like answered from a Biblical perspective. I will then choose four of these to respond to in our new message series that will begin May 1. You can also text your questions to us at 609-429-0825. Look for the display in the Fellowship Mall and get those questions to us! This is going to be an exciting series!

Finally, don’t forget to bring your canned goods for Central’s 2^nd Annual Food Fight to benefit the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank. Here is our chance to impact lives in a practical way! Bring your donations to the Fellowship Mall. Thank you for your generosity!

It’s going to be an AWESOME WEEKEND! We are READY! We just need you to come and bring your friends with you!

Waiting with Great Expectation,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: April 15, 2011

2011-04-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

The clock is ticking! This Sunday, we will kick off a week of remembrance of the sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior!

I hope that you will be with us! We will be finishing our series Simply Jesus by looking at Christ the KING! Jared Alcántara will be speaking in both contemporary services and I will be teaching in the classic service. I know we are going to be blessed as we focus on KING JESUS! Look forward to what God is going to do.

I want to remind you we will have a special Good Friday Worship Experience on April 22 at 7:30 pm. This will be unlike any we have ever done. We will meet for a time of focused contemplation on what Christ did for us in giving his life on the cross. We will be led in worship by our Classic Worship Choir and the evening will include a time of communion as a community. Child care will be provided from birth to age 5. Come early to get a good seat and be prepared to be impacted.

Then comes Sunday! Easter Sunday is going to be a wonderful day of victory, celebration, praise, and worship. We will have three services on Easter Sunday. All services will be held in the worship center.

Classic Worship at 8:30 am

Featuring the choir, organ, grand piano, and the Easter traditional music we have grown to love. Nursery will be provided.

Contemporary Worship at 9:45 am and 11:00 am

Two identical services where we will be led in worship by our Praise Team and the Gospel Ensemble and much more! Exciting children’s programs will be provided during both hours.

Come early and enjoy a cup of coffee and refreshments at our Central Café, which will open at 8:00 am on Easter Sunday.

Also, on Easter Sunday we will be giving you an opportunity to be part of a brand new series we will kick off May 1 called FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. We will be asking everyone who comes on Easter to mark down a specific question that they would like to see addressed from a biblical perspective. We will then be teaching on these questions for four weeks in May. So begin to think about what your question will be and get ready to mark it down on Easter Sunday.

WHEW! As you can see we have been working hard, and are looking forward to what is coming!

Finally, a reminder about tomorrow’s Men’s Breakfast at 8 am. Our speaker, Wayne Stewart, will share his powerful testimony of how God transformed his life by freeing him from addiction. He is the Community Outreach Director and Care Guide Coordinator for The Lighthouse Network, which helps people navigate life successfully by providing treatment options for mental health and addiction challenges. Guys, get ready to be encouraged and challenged!

See you all on Sunday!

In His Grace,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I was so excited after this week’s staff meeting as we made plans for an awesome Easter Weekend!

We will start with the Good Friday service at 7:30 pm. We will meditate and celebrate the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf and be led in worship by our Classic Choir and fellowship in Communion. It will be a special night.

Then Easter Sunday morning, we will have three special services. We have made up invitation cards for you to use to give to your friends to invite them to our Classic Service at 8:30 am or one of two Contemporary Services at 9:45 am and 11:00 am. These cards are available in the Welcome Center for you to pick up.

We have two different invitation cards. The first, a traditional Easter design to invite your friends to our Classic Easter service at 8:30. The second, you can’t miss, because it says KABOOM! on the front, and emphasizes the resurrection power of Christ when it flows through our lives as it is an explosion of love, joy and peace. So plan to pick up some and get the word out! We are excited about what God is going to do!

I also want to invite all our men to come to our next Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, April 16, 8 to 9:30am. Our speaker, Wayne Stewart, will share his powerful testimony of how God transformed his life by freeing him from addiction. He is the Community Outreach Director and Care Guide Coordinator for The Lighthouse Network, which helps people navigate life successfully by providing treatment options for mental health and addiction challenges. So guys, make plans now to come and get ready to be encouraged and challenged!

Finally, I want to encourage you to make sure you are here this Sunday. I will be teaching in the Contemporary Services, and Jared will be teaching in the Classic Service. We are going to look at how Jesus showed himself to be a REBEL as we continue our series Simply Jesus!

One last word: Get ready for a new message series that will kick off the Sunday after Easter! That is one people will be talking about for a while! More on that next week!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T09:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I trust you have enjoyed your week and that you are looking forward to what God is going to do this Sunday at Central!

We will be continuing our series Simply Jesus, and will be examining the question that so many of us ask in our hearts if not verbally: “Why doesn’t God always heal? Why doesn’t God always deliver me from my pain and suffering?” We will examine how Jesus answers this question in the Gospel of Luke. I am looking forward to how God is going to teach all of us.

I will be teaching in the Classic Service, and when we were planning this series, this is one that Pastor Jeremy asked for the opportunity to bring the message, so Jeremy will be preaching in the contemporary services. I have heard a glimpse of what God has put on his heart, and we are all in for a blessing. This is one of those questions that many of your unchurched friends could be asking, so I invite you to bring them with you! Thank you to all of you who have been bringing friends each week of this series.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who gave so generously to the Japan relief fund. Due to your generosity we are able to give over $15,000 to help with the relief effort that is being done through our missionaries the Koike and Kato families. Thank you for being so generous!

We are working hard as a staff to get ready for our Easter Services. Check out our website www.worshipatcentral.org for more info. This Sunday we will be distributing special invite cards that are the size of a business card for you to give out to people you come in contact with throughout the week to invite them to one of our three Easter Services. We will have a full Classic Service at 8:30 and two identical Contemporary Worship Services at 9:45 and 11:00. We are praying for God to work in a powerful way as we all celebrate being more than conquerors through Christ! I hope that you will begin to pray now about whom you can invite.

Finally, I want you to know that we have had so many new folks checking out Central the past few weeks that our children’s ministry, 252, has grown at 11:00 that we need extra help to minister to all the children. This is an exciting time to work with the kids in a brand new active program where kids are so excited, they are inviting their friends, and they are coming back! So if you are willing to be part of a fun, exciting kids ministry, please contact our Director of Sunday Children’s Ministries, Joseline Capre, at jcapre@cbcnj.org THANKS!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

P.S. Come early to get a good seat!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: Saturday, March 26, 2011

2011-03-26T10:32:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I am really looking forward to this Sunday as we continue our series, SIMPLY JESUS! I am enjoying being able to point us to the person of Christ and what powerful truths I am learning. I will be speaking in both contemporary services and Jared will be teaching in the 9:30 Classic Service. I am thankful for the way you are inviting your friends and family. This whole series is a great opportunity to do that! I hope to see you on Sunday!

Can you believe we are only 4 weeks away from EASTER? Seems like we just celebrated Christmas! I want you to know that we have put together plans for a dynamic Easter Weekend! We will start on Good Friday evening at 7:30 pm as the Classic Worship Choir will lead us in a celebration of the grace of God through the sacrifice of Christ called Portraits of Grace. This is going to be an intimate time of worship and contemplation as we worship our Savior. That’s Friday!

Then comes SUNDAY! We will have THREE dynamic Easter Sunday Services on April 24. All of these are being designed for you to invite and bring your family and friends.

8:30 CLASSIC EASTER WORSHIP - We will meet in the Worship Center and participate in all the elements that make traditional worship a powerful time of praise. Featuring our Classic Worship Choir, organ, piano, handbells, all the traditional Easter hymns that have impacted us for so long, and a message that I have called More than Conquerors. Note the time and the location. If you connect best in traditional Easter worship, this service will be for you. Nursery will be provided birth-age 5.

9:45 and 11:00 CONTEMPORARY EASTER WORSHIP - We will again meet in the Worship Center and all CELEBRATE what Christ has done. Both services will be identical, and we will be led to the KING by our Praise Team, Gospel Ensemble and much more! My message again will be More than Conquerors as we focus on the victory that is ours! We will have dynamic Children's Programs both hours. So if you have friends and family who would love to worship in a contemporary setting, these services are for you! Come early to enjoy time of fellowship in our cafe and to get a good seat! NOTE: The first service will start at 9:45 not the normal 9:30. This will allow us to have better flow of people coming and going.

In order to help you invite your friends, we are going to be providing you invitations at the beginning of April that you can give out, so keep looking for those. In order to make Easter Sunday an inviting time for our guests, we are going to be needing extra help in setting up a parking posse, greeters, hosts, etc. You will hear more about that in the next couple of weeks.

And I almost forgot: One of the things we are going to do on Easter Sunday is give everyone in the congregation an opportunity to give input into our next message series which will start the week after Easter. We are going to ask everyone to mark down a question they wish they heard an answer to from a Biblical perspective. Then the following 5 weeks we will answer those top submitted questions. I am really looking forward to this series!

So that gives you a picture of what we are working on. Start praying now about whom you will invite to hear about the love and grace of Christ! I am looking forward to what God is going to do.

A Grateful Pastor

Ps. If you did not participate in the Church Health Survey, this Sunday will be your last opportunity to do so. Just come a little early, pick up a survey from an usher, fill it in, and drop it off at the welcome center. Thank you for your feedback!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: March 18, 2011

2011-03-18T08:54:00.001-04:00

Greetings Central Family,

I hope that you will make plans to be with us this Sunday for one of our three worship services. We will be starting a new message series we have entitled Simply Jesus where we will be examining accounts of the life of Christ through the Book of Luke. This week we will be examining Jesus as Teacher; He had a powerful way of imparting truth in yet such a simple way. Jared Alcantára will speak at the Classic Service and I will be teaching in the Contemporary Services. I hope you will be with us for this new series; I know it is impacting my life as I prepare.

I also want you to know that during all three worship services, we will be giving you a chance to participate in a Church Health Survey. Similar to what we did last year, this is your chance to give feedback to our elders and staff concerning your thoughts and opinions about the health of the ministry. This is very important as we make plans and set priorities for the next few years. So please plan to come early so you can take time to take this survey. If you are not going to be present this Sunday, go to the website (www.worshipatcentral.org) and click on the link for the survey, print it and fill it out, and either drop it off at the church or mail it in. Your voice is important for us to hear!

We have all been deeply impacted by all that we read and see and hear about the catastrophic events in Japan. We as a church want to reach out in a tangible way with a special love offering that will be sent to missionary connections that we have in Japan. On Sunday, March 27, we will receive a special love offering for the relief efforts in Japan. This offering will go to assist the work being done by both the Kato and Koike families in both Tokyo and relief in Sendai. Please begin to pray about how you can sacrifice something of comfort so that others can have the needed food, water, and gasoline as well as the tools necessary to rebuild their homes and churches. I thank God for your generous hearts, and I know this gift will be put to good use.

Do you have technical abilities? If yes, are you interested in using them on Sunday morning? We are looking for people to help us operate cameras during our worship services, as well as help in recording the services and making copies of cd’s and dvd’s so that they can be available after the 11:00 worship service. In order for us to do this, we need more help. You would only need to serve one Sunday a month, and we will train you. We believe that more cd’s and dvd’s could be going out to impact others if they were only available for pickup on Sunday mornings. However, for that to happen, we need more help. If you are interested, please email iknott@cbcnj.org and we will get back to you more information.

I am still rejoicing over the announcement that Jeremy Bell has been appointed Pastor of Worship and Student Ministries and Jackie Maina has been appointed as Business Administrator. Many of you have asked if Jeremy has been given more help with both of these ministries. The answer is YES! The Overseeing Elders appointed Gem Perkins and Bryan Bunagan to serve with Jeremy on worship administration and Student Ministries, respectively. We are thankful for both of these individuals and their commitment to Christ and to Central and I know that they will be of great help to Jeremy as he leads us in both ministries.

That should bring you up to date to all that is happening here at 2015 Pennington Road! I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

In His Grace,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

What a super weekend we had last weekend here at Central!

I praise God for the way so many of you indicated an interest to serve through VOLUNTOUR!

I am thankful for the response we had to announcing the hiring of Jackie Maina as our new Business Administrator and the appointment of Jeremy Bell as Pastor of Worship and Student Ministries!

Add to this the kick off of a new program for the children at 11:00 called 252! This place was abuzz with excitement!

Finally, I am rejoicing at the way God has worked through the CHAZOWN series to challenge all of us to find God’s purpose for our lives.

As you are thinking about the vision that God has for your life, many of you have asked, “What next step can I take to make this clearer as I want to do what God has called me to do, but I am not sure what that is.” I want to encourage you to go our website www.worshipatcentral.org, click on the button that says Get Connected, then click on the link Discover Your Purpose. This will take you to information where you can go to a website that will guide you on an exciting step by step journey to discovering and putting into action your CHAZOWN, or vision! I hope you will do this, and if you do, let me know how it goes.

I hope that you are planning on being with us this weekend! I will be ministering in the Classic service, and we have a guest speaker in the two contemporary services at 9:30 and 11:00. Rich Sparling, Director of Latino Ministries for Baseball Chapel, will be our featured speaker. He and his wife have ministered directly to the Philadelphia Phillies through the chaplaincy program for the last eleven years. God has recently led him to establish BuxMont Torch Sport Ministry which utilizes sport as a means to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to disciple and train sports ministers. Rich spoke recently at our men’s breakfast and we were impacted powerfully.

I am also thankful for the largest group of women EVER to go on our Women’s Retreat! 102 women will be away for a weekend of recharge. So guys don’t let us down! Don’t forget to change your clocks on Saturday night (one hour forward!), come dressed in your baseball garb, and enjoy a great challenge in our contemporary services from Rich Sparling. Even if you are coming to the classic service I would encourage you to consider coming to one of the contemporary services as well, as Rich is a great speaker who loves Jesus and it shows!

So there you have it! Look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Prayer Request: Teri Van Schoick

2011-03-05T20:33:00.001-05:00

Teri Van Schoick has been admitted to the hospital for dehydration and pancreatitis. Please pray for Teri’s health, for wisdom for the doctors who are treating her, and for relief and comfort for Teri.

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: March 3, 2011

2011-03-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

I am really excited about this coming Sunday’s Worship Services!

We will be finishing our series CHAZOWN as we wrap up our study in Ephesians, and we will be looking at the number one enemy that we all face from fulfilling our God given purpose. We will also be putting together a battle plan to fight back and live the life God desires for us. I will be finishing the series in the contemporary services and Jared Alcántara will be preaching in the classic service. Each service will feature dynamic worship and celebration of Communion as we all rejoice in what God has done for us.

Following each service, we invite you to spend time in the Fellowship Mall as you explore opportunities to fulfill your God given purpose in our VOLUNTOUR. Different ministries will be present so you can examine different opportunities and see firsthand how to pursue your own CHAZOWN. This will be a powerful next step to the challenges we have all been receiving these past weeks.

I also want to thank you for the prayers that you have given on behalf of the ministry of Central as we have sought to fill two crucial ministry positions. This past Tuesday evening, the Overseeing Elders made decisions regarding these positions, and we will make an announcement at all three services to inform you. You will meet our new Business Administrator who will be starting in the next 2 weeks. We will also be making a very special announcement regarding the filling of our staff position of Pastor of Worship. So please make plans to be present on Sunday morning!

We will be starting a new message series on March 20 that we are calling Simply Jesus! This will be an in-depth study of the life Christ through different accounts in the book of Luke. This series in all three services is designed for you to invite and bring a friend. I would like to ask you to begin to pray now as to whom you could invite to come with you for one of the weeks of this series. The series will go from March 20 to April 24, which is Easter Sunday. We have designed these six weeks so that each Sunday you can be assured you can invite your friends to come with you and they will be introduced to the Savior through this study that we know will impact all of us. Once you have decided on someone you would like to invite, please shoot me an email at dgay@cbcnj.org and give me their first name as well as your name, because we as a staff want to pray for that person. It is going to be exciting to see how God will working during these six weeks of impact, finishing on Easter Sunday. Speaking of Easter, plan now, as we will have three dynamic Easter Sunday services: 8:00 Contemporary, 9:30 Blended, and 11:00 Contemporary. I can’t wait for you to experience what we have planned.

One last item: I want you to know that at both contemporary services on March 13, Rich Sparling, Director of Latino Ministries for Baseball Chapel, will be our featured speaker. He and his wife have ministered directly to the Philadelphia Phillies through the chaplaincy program for the last eleven years. God has recently led him to establish BuxMont Torch Sport Ministry which utilizes sport as a means to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to disciple and train sports ministers. Rich spoke recently at our men’s breakfast and we were impacted powerfully. So even though over 100 of our women will be away at our Women's Retreat, plan to come dressed in your favorite team baseball garb and enjoy the chance to hear what God has done and is doing. Great opportunity for you to invite a friend to come along with you. For those who attend the classic service, why not plan to come to both hours that Sunday! It is going to be a fun Sunday for sure!

See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 25, 2011

2011-02-25T12:12:00.001-05:00

This is going to be an awesome Sunday of WORSHIP, CELEBRATION, and THANKSGIVING at Central!

9:30: Both the classic service and the contemporary services will be combined into an acoustic contemporary service in the Worship Center. I will continue our series on CHAZOWN from Ephesians as we look at the SO WHAT? to all we have been learning. We will also have the privilege of celebrating together those who are stepping forward to participate in believer’s baptism. I can’t wait for you to hear the testimonies of those God has brought forward. God is at work, and we are so excited to celebrate that this Sunday!

11:00: We will worship in our contemporary service in the Worship Center. We will rock the house and give praise to God for all he continues to do to show us: His grace, His power, and His love. I will also be teaching on the theme of CHAZOWN from Ephesians.

At both services, we will be led in worship by John Redgrave from Greenville, South Carolina. John is a worship leader at Brookwood Church in South Carolina and we are looking forward to how God will use him to lead us to the King this Sunday.

At the end of both services, you will be given a tool that will enable you to put all we have been learning into practice! So I hope you will be with us, as it is going to be a powerful time to see God work!

In His Grace,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 17, 2011

2011-02-17T14:18:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope you will be with us this Sunday as we continue our series Chazown! Examining God’s Purpose for our Life from the Book of Ephesians. I have been so encouraged as different members of the body have come up and shared with me their own Chazown journey and how God is leading them to consider and commit to His purpose for them for His Kingdom! That is what we have been praying for. I will be speaking in the contemporary services and Jared Alcántara will be preaching in the classic 9:30 service. I hope you will be here.

We will be led by guest worship leader Mark Snyder. Mark is originally from Pennsauken, NJ and now lives in Lansdale, PA with his wife Nicki and their two young boys. Mark attended Central when he was a student at TCNJ and it will be fun to have him with us as he leads us to worship the Lord.

Following the 11:00 am worship service, we will have a very brief congregational meeting as we elect the remaining officers for this new year. We will be selecting Overseeing Elders and filling some other positions. So if you are a member, please plan to come to this brief meeting in the worship Center at 12:15 pm.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Prayer Request: Tomoo and Kaori Koike

2011-02-05T16:59:00.001-05:00

Tomoo and Kaori Koike are World Impact Associates serving at Word of Life in Japan. Below is an e-mail from Tomoo:

Kaori's mother, Keiko Wada went to be with the Lord this morning. Finally, she is free from all her sickness and pain. Kaori's brother and his wife and daughter were there with us. We sang hymns and prayed. It was beautiful moment and Kaori's brother was so impressed by the death of a saint. We do have hope even when we face death. They said they'd like to come to church for worship service tomorrow. The funeral will be held in the same church on Monday. Please pray that our relatives will hear the clear Gospel and understand and respond. Please pray also for Kaori that she will receive comfort from God.

Tomoo Koike, WOL Japan

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: February 4, 2011

2011-02-04T11:32:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

What is your purpose in life? What mission does God have for you? What is GOD'S vision for your life?

It is so easy to get caught up in all the stuff of life and miss the big picture God has for us. This Sunday we are beginning a new series that will address these questions as we begin a study of the New Testament letter of Ephesians. I hope that you will be with us as I kick off this series this Sunday in the contemporary services and Jared Alcántara will do so in the classic service. This is going to be an exciting series and I can't wait to see how God is going to speak to all of us. See you Sunday morning, and get ready to dig into God's vision for your life.

In His Grace,

Richard Gay

Senior Pastor

P.S. Go Steelers! : )

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 28, 2011

2011-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Attention Central Family,

This Sunday following the 11:00 am service, we will have a special Congregational Business Meeting. If you are a member, please plan to attend! We will be voting to approve our 2011 budget and also voting to approve officers under our new constitution which include our new elders, deacons, and deaconesses. So please make plans to be here as we will start promptly at 12:15 pm in the Worship Center. We will also give a full update on the searches for a Pastor of Worship and for a Business Administrator.

This Sunday, we will wrap up our series, Unstoppable! Jared Alcántara will speak to a very important issue in the contemporary services of how we as a church are called to be relevant to the culture yet speak the truth authoritatively to the culture. I will be speaking in the classic service at 9:30 am and focusing in on what the biggest reason is in my opinion as to why believers do not live victorious Christian lives. So I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

In His Grace,

Pastor Gay

Ps. Have you joined a LIFEGROUP? We have many to chose from and the window is still open for you to not miss out on spiritual growth at a powerful level! Come and check it out at our website worshipatcentral.org and pick a group so you can learn to REACH OUT and GROW UP!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 20, 2011

2011-01-20T11:06:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

I am so thankful for the power of God's Word! I say that as I have been working on the message that God has given me for this Sunday. I am continually in awe of how powerful God's Word speaks to me today in the 21st Century when the words are so ancient but true. I just am amazed but so grateful! I say that because I hope that you are going to be with us this Sunday. We will continue our series Unstoppable! I will be ministering in the contemporary services, and Pastor Gilmer will be bringing the Word in the Classic Service (those of you who heard it last week in the Contemporary service know how powerful this message was to all of us!) We are all growing in understanding of what it means for us to be the Church God wants us to be, which is an Unstoppable force for Him! I am looking forward to what God will do!

I also want to remind you that there is still time for you to sign up for one of our many LifeGroups that we will be offering this semester. Many weekend groups will kick off this Sunday! The excitement is building as individuals are re-upping for real biblical community. We are offering a full variety of groups to meet your needs, and you don’t have to wait till Sunday. You can go to our website, www.worshipatcentral.org and click on the Get Connected button then follow the LifeGroup link and you can get ready to connect with others in true biblical community. We offer groups on Sunday morning and full children’s programs at the same time, so you can go to a LifeGroup one hour, worship another hour, and your children will be lovingly cared for and discipled both hours! So don’t be left out! Remember our vision is to reach out and grow up, and it is up to you to take the next step!

I am so looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!

In His Grace,

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 14, 2010

2011-01-14T09:45:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

What a fun week this has been! Fun if you like Snow! I must admit, it was absolutely beautiful sitting in our breakfast area and looking out at the snow falling in our backyard this past week. Just a reminder of the freshness of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness to us every day. It was also fun to have a day off for those of us who got to enjoy it. Now the week presses on, and I hope that you are planning on being with us this Sunday for one of our worship services.

We will continue our new series Unstoppable! where we are examining the vision that God has given to our church to be an unstoppable force to impact lives for eternity. Pastor Gilmer will be ministering in the contemporary services, and I will be sharing in the classic 9:30 service. Also, we will have a special guest worship Leader in the contemporary services. Chris Stein is an accomplished musician who grew up in Hamilton and now lives in Pottstown, PA. Chris has been used by God on a number of occasions, and recently ministered to our Celebrate Recovery Lifegroup in one of our meetings in December. I know your heart will be encouraged as we worship the King together.

Hope to see you Sunday morning, as we all celebrate the graciousness of our Savior whose mercies are new every morning! See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: January 6, 2011

2011-01-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

Happy New Year!

We are off to a great start into 2011, and look forward to how God is going to work with a new series we will start this week which we have called Unstoppable! We are going to examine the call that Christ puts on us to be the Church that influences people for eternity and how He promises to use us in supernatural ways. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we kick this off in all three services. We will be led in our contemporary services by a Guest Worship leader, Josh Brainard. Josh comes to us from Delaware, Ohio and has a passion to lead us to the King as we seek to honor Him with our worship. We will also be welcoming a group of new members to Central, so it is going to be a fun morning!

I thank God for the staff that God has given to us and the many gifts that He has given each of them. With that in mind it is with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I inform you of a staff change that God has placed before us. Teresa Vann has served as our Executive Director of Operations since January of 2010. As such she has brought, vision, passion, and a heart of leadership for the church to this staff position. Teresa and George will be leaving Central so that George to take a new job in Houston, Texas. We will miss them greatly and are sad that they are leaving us, but excited about what God will do through them in their next assignment. I can already hear the southern drawl coming back to Teresa’s voice! Please pray for Teresa and George as they make this transition. Teresa will finish working full time on January 14, but she has agreed to help us on a part time basis after that as we search for a new person to fill this role. Please take time to express to Teresa your appreciation for what she has brought in her short time here at Central. She and George have made an eternal impact for the King!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 23, 2010

2010-12-23T12:24:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I look forward to seeing you at one of our two Christmas Eve Services at 5:30 or 7:00 pm. Each service will be packed with music, worship, a children’s story, and a message to remind us of the hope we have in Christ. I can’t wait, as it is without a doubt my favorite service of the year! So bring the family and celebrate with us as only Central can do! Come early to get a good seat!

We will then wrap up the Christmas season with two dynamic worship services on December 26. The 9:30 services will be combined into one blended service in the worship center and the 11:00 service will be a contemporary celebration. Both will feature a message by Jared Alcántara that you won’t want to miss. In both services, we will have a guest worship leader, Phil Biega, who recently completed a master’s degree program at Liberty University and has a real passion to lead us to the King. Full nursery and children’s programs will meet both hours, so bring the family and celebrate with us.

My wife Kim and our children, Jonathan, Joshua, and Lydia join me in wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 17, 2010

2010-12-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

Two more chances to participate in our Living Nativity: tonight and tomorrow night from 6- 8 pm.

This has been an incredible experience for all of us to see how God is working through all of you to serve our community. I received emails of stories of people who were touched in a special way this past weekend by your hospitality, love, and warmth to all of our guests. Over 600 people came through the Living Nativity last weekend, and even though it will be cold this weekend, we are expecting great crowds. So bundle up, bring a friend, and pray for us as we seek to show the love of Jesus to our community.

Sunday morning we will continue our special Christmas Carol Series as we see that Christ brings meaning to our present. This is a great Sunday to invite a friend to come with you as the music will be awesome (as always), the worship will be dynamic, and the message will lift up Jesus who brings us the gift of meaning that everyone is looking for. I will be speaking in the 9:30 and 11:00 contemporary services and Pastor Gilmer will be ministering in the Classic at 9:30. So I hope you invite and bring someone along with you!

The Great Christmas Giveaway continues to build! Remember as you are planning your year-end generosity, that we will give away 10% of whatever is given to our general fund through December 31 to help community organizations impact people's lives. I can’t wait to see how God will work through your giving hearts! God bless you for your generosity!

Finally, just a reminder that Christmas Eve and Christmas weekend will be very special at Central. We will have candlelight services on Christmas eve for the whole family at 5:30 and 700 pm. Each service will be identical and will feature all the traditional Christmas music we love, a Children's story, Christmas Choir, handbells, and candle celebration as only Central can do. I will be bringing a message that will wrap up (no pun intended) our Christmas series showing how Christ brings hope for our future! So bring the kids and lets pack the worship center with worshippers of the New Born King!

Then Sunday Morning, December 26, we will have two worship Services. Our 9:30 services will be combined for a blended service featuring the Christmas Choir, the majesty of the organ, and our praise team in our worship center and a special treat (again, no pun intended!). We will all be encouraged in worship as we are led by a guest worship leader, Phil Biega. Phil is a graduate of Liberty University and Seminary and has a real passion to lead us to the King. We will then meet for a full contemporary service at 11:00 which will once again be led by Phil. Jared Alcántara will challenge our hearts with a special message that I am looking forward to.

So there you have it. Enjoy your weekend. I look forward to seeing all of you! Merry Christmas!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 10, 2010

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Central Family,

It starts tonight! The work that has been done by over 150 volunteers will come to fruition starting tonight!

Tonight at 6 pm, we kick off our Live Nativity and Lighting Display! We are really excited about all that God is going to do through this ministry. I hope that you have invited your friends and neighbors to come with you for a fun night of food, presentation of the Christmas story, crafts for the kids, special music, and so much more! I look forward to seeing you, as I will be one of the story tellers, and I can’t wait to meet your friends and neighbors! Make sure you dress warm, and pray, pray, pray! Pray for good weather, pray for open hearts, pray for wisdom on the part of all of us who interact with our guests. Pray for the enemy to be kept at bay, pray for fruit that will last! God is on a mission, and we get the grandest of all privileges to be a part of it! So come out and bring a van full of people with you, and let’s watch God work!

Then join us Sunday morning as we begin a brand new series called The Christmas Carol. This week we will look at how the Christmas story gives us hope to find forgiveness from the ghosts of our past. Jared will be speaking in the classic service and I will be preaching in both the contemporary services. All of our services have special musical treats planned for all of our guests. So call someone up and invite them to come with you. It is going to be a Magical Christmas Sunday here at Central!

Just a reminder that it is not too early to tell your friends about Christmas Eve services. We will have two services: 5:30, and 7:00 pm. Both services are identical and will include our Central Choir, praise team, and all the traditional Christmas music that makes Christmas so special. And of course we will have our annual Christmas story for the kids.

Christmas is here at Central! See you this weekend!

Pastor Gay

P.S. Yesterday, I saw the grand lighting of the Christmas trees for the Live Nativity, and it is beautiful! I am excited to see what will happen the next two weeks!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: December 3, 2010

2010-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to December! And with the beginning of December there are some exciting things taking place. Please take note!

This Sunday evening, December 5^th at 6 pm, we will hold a Congregational Business Meeting. We will receive a financial report update as we go into December. We will also be voting on the proposed New Constitution that the Deacons Council has presented during the month of November. This is an historic time at Central as we vote to put into place a new leadership structure. There will be time for questions prior to the vote. So if you are a member, please plan to be here at 6 pm and bring a dessert to share. We will have dessert in the Fellowship Mall and then we will meet in the Worship Center for our Congregational Meeting. I look forward to seeing you there!

We are counting down the days until our Live Nativity Community Outreach. Lots of work has been going on inside and outside our building to get ready for our guests. We have mailed out 7,000 invite cards to folks in a 2.5 mile radius of the church. We will have extra invite cards for you to pick up to give out to your friends this Sunday at the Welcome Center. I want you to know that this is going to be an unbelievable opportunity unlike anything we have ever done before. So get our your cell phones and start to call or text your friends to tell them all about it and send them to the website for more info. Finally, please join me in praying for good weather and a great harvest of sharing the love of Christ with our community.

Finally, join us for one of our three worship services this Sunday as we celebrate communion in prep for the Advent season. It is going to be a great time worship.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 26, 2010

2010-11-26T21:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you enjoyed a special Day of Thanks with your family and friends. As we have been learning, we have so much to be thankful for!

I thank God for you as a congregation and all that you are doing as we all are learning how to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our community.

I hope that you are going to be able to be with us this Sunday as we celebrate God’s goodness! I will be bringing the message in the classic service and Jared Alcántara will be speaking in both contemporary services. We are excited to share what God has been putting on our hearts to share with you about His goodness for all of us!

I am counting down the days until our Follow the Star Live Nativity Outreach on Dec 10, 11, 17, and 18! I am excited as I see yard signs popping up all over the community. Thanks for taking this step to promote this community outreach. This Sunday we will have invite cards available for you to give to your friends and neighbors. We want to get the word out! You can also send them to our website www.worshipatcentral.org as there is information there as well!

We also need help in getting the church decorated for this event! So….

- After the 11 service this Sunday, November 28^th, we need an army of elves to help with the decorating. We will need men and women to get up on the ladders, put Christmas trees together, carry supplies, and do other things to add their special touch so that the spirit of Christmas comes alive at Central in preparation for all of our guests.

Then…

- All day Saturday, December 4^th, beginning at 9:00 am, come for an hour or for the whole day for the Interior and Exterior set construction and design. We will need volunteers to assemble and decorate the interior Christmas Village, assemble the buildings for the Living Nativity set, decorate the outside of the building, create pathways for the Pageant of Peace tree display, and set up and light Christmas trees.

- Immediately following the worship services on Sunday, December 5^th, we will put the final touches in place.

Please begin to pray about whom you can invite to come with you. This will be a live walk through of the Christmas story and the gospel will be presented in a creative way. There will be a beautiful Christmas tree light display to walk through with your friends, great food, live animals, music, and much more.

Then on December 12, we will begin a special Christmas series called A Christmas Carol, totally designed for you to invite your friends to hear the hope of Christmas. It is going to be a powerful December!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 21, 2010

2010-11-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Central Family,

Give thanks! For the Lord is good!

I love this time of year because it reminds us of how gracious our God is and how generous He is in loading us with His blessings!

Today is going to be a powerful one as we wrap up our series Mind Your Business. Tucker and I will be speaking in the contemporary services and Anthony will be preaching in the classic service. We will be focusing on how Generous our God is and how we have a privilege of joining Him in His work. What an awesome privilege that is. I am very encouraged by the stories I am hearing about how God is working in your lives through this series.

A few reminders:

1. Today, a whole team of the Central Family is going to the Preservation House to serve a home cooked Thanksgiving Feast! Thank you for your generosity in giving your time and donations for this special meal. Remember, we chose to not have a Thanksgiving Dinner here at Church so that we could give a party for these special families. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to take the love of Christ outside these doors!

2. Tonight at 7pm, we will all gather for our annual Thanksgiving Praise and Worship Service. We will meet in the Worship Center to thank our God for all He has done! Join us and bring the whole family!

3. Starting today, we kick off the Great Christmas Give-Away! 10% of all of your gifts to the general fund from November 21 to December 31 will go to meet specific physical needs of people in our community. I am excited to see what God is going to do through your generosity!

Be Thankful! I am thankful for what God is doing through you!

Pastor Gay

P.S. Today, you will be able to pick up yard signs to promote our Live Nativity outreach on December 10 to 11 and 17 to 18. Please pick one up and help us get the word out. It is going to be an awesome display of God’s love for our community!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: November 5, 2010

2010-11-05T14:55:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What excitement flowed through the church last Sunday as we saw seven believers step out and get baptized! To see how God is at work in people’s lives is such an encouragement. Add to that the work that LifeGroups are doing in our Preservation House outreach is such a great example to all of us of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I am so thankful for all of you and what you are doing to live out the vision God has given us. These are very exciting days at Central.

This Sunday we will kick off a new series we have called Mind your Business. This promises to be an exciting series of challenge and application when we can learn about some steps of faith that we as a congregation will be taking during November and December unlike anything we have ever done before. I hope that I have caught your interest! Can’t say anymore, but plan to be here for one of our three services on Sunday.

We will also be presenting for the first time the completed work of our Constitution Committee. A new revised Constitution and leadership structure is being presented, and you can pick up a copy of the proposed constitution this Sunday in either the Welcome Center or Allen Hall. We are planning special town hall meetings for Sunday, November 14 at 9:30 and 11:00, and Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm. So pick up a copy of the proposed constitution, read it, and then come to a town hall meeting to get your questions answered. We will then vote on this constitution at our Annual Business Meeting on December 5 at 6 pm following an All Church Dinner that evening. More details to come, but for now just pick up a copy of the document so you are fully informed. I am thankful for all the hard work that has gone into this by the leaders who have worked so diligently.

Finally, don’t forget to set you clocks back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday evening. It is that time of year again!

See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 29, 2010

2010-10-29T14:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What a Day of Celebration this will be! This Sunday, October 31, we are going to celebrate the power of NEW LIFE at our 9:30 Worship Service.

Both the Contemporary and the Classic services at 9:30 will join together as we continue our series Modern Family, and Pastor Gilmer will be bringing the message. We will also be baptizing 6 adults who are stepping forward in obedience to our Master’s command to show publically their commitment to Christ as Lord of their lives. Scripture makes it so clear, that once you believe, the first act of obedience is to be baptized, and each of these individuals will be doing so. I am looking forward to this time of Celebration.

If you cannot join us at 9:30, we will be having an awesome Contemporary Service at 11:00 and once again Pastor Gilmer will be speaking.

I just returned from a very exciting field trip as I had the opportunity to see firsthand the work that so many of our committed volunteers have done at the local Dress for Success! The kind folks who direct this community resource spoke over and over again about all the work that people from Central did to make this boutique a real eye pleaser! I was so proud of all of you for your sacrifice, your love as expressed in all your hard work, and the hard work done by our CommunityConnections team to connect willing hands and hearts with a real need! I know that God was pleased. Way to go!

I am looking forward to a brand new series that we are starting next Sunday November 7 called Mind Your Business. I know you are going to be ministered to through this series, and we have some very special announcements that we will be making next Sunday of ways to put this series into practice.

Finally, I hope that you have gotten plugged into a LifeGroup. If not, we will be starting new LifeGroups in January. The reason I say this is what I am observing in the LifeGroups I am leading. I am seeing people who just attended our church, get connected in meaningful relationships, and starting to build friendships. I am seeing firsthand what we are told of in Acts 2 of real true Biblical community. It has been the vision of our staff for a long time to see this take hold throughout our church body. We are seeing the beginnings of that.

Hope you have a good week!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 22, 2010

2010-10-22T09:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

I hope that you are going to be with us this Sunday as we start a new two-part series in our contemporary services called Modern Family. This is going to be an important series that is filled with truth and grace and challenge as we seek to grow in understanding and application of what God has to say about the relationships in our family. So whether you are married or not, this is a series you will not want to miss. Jared Alcántara will kick off the series this Sunday (I will be speaking at the 9:30 classic service) and I will wrap it up next Sunday. So please plan to come with open hearts to what God has to say.

A few other things for you to remember:

Men’s Retreat this Weekend. More than 30 men from our church will be away at a retreat at Sandy Cove Bible Conference for a time of refreshing challenge and recharge. Please pray for these men as they open their hearts to what God has to say to them regarding their relationships with their God and their families.

Newest Staff Member: I want to make sure that you welcome our newest staff member Irene Knott, who is serving as our Office Administrative Assistant. When you call our church office, she will be the friendly voice that will respond to your needs. Stop by and welcome Irene to our team! Also, Irene is the one to contact with any prayer requests you may have. Just email her at iknott@cbcnj.org

Few Calendar Items:

October 31 - Two Worship Services at 9:30 and 11:00

We will combine the 9:30 services so we can celebrate Believers Baptism and the new life that God is producing through this ministry. This promises to be an exciting service!

If you are interested in getting baptized, please contact pastor Gilmer at agilmer@cbcnj.org

November 7 New Message Series - Mind your business!

That’s all I am going to tell you for now, but it is going to be a special series with some exciting ways for you to put the principles you will be learning into practice.

Thanks for your prayers and constant support. God is at work!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 15, 2010

2010-10-15T10:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

Hope you will be with us this Sunday at either the 9:30 or 11:00 services! We will continue our series SENT with a focus on what God is doing around the world! Come be challenged and encouraged that God is at work around the world!

I also hope that you will choose to attend one of our Sunday Life Groups this Sunday either at 9:30 or 11:00 am. We will be Skype with our World Impact Associates, hear from them first hand, and connect with them to encourage them. Just show up in Adult 1-3 and our hosts will direct you to the proper location. This is going to be a Sunday that we will all be stretched to develop a heart for what God is doing around the world!

NEW SERIES coming on October 24

MODERN FAMILY

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 8, 2010

2010-10-08T15:32:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

For 11 years we have had a vision as a church to introduce people both locally and globally to Jesus Christ and to proactively help believers become fully devoted followers of Christ. We have seen God do some amazing things through fulfillment of that vision. This Sunday we will start a 2-part series we are calling SENT, and we will be examining what the Scriptures have to say about being salt and light in our community. I am excited about what God has placed on our hearts to share with you, and once again in a way we can put into practice so that our light will be able to SHINE! So please plan to be present for one of our three worship services.

As part of that series, we are holding a special event on Sunday, October 17. We are calling it Sent: A Missions Prayer Event. During both worship hours, you will have the opportunity to attend one of our Sunday morning LifeGroups where will we have video Skype connections with our World Impact Associates from around the world. You will have a chance to hear firsthand what God is doing through these amazing people who are being used in powerful ways. You will also be able to pray for them and with them… LIVE! You can sign up for a specific group this Sunday in the Fellowship Mall. Even if you do not attend a Sunday morning LifeGroup, we want you to join in and get connected with what God is doing around the world. I am looking forward to participating and I know you will really enjoy this.

Finally, we want to welcome to our staff Irene Knott, our new Administrative Assistant. Irene, her husband Moses, and their children Moses, Christopher, and Cassandra make Central their church home, and we are excited to have her on board. Irene will be the one who greets you at the front desk and answers your calls when you phone the office. She will also administratively support me, Pastor Gilmer, and Teresa Vann, our Executive Director of Operations. Irene has a love for the Lord and heart to serve. Stop by and welcome her to our team!

See you Sunday!

Pastor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: October 1, 2010

2010-10-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What a weekend we had last week!

It was obvious to many of us that many of you are taking seriously the command of Christ that we live in biblical community, which is the topic that we have been discussing the past three weeks.

It was obvious in the many people who stepped out and joined a Life Group on Sunday morning.

It was obvious in the energy in our worship services as those who are experiencing community join together to worship our Awesome God!

It was obvious in the reports we are getting from group leaders of meaningful prayer and community beginning to grow in different group settings.

As of today over 330 people have signed up to be part of a LIFE GROUP! We praise God for that, and there is still time for you to get on board. Don’t miss out on connecting together in authentic community. I have been saying it for three weeks: Join a Life Group! Go to our website (worshipatcentral.org) and all the information you need is right there!

This Sunday we will wrap up our series on community by looking at an often forgotten blessing that is available to all of us who live in Biblical community. Come and find out what that is; you may be surprised!

I also want to take this time to express my thanks and gratitude to Susan Localio who has served as our Church Receptionist, Administrative Assistant, and Office Manager, and Helper Extraordinaire for over 6 years! Susan has decided to step down from her position on staff effective October 1, and we will miss seeing her at the front desk as I know you will. She has been such a help and blessing to our whole church family and we want to honor her with a card shower in thanksgiving to what God has done through her ministry. So if you want to express your appreciation to Susan (she loves and treasures cards) you can do so by sending her a card at:

Susan Localio

178 Carter Road

Princeton, NJ 08540

Susan will still be a part of our ministry family, continue to lead our GriefShare program, and help me with the Celebrate Recovery ministry. Only eternity will show what God has done through her faithfulness to Him!

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning!

Pastor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 24, 2010

2010-09-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

For the last couple of weeks, we have been talking about the importance of Life Groups as a means for growing in relationship with each other and with God. You’ve been given the brochure listing 35 groups that you can choose from, including, for example, groups for women, men, and married couples, groups meeting on Sunday mornings, groups meeting at church during the week, and home based groups! We hope that you have taken the time to think through these opportunities and get connected during this fall semester. Although some groups have started already, most groups will begin this weekend, and the semester will end in mid December. Registration will continue through October 3^rd. We encourage you to commit to trying a Life Group this fall semester!

One option for you to consider that make work for many of you is to get connected in a Life Group is on Sunday mornings. Quality childcare and children’s programs are available both hours for children up through fifth grade. In addition, your teenager will want to connect in a student life group meeting at 9:30 each Sunday morning. Sunday mornings are a great time for families to worship together during one hour, and then connect in smaller groups during the other hour to dig deeper into God’s word and learn how to apply it to their life! Sunday morning Life Groups start this Sunday, September 26^th.

For your ease of reference, I have listed the Sunday morning Life Groups here. To signup, just visit www.worshipatcentral.org and click on “Get Connected”, then “Life Groups” and find your group! Or, you are welcome to sign up for the group when you come this Sunday. So far over 230 people have signed up to be a part of a LIFE GROUP. Do not miss out on this opportunity to connect in meaningful relationships with other believers! We all need each other!

See you Sunday!

Pastor

Sunday Morning Life Groups

(If you have trouble viewing this table, please follow the website instructions above for a list)

Day	Time	Who	Topic	Leader	Location	Starting Date
Sunday	9:30	College/Young Adults	Get Uncomfortable: Serve the Poor. Stop Injustice. Change the World...In Jesus' Name	Bryan Bunagan Luke Hensel	A4	26-Sep
		All Adults	Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God	Marlon Webb	A3	26-Sep
		Young Couples	Staying in Love, a study based on the book by Andy Stanley	Scott & Vanessa Applegate	A6	26-Sep
		Married Couples with elementary/college age children	Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, based on the book by Mark Gungor	Damon & Nikema Missouri	A1	26-Sep
		Women	Stepping Up - A Journey through the Psalms of Ascent" by Beth Moore	Beth O'Brien & Lynn Buschman	206	26-Sep

Sunday	11:00	Senior Adults	The Commands of Jesus	Brad VanTruen Walt Cottrell	A4	26-Sep
		Married Couples	The Fruit of the Spirit: Having the "Ripe" Qualities for Everyday Living	Dean Baker	A1	26-Sep
		All Adults	Genesis: Understanding God's Story from the Beginning	Sam Hood	A3	26-Sep

Prayer Request: Jeanne Bush

2010-09-19T22:34:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Jeanne Bush, whose house burned down today.

Praise God that Jeanne is alright. She is staying with her daughter Linda right now. Please pray for peace of mind, wisdom, strength, good health, patience, unshakeable faith and clarity for both Jeanne and Linda for everything that they need to do in the coming days and weeks. Any information on practical help or items needed to help Jeanne will be shared with the church family.

Prayer Request: Jeanne Bush

2010-09-19T22:32:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Jeanne Bush, whose house burned down today.

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 17, 2010

2010-09-17T16:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Central Family,

What a kick-off we had this past Sunday!

There was a buzz around the building as we began a new series focused on all of us getting connected to one another in true Biblical Community. After each service we had a LifeGroups Ministry Display in the Fellowship Mall of all the different options that we have to choose from to get connected. The big idea is choose a group and get connected! I just spoke with a woman who came in for the Thursday morning women’s LifeGroup, and she said to me “Pastor, there are so many choices I could come every day of the week! This is awesome!” I agree with her; the selections are very exciting, and even more exciting to me is the way that you as a family are responding.

We have tried to simplify everything down to this: choose a group and get connected! So how do you do this?

Well, we have made it very simple; you can even do it online right now.

1. Go to our website, www.worshipatcentral.org

2. Click on the Get Connected button at the top

3. Go to the LifeGroup page

4. Click on “Click Here to Join a LifeGroup”

5. You will then be taken to a page with a full listing of all of the LifeGroups you can choose from

6. Choose a group and sign up on line

You will then be contacted by a LifeGroup Leader with more info.

That is it!

We are asking everyone to please sign up so that we can know how many to expect, have materials prepared, and have everything ready for you to have an awesome experience. We will also be giving you an opportunity to sign up on Sunday during the worship services. Some groups have started and many will be starting on September 26 so you don’t want to be left out. Sign up today!

One more thing: if you have a junior high or senior high student, we are going to be starting LifeGroups for our students that will meet on Sunday morning as well. These are great opportunities for your students to get in-depth discipleship with some great committed leaders. These groups meet at 9:30 on Sunday mornings starting September 26.

So you can see we are all focused in one direction this fall: choose a group and get connected! LifeGroups are the place for us all to grow as we do life together!

I am excited about how God is going to use all of the LifeGroups to help us connect with one another in true Biblical community!

See you Sunday!

Pastor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: September 3, 2010

2010-09-03T09:15:00.000-04:00

Great News!

This Fall is going to be a time of opening our doors to help all of us in need of healing!

Starting Wednesday, September 15

Grief Share

A Grief Recovery Program

7 to 8:30 pm

Divorce Care

Divorce Recovery Program

7 to 8:30 pm

BRAND NEW SUPPORT GROUP starting Thursday September 16

Celebrate Recovery!

A Christian 12-step program to help all of us with hurts, habits, and hangups!

7 to 9 pm

Check out the website www.celebraterecovery.com

Contact Susan Localio at slocalio@cbcnj.org for information on any of these support groups as we all learn to do life together!

Spread the Word! We care!

See you Sunday morning!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: Friday, August 27, 2010

2010-08-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

Hope you are enjoying the last remnants of summer!

The staff has been working very hard in putting together plans for the fall kickoff! It is definitely going to be an exciting time as we emphasize the importance of everyone at Central getting connected in community with one another...more details coming in the weeks to come.

I hope that you will be present this Sunday for one of our worship services!

Speaking of worship services, I want to inform you that as a result of the feedback that we received from our All Church Survey, the Deacons have been working for the past few months on evaluating our worship service time schedule. We have determined that the schedule on Sunday mornings needs to be simplified and shortened so that it can be more effective for those who attend and those who serve in our children’s ministries. We also believe a shortened morning schedule can open up more of an opportunity for adults to attend a Sunday Morning Life Group if they so desire. So, effective Sunday, September 12, we will begin a new Sunday schedule.

The new schedule is as follows:

9:30 - Classic and Crossroads Worship Services, Children's and Student Ministries, Adult Life Groups

11:00 - Currents Contemporary Worship Service, Children's Ministries, Adult Life Groups

This will enable all of us to work on a unified schedule that we believe will be more effective for everyone. Once again, this will take place September 12, so mark it on your calendars!

One last item: We desire to kick off the fall with a special All Church Prayer Event on Wednesday, September 8 at 7 pm. Childcare will be provided with reservations in advance. This will be a special prayer walk designed to focus on the different ministries of our Church. I hope that you will make plans to be with us for this special time of worship and prayer as we focus our dependence on God as we begin a new year of ministry.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: August 13, 2010

2010-08-13T08:58:00.001-04:00

This has been a very exciting summer for our family. We just returned from a week’s vacation and this past week moved into a different home! We are so thankful for the way that God has provided and look forward to being back with you this Sunday and worshipping with you! So I hope that you plan to be present as we continue our SPLASH series! I have heard great things as to how God has used this series to impact many of you!

Speaking of impact, please make sure that you mark down Wednesday, September 8 as we are calling for an All Church Time of Prayer as we lay our plans before the Lord for this new fall ministry season. God has been doing many wonderful things in our midst this summer, and we have lots to praise Him for. We want to also show our dependence on Him as we seek to do His ministry in His way. So please plan to be here for this special all church event. We know that God will be here; will you?

See you Sunday!

Pastor

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: August 6, 2010

2010-08-06T10:17:00.001-04:00

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

We will continue our SPLASH! series this Sunday, you won’t be disappointed! So make plans to be present for one of our three worship services.

Plans are underway for an exciting fall season of ministry! Please save the date of September 8 for a Wednesday evening call to prayer as we show our dependence on our Lord to work in our midst! Child care will be provided. More details to come!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 30, 2010

2010-07-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

SPLASH!

So what do you do when you have a gigantic ship sitting on your stage that is an absolutely phenomenal visual effect? You create a sermon series to go along with it for both the contemporary and classic worship services!

We have created a sermon series for four weeks in August called Splash! Each Sunday, we will be looking at some “water narrative” from Scripture, and our staff preaching team will be examining some powerful lessons from the Word of God that will impact all of us! So make plans to be present for a four-week series that everyone will be talking about for a while!

Get ready to jump in!

Pastor Gay

P.S. Also, while I have your attention, please mark Wednesday, September 8 on your calendar. I am calling for an All Church Time of Prayer as we call upon the Lord in prayer and praise and ask Him to do supernatural things in our midst as we begin a new ministry year! More details to come!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 23, 2010

2010-07-23T19:45:00.001-04:00

Ahoy there, Mateys!

Sorry, High Seas Expedition is still in my blood as I sit to write this! We had a powerful week with over 200 children exploring the Mighty Love of God!

I have just a moment to invite you to services this Sunday!

9:30 Contemporary Service

Jared will be speaking to the subject of how children lead us to God!

9:45 Classic Service

Guest speaker George Vann will be focusing on the love of God!

11:15 Contemporary Service

High Seas Expedition Fantastic Finale

This will feature worship led by the kids, a drama that will wrap up all they learned, and an exciting time to learn about all God did this past week!

Gotta go! Hope you come aboard this Sunday! It will be a fun day of exploring God’s Mighty Love!

Sailor Jack

aka…Pastor Gay

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 16, 2010

2010-07-16T15:45:00.001-04:00

Dear Central Family,

The clock is ticking, and before you know it, this place is going to be abuzz with children, parents, and the whole Kids Camp staff as we set off on a High Seas Expedition!

We are looking forward to seeing what God is going to do next week through our Kids Camp as we seek to share the love of God with these precious kids! I hope you have registered your kids and their friends. Go to www.worshipatcentral.org to sign them up! It is going to be an AWESOME WEEK!

By the way, take some time to check out our new website! The site address has changed to www.worshipatcentral.org Our C3 Creative team has done an outstanding job of putting this together and I know people will be impacted. It is your one place stop for everything you need to know about Central. While you are there, click on the “Like us on Facebook” link so you can keep up with what is happening through Facebook.

This Sunday we will conclude our two-week series on Worship. Jared Alcántara will be bringing the message in the Classic Service at 9:45 and will be speaking on the Heart of Worship. I will be preaching in the Contemporary 9:30 and 11:15 Services and my message is called the Heart of the Artist. We are both looking forward to sharing with you.

Enjoy your day, and I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Pastor

P.S. By the way, if you can help us at the end of the 11:15 service to move some equipment and props for Kids Camp, that would be awesome! Just come on down front and we will put you to work! Let the Journey begin!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: July 2, 2010

2010-07-02T15:59:00.001-04:00

Happy Fourth!

I hope that you and your family are enjoying an extended weekend of fellowship and celebration for the freedom we have in Christ and the ability to express that freedom in this nation!

We WILL meet on July 4 with 2 dynamic services designed to celebrate the freedom that is ours!

9:30 Contemporary Service

I will be speaking as we celebrate what Christ has done for us and what it means to be a citizen of the heavenly kingdom!

9:45 Classic Service

Pastor Gilmer will be speaking as we celebrate the freedoms that God has given us as His followers and will include a special Liberty celebration in music.

*NOTE: There will be NO 11:15 service this Sunday.

I also want you to know that God is answering your prayers as you are praying for our teams in Romania and in North Carolina. Pray for safe return as the Romania team comes back on Sunday and the North Carolina team on Monday. God has worked through your sacrificial giving and prayers! His kingdom has been expanded! Stay tuned for a special Sunday coming up in August for the teams to report on what God has done!

Please also pray for our team of volunteers who will be walking in the Ewing Parade on Monday, July 5. We will be passing out flyers to advertise our upcoming Kids Camp! If you would like to take part, please contact Terri Marshall at terri.marshall@ymail.com.

Well, gotta wrap up some more details so I can go home and fire up the grill!

See you Sunday!

Pastor

P.S. You’re not going to want to miss a new series we start on July 11 on Worship! You might be surprised by what God has in store!

Come Join Us This Wednesday!

2010-06-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday

Prayer Gathering

This Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Fellowship Mall

7:00 pm

Come join us in worship and prayer for the ministries of outreach that God has placed before us through

World Changers, Romania Team, and Kids Camp.

Childcare will be provided.

Hope to see you there!

Central's Pastoral E-Letter: June 25, 2010

2010-06-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

God is at work!

I hope you are seeing God at work in your life on a daily basis! We are certainly seeing it here at Central! I want to praise God for the dynamic worship that we all experienced last weekend! The Spirit of God was at work in powerful ways as we worshipped in spirit and truth. We were also joyfully involved in seeing 9 people get baptized!

We also sent out 32 people to serve the Lord in short-term missions as part of teams in North Carolina and Romania. I hope you are praying for both teams. We are looking forward to what God is going to do through both teams and can’t wait to hear how God worked!

Additionally, we had our largest SHAPE class ever on Monday night, as 18 people showed up to get equipped to use their gifts for the expansion of the kingdom.

Finally, so far you have contributed $2,762.34 to the baby bottle campaign impacting men and women through the crisis pregnancy ministry of Choice One!

This Sunday is going to be a time for us to reflect on the gift of rest and refreshment as we focus on how God delights in refreshing our souls. Pastor Gilmer will be ministering in the 9:30 and 11:15 contemporary services and I will be teaching in the 9:45 classic service. You will want to make sure you are present for one of these services!

Finally, I want to remind all of you of our service schedule on July 4! We will have TWO services on Sunday July 4: the contemporary service at 9:30 and the classic service at 9:45. We will NOT have the 11:15 contemporary service. So please get the word out so that everyone knows of this holiday schedule. We are planning exciting services that will focus on our freedom in Christ and the blessing of our freedom as citizens of the USA! We will have kids programs during both services, but no student ministries or Adult Bible Fellowships.

That does it for now! See you Sunday!

Pastor

P.S. On Wednesday, a woman and her son drove up to the parking lot and stopped in the church. They were drawn in by the boat and the advertisement for Kids Camp! They have never been here before, but are now coming to Kids Camp! And they’re also planning to come and visit this Sunday! What a neat God sighting! Thought you might like to know how God is at work!