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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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 7, 2011

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

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 friend on Facebook                                 |                     forward to a friend Support our work with Norwegian kids:  Please visit  giving.younglife.org   Give to : "NORWAY X287"  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

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

 

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

 

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