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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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