And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words.
LUKE 24:5-8
This past week, we were able to remember these words and reflect on the gatherings at Central’s campuses across the Fraser Valley where the good news of Easter could be shared with so many. Following two long years of varying restrictions, the beginning of April brought with it the all-clear for Central to meet once again unhindered and at full capacity. Attendance for Easter services reached over 1,200 across our campuses, and even saw over 150 people turnout in Harrison for an Easter Egg Hunt outreach to the community. So many were able to hear, many for the first time, of the Love of God, the sacrifice Jesus made for each and every one of us, and how He has overcome the power of death.
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As we continue preparations for the Fall launch of the Harrison campus, we have been blown away by the outpouring of financial support in helping to establish the lone church in that community. While our conference continues its commitment to help with certain operating expenses, Northview Community Church in Abbotsford recently put together a building rehabilitation fundraiser and was blessed to be able to provide Central with $300,000 towards getting the church building ready for ministry for decades to come! What an amazing act of generosity and testimony to the much greater potential of God’s unified Church beyond what any individual church can accomplish alone.
Monday, April 25 marked a final Harrison Insight Night at the Harrison campus as we now transition to investing in the core team that will plant the Harrison campus and participate striving to fulfill its vision in the Eastern Fraser Valley.
This past Elder’s meeting was special as we were able to welcome several candidates who have emerged from the Elder nomination process to a time of sharing, questions and answers, and prayer together. We are thankful both to the congregation for the nominations and to the individuals who are seeking in earnest whether God is calling them into this role. Please be in prayer for the discernment team and each of the candidates as they continue navigating through this process.
The trend of the past several months continued, and many people were able to join the Elders to pray with and to be prayed for prior to the meeting. This is a special time for the Elders to connect with the congregation and we are glad so many are taking the time to do so as we appreciate hearing from you and praying for you.
In closing, please continue to be in prayer for our Lake Errock campus as renovations continue following the damages incurred by the flood. Though again, an item of praise regarding this, as a small group of churches came together to send a financial contribution to assist us in covering the costs. This is further evidence of what God’s Church can accomplish through the cheerful giving of its saints (2 Cor. 8:1-7).
God bless,
Tyler Schulz
- On behalf of the Elders at Central Community
FINANCE UPDATE
As Central gears up to launch Harrison and continues to remediate the damage caused by the November flood in Lake Errock, the Elders noted that giving is strong this year even as expense are mounting. The Elders are grateful for the faithfulness of God’s people in their support of our vision to reach the Eastern Fraser Valley with the Gospel. Expenses are up too as we continue to outfit the Harrison building and address ongoing maintenance challenges across the campuses. Expenses related to ministries are in check and in keeping with patterns for previous years.