Our last elder meeting of the year began with a bit of a twist. We had the pleasure of being joined by Central’s deacons for our time of a prayer and got to hear a bit about their ministry within our church. We were joined by Mike Harrison, Laura Belyea, and Martha Bishop. What an encouragement to hear how they are seeing God move in His church as they serve so faithfully. Mike serves our North Fraser campuses in many ways, from overseeing our audio ministry at our campuses North of the Fraser, to fixing the facilities during the week, and serving with his family as part of the core team in Lake Errock. Laura coordinates and oversees our count team and is a first-hand witness to the generosity of this church. She is thankful to have a great team of committed volunteers around her. Martha is a beacon of prayer and care at the Agassiz campus, coming alongside and discipling many people there. Please lift these servant-hearted folks in prayer; pray that God may fill them up even as they pour themselves out for others. There are also five others in the deacon discernment process; please pray for them as well as they discern God’s calling at this time.
Speaking of God’s calling, earlier this month, eight people accepted God’s call on their life and were baptized! We embraced fourteen individuals into ministry partnership as well. It is such a joy to see people take this step of obedience. Please lift them up in your prayers as they continue on this path of following Christ.
Pastor Matt gave a ministry update, and a major highlight of that was the incredible number of people consistently attending our Harrison campus since its launch this Fall. We praise God for a committed core team there that appears to be thriving! The comedy night held there earlier this month was also a success and saw even more community members come. Barriers are being broken, praise God for his faithfulness there! In-roads are also being made in the community at Lake Errock, slowly but surely.
While we are excited by the work God is doing north of the Fraser, we have also come up against the reality owning and maintaining two facilities there. Last year’s floods wreaked havoc on the Lake Errock building, requiring significant repairs. The Harrison campus has also undergone much-needed maintenance in the past year and both campuses still require some TLC. The cost of repairs and necessary maintenance has caused some financial stress, and the elders have been discussing solutions at length over the past few meetings.
As we approach Christmas, our advent theme this year has been “Five weeks of Giving.” By Grace, God has given us so much, foremost of which is the gift of his very own Son, Jesus. We bear witness to the generosity of our Lord by in turn being generous to others, and Central, we commend you in this! Hundreds of Backpacks of Hope have been gathered across all our campuses to be distributed to students and families in need in our campus neighbourhoods. 59 children were sponsored and released from poverty in Jesus’ Name, meaning that we have sponsored roughly 400 children as a congregation over the years of this partner ministry. This past Sunday we exceeded our goal of raising $5000 for Christ City Church planting in Surrey in 2023. Thank you Central for your generous giving!
We received some feedback regarding the fact that there is no service on Christmas Day (Dec 25), as it falls on a Sunday this year, and the day after our practice of engaging our church and communities with meaningful Christmas Eve services. We discussed the matter again at length, and re-affirmed the decision to have our services on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). We look forward to gathering and celebrating the birth of our Saviour this Christmas Eve with you all!
Merry Christmas Central!
Justin Vugteveen
- On behalf of the Elders at Central Community
Finance Update
The Elders continue to celebrate the faithfulness of the Central congregation. Your faithfulness to the mission and vision of the church honours God and allows us to reach the Eastern Fraser Valley. It was noted that year to date giving to the end of November took a dip when compared with the previous year. Even so donations are 7% above 2021. While our shortfall of income to budget increased again for November, it was noted that capital expenditures associated with preparing the Harrison Campus for ministry, the renovation of the Lake Errock Campus after the flood, and capital costs for the Chilliwack Campus accounts for $225,000. With the support of the Stewardship Team, the budget for 2023 was received and approved for presentation to the congregation at the AGM. This budget will include lines for capital costs in all campuses and a provision for campus expansion that will accumulate until needed.
As the 2022 giving year comes to an end, the Elders encourage you to consider how the Lord would have you contribute to His work. Tax receiptable donations can be given up to midnight December 31 for the 2022 tax year. The Elders are grateful for your partnership in ministry and strive to steward the resources to God’s glory.
| Please note our office hours between Christmas and New Years | |
| Monday, December 26 | CLOSED |
| Tuesday, December 27 | CLOSED |
| Wednesday, December 28 | 9.00am - 3.30pm |
| Thursday, December 29 | 9.00am - 3.30pm |
| Friday, December 30 | 9.00am - 3.30pm |
RECEIVE PRAYER FROM THE ELDERS
Our Elders have such a heart for the family of Central. Whatever burden you are carrying, the Elders count it a privilege to lift you up in prayer. You're invited to come receive prayer from them before each monthly Elder's meeting.
Tuesday, January 17 | 6.30pm - 7.00pm
Chilliwack Campus | 46100 Chilliwack Central Road
Got questions or words of encouragement? We'd love to hear from you!
Please contact The Elders - elders@centralcommunity.ca