Another Easter has come and gone. While it may seem like folly to some, the words of 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” are the words that give us, as believers, hope and encouragement in our faith. It was also a great time to invite those who haven’t heard or believe the good news of the Gospel of Jesus to church to learn about our loving God and what He did for us.
And this year, many people were able to hear that message. In fact, Easter Sunday saw the largest Easter gathering ever at Central as nearly 1,650 people attended services across the 5 campuses. With a vision to see the Eastern Fraser Valley transformed by the gospel, we were so encouraged to hear that so many people were able to hear the message. In addition, 925 people attended the Good Friday services held at 3 of the campuses, 2 south and 1 north of the Fraser River.
Easter was also a time of celebration as 3 people took another step in their faith journeys and were baptized, and 22 became ministry partners. It is such an encouragement and joy to hear the stories of lives transformed by Jesus.
Our meeting this past month began in the same way most Elders Meetings do as we spent time praying for the church, praying for one another, and praying with those from the congregation who needed prayer and came and joined us. We continue to invite our people to come and let us share in your times of grief, sorrow, pain, and even joy and thanksgiving. It’s a blessing to be able to serve in this way. We also spent time as a group discussing an article by Timothy Keller called The Missional Church. It was a good way to dialogue about our focus on the mission of Central and evaluate our effectiveness as a Great Commission as we began the evening.
Ministries are in many various stages in the church right now. We think of the youth ministry this Spring in a final push before transitioning to some summer events, the women’s ministry which has been going for several weeks, and the men’s ministry which is just starting up another season again. We discussed each of these as well as the opportunities and plans the pastors are already discerning for the fall.
We want to thank everyone for praying throughout the Elder Discernment process and ask for continued prayer as the process continues and is winding down. We are looking forward to what God may have in store as far as adding to this team of godly men in the future. Please also continue to be in prayer for each of the pastors as they continue in the calling to serve God at Central.
Tyler Schulz
- On behalf of the Elders at Central Community
Finance Update
This month the Elders received word that Central’s overall financial picture is tracking with our historical norms. Giving to the mission of the church is slightly ahead of the same period last year and ministry expenses are being monitored closely with most being well below budgeted targets. Our ongoing expenses to cover operations and ministry at our five campuses continues to place us in a shortfall when comparing income to expenses. This shortfall of $109,032 is in pace with expenses to income numbers for the same period last year.
The Elders celebrate the faithfulness of God’s people as we collectively invest in the mission and vision to reach the Eastern Fraser Valley with the gospel. Beginning this month, quarterly financial updates will be presented to our campuses with the goal of providing meaningful information to achieve our collective budget. The Elders encourage you to consider how you might participate in God’s mission through giving.
Got questions or words of encouragement? We'd love to hear from you!
Please contact The Elders - elders@centralcommunity.ca