Gordon

I’m pleased with the content of your goals as well as your sharing them with us. I encourage you to seek the best balance between your work/personal time. Being available 24/7 for pastoral emergencies is trying for you and your family. Please provide ample time and energy for your family; we will all be better for the strength that will provide you.

Bob

I used to keep track of every visitor to Central and make sure they were reported to the session. The last I heard, we have about 225 visitors a year at Central. Think of what may happen if we could get 50% of them involved. Most of them want to be treated like we find Jesus treating others. They especially like it when their children are treated as Jesus treated children. I think this practice is the most useful practice I have developed and I pray that it may be useful in our Church.

I think the visioning you, Jeff and the Session of Central is doing is a healthy process to go through. Change can be a difficult process to go through. It can be a very exciting time as well – to see where and what God has in store for the people of Central.

The ‘Changing Hearts’ and ‘Connections’ theme is an excellent theme for the congregation. People yearn for relationships, and they seek out experiences that will transform them. I believe that Central has a strategic place and location for Greater Lafayette ministry. Not to be too bold, but I can see the ministry spreading out through downtown Lafayette, and into the surrounding Lafayette communities. Much like spokes on a bicycle wheel, the connections shoot out from the building. That’s the mission of the church, not just a building based ministry, but a community based ministry.

Friends (whomever reads these posts besides Bill) enjoy this wonderful adventure and opportunity for Central Presbyterian Church. I never would have guessed that this is where Central would have been when I was a teen/college student…

Peace to all!

I think the church would grow a lot faster if the congregation were invited to participate. I know we had a chance to input before and I did. But I do not think that is enough.

Henri Nouwen

Criticizing is easy, owning that criticism is much harder.

We are not called to be uncritical. We are called to real love and real friendship with the people God has given us to love – and that certainly includes the people in our chosen community of faith. To be critical can be an act of real love and real friendship. To own your criticism of others is to claim your own sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction. Criticism expressed out of real love and real friendship opens the way for addressing and possibly healing that disappointment and dissatisfaction. If we don’t own our criticisms, if we simply hurl them outward, they are nothing more than mean-spirited attacks. They serve no purpose other than to wound who ever we believe has “let us down.”

In failing to own our criticisms, in using criticism in a mean-spirited attack, we also wound ourselves. We make it just that much harder for us to experience real love and real friendship on the level that we are called to as professed followers of God.

I greatly appreciate how you have kept us posted on the time and attention by the task force so that we know that the questionnaires we filled out are getting a responce.

Is there a way to use the word “spirit” in our slogan? I like the possibility of the play on the word suggesting our own spiritual development and the Holy Spirit working through us. The spirit to change the world? Just a thought.

The power, the awe, and the love of our Lord was so apparent, both evenings.

(Kudos to the Nominating Committee!)

All through nature God has given plants and animals the ablility to shed their fromer skins and become something new and wonderful. Why shouldn’t we?

I wonder what we’ll find underneath it all. Imagine a Central that reaches out to help ALL people, no matter who.

There is a jewel in the making. Let us follw Christ and see where He leads us. I am looking forward to the trip.

Being a giver is easier. how fortunate WE are.

“Blessed to be a blessing” may be harder or easier than we think.

What a great idea forwarding the finanials quarterly via e-mail, that will save us much in postage and also get the same info out more quickly. I wonder how many of us have a computer but seldom use it, and do NOT use our e-mail function? Maybe a note in the bulletin urging all to make an e-mail address available would further the effectiveness. I am greatly pleased with many of our recent efforts to update functions and Bill, YOU are the one who has pushed these developments along. A BIG WELL DONE, to you! Blessings.

Check out this podcast: Facebook for Churches
http://geeksandgod.com/episode113

Sara Stallings, thanks for having the vision to see that we can be a part of a Christian response to a hurting world.

Jim, the verse that comes to mind to me is 1 John 3:-17-18:

“If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.”

2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house. 3 Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 4 Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.

I, too, appreciate all of the work that has been done by the Trustees and others in preparation of Family Promise. (With regards to the Trustees, I see this as a continuation of a lot of great work that has been done by the Trustees since the capital campaign.) Sarah Stallings deserves special mention for bringing Family Promise to the attention of Session.

For Central I think John 13:35 (NLT) is apropos:

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are disciples.”

What other Bible verses come to mind?

I am sorry to hear of the loss you and your childhood friends are enduring. When you have had some time to put between you and this loss perhaps you can explain why on the one hand you say there is probably little anyone could have done to help her and on the other hand encourage us to reach out to someone, more as I would expect?

I had the good fortune this morning to be unexpectedly awakened by a friend at the door who was concerned because she’d expected to see me and when I didn’t answer my cell number (it was off as I was sleeping in) she drove out here to see if I was alright. None of us are as alone as we think, or have as little impact on the human community as we might.

(In case you have no idea who I am, I am the uppity woman who wore the Horton t-shirt to the fourth Sunday of the Seuss series this summer, 11:00 services so far.)

God’s Peace,
Paula W.

Thanks again for reminding me!!

Since regularly attending another local church since June, I now understand evangelism is an attitude of joy at the prospect of bringing Christ to someone who doesn’t know him. It’s the constant reminder that we have to behave in ways that present Christians in the best light. Always keeping Christ’s example of forgivenss and repeated grace as the model for our own behavior. It’s believing that every member is a minister.

I agree with you Wes, that it’s hard to evangelize if it’s not part of the culture of the church. I’ve learned over the last few months that there has to be many, many evangelism opportunities for those of us who are never going to go door to door to do it. Things like a free community picnic with fabulous food, pony rides, elephant ears, hayrides, and a well known Christian rock brought over 1000 guests– from a congregation of less than 500. Things like “Board Game” nights in the Wifi equipped coffee cafe entice many who don’t attend the church… but may one day. Things like a womens’ gourmet dinner prepared and served by the men with a focus on womens’ issues are easy things to invite a friend to share. That’s how evangelism starts.

I see that if there’s an expectation of evangelism, people just naturally make things happen to support it. I don’t mean spending hours discussing the type of music, the color of paint and who will clean up. I mean deciding to do something and just doing it. Even if it has to modified along the way. We loose so many opportunities waiting for it to be perfect.

I can’t belive I’m saying this, but evangelizing is easy—when many are. Being surrounded by an attitude of evangelism and shared behaviors has made me want to contribute to the effort. I feel good when I bring a friend to one of the many opportunities. I feel engaged when I help with activities designed specifically for evangelism, not for the needs of those of us already in the club.

I’ll never forget Ruth Moran saying at the outset of the contemporay service, “It’s not for me, but I will support it as a ministry of this church.”

Central is a very special place filled with amazing people. If they, as a body, decide that evangelism is a focus they will embrace it and be successful. But it will take many people being willing and ready to change some very entrenched ideas, attitudes and behaviors that have their roots in their parents and grandparents’ experiences. It will take many Ruth Morans!

Are people within the church not equipped? Are they not motivated? What feeds, energizes and excites spreading of the Word?

There’s much activity and “doing” and bustling about at Central but I have observed little teaching or preaching Scripture in past months as instruction or preparatory work or encouragement to study and meditate on God’s Word. [Jeff, what you have done and are doing for us is very meaningful.] While activity is certainly an important component, what is the purpose behind it? Is it to simply take care of physical and emotional needs, or are there long-term commitments and follow-up to care for the spiritual health of individuals whom we serve? That is the Great Commission’s intent—to serve people’s needs, guide them to knowing the Person of Jesus Christ and having the staying power to disciple. Complacency is the doom of any organization, group or individual. Too many are satisfied to hunker down in the status quo. When complacency enters our Christian life, then we are susceptible to many things which God did not intend for us and which are harmful. It affects others.

Through the adult discipleship team we have strived very diligently to offer more Bible studies—learning what the Bible, as the inspired Word of God, says to us. One might be surprised at the resistance of Bible study in a Christian church. Many prefer balancing Bible studies with other areas of interest such as arts & music, current events and the like. Central is a church—it should be a feeding station. Having opportunities to delve into scripture—really study it—should be paramount. As long-time or new Christians we can never be instructed too much from the Scriptures and it would be appropriate to have sermons coming from it. Sola scriptura.

I am reminded of Romans 10:14-17: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message (preached), and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 states “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Sola scriptura.

Although she was thankfully nowhere near the epicenter, (her teaching assignment was hundreds of miles away on the eastern coast), over the next few days, Gary and I began to hear from friends far and near, some “just checking in” after years of being on the Christmas card list, some close by who picked up the phone to make sure that Sara was indeed safe. (Thank you, Jeff Cover!)

The feeling of being a part of God’s larger community was very moving–people we had not thought of for years called or e-mailed, telling us they were praying for Sara and for the people of China.

It was a reminder to us that God’s people are always his people, wherever they (or we) may be. We were surrounded by a sense of peace and the knowledge that people all over the world were connected, praying for our daughter.

We both felt linked to something much larger than us and I felt a tiny, tiny glimpse of how big our God truly is.

Sara

Stories are important for us to share. We all come from different places, but our stories all interconnect. I imagine a wheel on a bicycle, coming out from a variety of places, and connecting at one central point, which metaphorically I would say is Jesus Christ. I think (again, metaphorically speaking) the outer rim that holds us all together is God, the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.

C’mon folks…keep the stories coming!

Jim