January 12, 2023

Dear Central Church Family, 

How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along? I don’t know if you practice resolutions or not, but the turning of the calendar from one year to the next always feels like a “reset” for me. It's a season for making new commitments and resolving to do things differently. 

This year I committed to read the Bible through in a year. I’ve done that before, but I wanted to revisit that practice and take time each day to meditate and digest God’s Word. This is my fourth time to undertake reading the Bible in a year and I’ll be honest: I usually get off track some time in March when my OT reading gets bogged down in 2 Chronicles. The list of exiles returning to Jerusalem is where Bible reading plans go to die. 

Maybe this year will be different…maybe not.  

I’m thankful, however, that the one thing that remains constant is God’s grace in our lives. God’s grace is there to forgive and restore. Our human striving will never be enough to become the people God has called us to be. We need God’s grace. 

Not only does God forgive in salvation, he gives his power through the Holy Spirit in the grace of sanctification. He enables us to do what we could never do on our own strength: live like Jesus. 

This is good news for people who make New Year’s resolutions they’ll never be able to keep. The call to become like Jesus is an endeavor that God makes possible through the empowering presence of his Holy Spirit. My prayer for you is that in 2023 would experience this power like you never have before. I may or may not complete my Bible reading plan in 12 months, but I know I will become like Jesus because of God’s Holy Spirit at work within me. 

I hope you’ll join us Sunday as Pastor Julie Stevens leads us in an exploration of this truth. As she tells the story of Jesus’s victory of temptation in Matthew 4, we’ll see how God’s Holy Spirit is all we need to overcome temptation and become more like Jesus. 

It’s Our Turn Update 

This past Sunday I shared some good news with you about the It’s Our Turn campaign. In February 2022, we stepped out in faith and committed $1,221,290 over and above our regular giving. A lot has happened in the last 12+ months, but we have been faithful to give as $810,660 has been received toward this project. 

The campaign focused on the remodeling of the main sanctuary, but during the interim period without a lead pastor our board made the decision to prioritize the Lower Sanctuary. This reflects our commitment to our multicultural congregations and our youth ministry. 

The Lower Sanctuary is scheduled to be completed this month. Our students will begin meeting there on Wednesday nights and our Hispanic and Brazilian ministries will have their first worship services there as well. A dedication of this space is planned for Sunday, February 5 at 5pm. 

I’m pleased to report that the total estimated cost for the remodeled Lower Sanctuary is $395,000 and was fully funded thanks to your generosity! 

These are exciting days to be a part of Central Church. In the weeks ahead, I will be working with our board to discern next steps for the remodeling of the main sanctuary. For years to come, we believe God has called us to gather in this place, worship Him, proclaim His Word, and introduce people to Jesus. 

Our leadership team is moving the Upper Sanctuary project forward. The first step in this process is time for me to work with these leaders to evaluate the goals of the project and ensure that the scope of the project is as big as we believe God's vision is for our church to be. I think the biggest mistake we could make in this process is dreaming of only what WE can do. This is OUR turn to dream of what only GOD can do. 

Please join us in praying for God’s will to be done in this project! 

Until He’s Finished, 

Pastor Mark