November 2, 2023

Dear Central Church,

Last Sunday our pastoral staff was honored for clergy appreciation month. On behalf of our entire team, I want to say thank you for this generous expression of love and support. We feel encouraged and count it a blessing to serve this congregation. Thank you for being such an easy church to love!!

Today, a team of 20+ volunteers unloaded 700 chairs for the new sanctuary. We currently have 500+ set up, and they look great! Pastor Chad and his team moved the piano onto the platform, along with several other instruments, music stands, and choir risers. It’s really shaping up to be a beautiful house of worship.

The upper atrium, welcome center, and coffee shop are all ready to go as well. I did something today I had never done before as a pastor: a coffee tasting to decide what the official “Central Church House Brew” will be. I think you’re going to like it, but more importantly, your coffee-drinking coworker who doesn’t know Jesus will like it too! You should invite them to Central!

This Sunday will be our last time to worship in the Student Center, and it’s going to be a great day of worship. Our missionaries, Angel and Krista Sigui, will be sharing about their work in Ecuador.

I’ll continue the Soulshift sermon series from Mark 10:35-45 as we look at the shift from “Me to We.” That’s important as we think about doing ministry in this newly remodeled space. There are certainly things about the new space we’ll enjoy, but we didn’t invest in these changes for us. We did so for others! We wanted a space where those curious about Jesus might encounter a people of passionate worship and be easily welcomed into this life-giving community known as Central Church! That’s exactly what God has given us, and I’m excited to see how God is going to use it in the days ahead!

All glory to Him!

Until He’s Finished,

Pastor Mark