March 23, 2023

Dear Central Church, 

I became a fan of Star Trek not by choice, but by default. Let me explain: I grew up in the Low Country of South Carolina, an area known for farming. My house was along a dirt road in a little community called Cordova, and it sat next to a large farm that grew soybeans, corn, tobacco, and cotton. 

Needless to say, our home was well beyond the reaches of the local cable TV provider. We had an antenna affixed to the chimney of our home that pulled in 3 stations: PBS, CBS, and Univision. The CBS affiliate aired Star Trek: The Next Generation in the early afternoon and late evening. My choice was to watch Jean Luc Picard save the galaxy or follow the sordid affairs of María la del Barrio. By default, I became a “trekkie.”

The captain of the Enterprise famously instructed his helmsman to lay in a course and would give the command to, “Engage!” With the press of a button, the starship would leap into warp speeds and carry the crew to its next mission. 

As followers of Jesus, we are similarly commanded to engage our world with the Gospel. It’s a message of forgiveness for those who feel shame, of liberation for those in bondage, and of hope for those who are alone. 

This Saturday, Pastor Julie and our NMI council are leading an event called “Engage Day.” We are intentionally going outside the walls of our church and serving with others to let our community know how much they are loved by God and by Central Church. Would you pray for Engage Day? Would you ask God to bless these efforts to bless our friends and neighbors? 

My prayer is that God would use this bi-annual event to remind us that our call to engage our world is 24/7. It’s not something we do one or two times a year. Engaging people with the life-transforming message of Jesus is something we’re called to do every day of our lives. What does that look like for you? How do you need to order your time, talent, and treasure so that you are consistently engaging our world with the good news of Jesus Christ? 

As a congregation, let’s be intentional about ordering our life in such a way that we are constantly in a position to be used by God to bring someone closer to Him. Let’s engage our world and through the power of the Spirit, “boldly go where no one has gone before!”    

Give me Five 

Speaking of engagement…Who do you know that you could invite to Easter services at Central? 

This Sunday, we’ll be providing you with invite cards that have all our Easter details on them. Who among your family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers can you invite to church on Resurrection Sunday? I’m challenging everyone to invite 5 people. 

Let this sink in: If everyone at Central invited 5 people and only 5% of those actually accepted the invitation, that would be 175 people who would hear the Gospel on Easter Sunday! 

This good news is TOO good to keep to ourselves. Let’s share it with others! 

Until He’s Finished, 

Pastor Mark