We want to let you know that Jorge Salazar has stepped down from his elder role at Central because he has taken a lead pastor role at Arnold Community Church. We will sincerely miss him as his spiritual gifts and his knowledge of the Word were a great benefit to the elder team. We wish him and his family all the best in this new role.
This summer season of church ministry was full. Many kids camps were held between all the campuses. The Chilliwack Campus hosted the Let There Be Light fundraiser. As a church, we celebrated baptisms at Harrison in August. There were 37 people baptized and an entire beach packed full of supporters. We had 13 individuals become ministry partners in addition to those who were baptized. We kicked off the the new ministry year with 24 hours of prayer and the Grade One kids bible presentations the following Sunday.
Part of our discussion last week was about the value and purpose behind our church’s processes for both baptism and ministry partnership. It is our desire that every ministry partner understands that both accountability and church discipline are a necessary part of partnership and are used to build church unity, protect against sin, and encourage us all toward Christ-likeness. Mathew 18 lays out the process for how a church is meant to deal with ongoing, intentional, unrepentant sin in someone’s life. After many months and lots of prayers and petitions to repent we have found ourselves at the final step of this process and have had to remove someone from ministry partnership. Please pray for those entangled in sin and us as elders as we work through the process of church discipline.
We are seeing growth in attendance at all campuses and also in both kids ministry and youth ministry. People are growing in their understanding of the Word and going deeper in their relationship with Christ. Last Sunday, we launched a third service at our Chilliwack Campus which begins at 5:15, with dinner beforehand at 4:30. The mission of this service is the same as is always has been: to make disciples and reach the eastern Fraser Valley with the gospel. Our prayer is that the third service will do just that, by making more room during the two morning services and providing a convenient time for those who don’t normally go to church.
Later this month, the Elders will be having a mini retreat. The goal is to take some extra time together for prayer, discussion, and to build team unity.
We look forward to continue to serve you as elders and are excited about what God has for us in this next season of ministry.
On behalf of the Elders,
DJ Hiebert
- On behalf of the Elders at Central Community
Finance Update
The Elders evaluated the year to date finances of the church to the end of August. It is clear that faithful giving to the ministries of Central, and our commitment to our vision, continues to be strong with overall giving up 10% over the previous year. As is our traditional pattern at this time of year, currently giving lags behind expenses. In keeping with previous years, this pattern continues in 2024. A host of dynamic ministry events and activities have had an impact on our budget as a whole and we are currently experiencing a shortfall of income to expenses of $272,770. It was note that the majority of our ministry expenditures are well below budget, and that expenses associated with Let There Be Light, and the need to replace the windows in our Lake Errock campus make up a significant part of this deficit. Giving to the benevolent fund continues to be strong with needs in the community and church being met in practical and effective ways.
As we move into the final quarter of the year, the Elders encourage you to consider your part in helping us achieve our collective goal of seeing the entire eastern Fraser Valley transformed by the Gospel. As ministries kick off so too does our commitment to provide the resources necessary to see them thrive and make an impact. The Elders are grateful for your sacrificial support with your time, gifts, and giving.
Thank you for your faithful investment into the Kingdom work of Central.
ELDER'S PRAYER
We believe in the power of prayer. We value prayer. And we believe that God answers prayer and uses it as a means of achieving His purposes in the church and world.
Central's Elders invite you to come and receive prayer in the Chilliwack Campus Sanctuary.
Tuesday, October 15 | 6.30PM - 7.00PM
Chilliwack Campus | 46100 Chilliwack Central Road
You can also submit prayer requests using the link below.
Got questions or words of encouragement? We'd love to hear from you!
Please contact The Elders - elders@centralcommunity.ca