CPC 1999 Annual Report:
Congregational Nurture

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This year the Adult Christian Education committee will continue to build on the excellent work done by our outgoing chairman, Mike Goodrich, and the committee upon which he served. We thank you, Mike, and the committee for your excellent work. Attendance at Adult Sunday School reached record levels this year. The Central members and regular attendees have shown a deep desire to learn about Christ and to put the gospel into practice. We praise God for the enthusiasm and interest that each member has shown for Sunday School. Over the next year, Adult Christian Education will prayerfully seek to use our ongoing "community" class format to provide classes that will assist members in carrying out Central's mission to move people towards Christ. In addition, Adult Education will seek to branch into new areas. We hope to build on our Wednesday night fellowships. We are also extremely excited about our inaugural Christian Growth lecture series and we urge you to pray that God will pour out his blessing upon Gilbert Bilezikian and those who attend his lectures. God has done, and is continuing to do, mighty things at Central. If you have not yet joined us for Sunday School or the other Adult Education events, we encourage you to join us. God is doing great things. Don't miss out on the blessings!

1999 was another productive and Christ-guided year for the Congregational Care Committee. Due to a successful vision, the Committee has recommended that a Small Group Task Force become a new committee of Session. The Small Groups continue to grow in strength and numbers as more new members join our church and move into small groups. Greg Meadows has been hired as the Interim Director of College, Young Adult and Small Group ministries to facilitate the continuation of this program. A search committee will be formed to select a permanent director. Central Lights, started in 1998, continues with monthly informative, innovative and interesting programs of education, travel and spiritual growth. Monthly attendance of fifty to eighty is not uncommon. "The Centinel" continues it's every other month update to the congregation and is well received. More information than can be published is received. Congregational Care now has a web page in the Central Presbyterian web site. The new, New Members class format on Sunday afternoon has enabled more time for interaction among the people in the class and the potential of the formation of new small groups. This is working well and we continue to "Move more members toward Christ". Congregational Care thanks all for the support of the past year's efforts and looks forward to 2000 with continual growth in the discipling of the congregation.

Presbyterian Women seeks to build and strengthen a caring community of women at Central as well as to provide a living Christ-Centered presence in PW at the presbytery level. The diverse schedules of our seven circles active in 1999 allowed many women to enjoy prayer, sharing, Bible Study and fellowship on a weekly to monthly basis. We have also nurtured our faith through Central gatherings of PW and our participation in Presbytery-wide PW events. We seek to show Christ's love through support of our missionaries as well as to our local community in a variety of ways. Presbyterian Women provides a place for spiritual growth and encouragement for women of all ages.

The King of Kings is worthy of our praise and worship! The Worship Committee seeks to serve the congregation by making worship a truly meaningful experience for everyone. This committee supports the pastors and 8:30 Worship Team Council in exploring new and effective methods of worship. We are involved in seasonal theme development, exploring ways to use our youth in worship, and introducing new worship elements. Recently, we sponsored the Feast of Tabernacles - a celebration which connected us to our Jewish roots and enabled us to have a new worship experience. Some ongoing responsibilities include: overseeing the music ministries, assisting in the maintenance of the sanctuary sound system, and supervising the radio tape ministry.

The DIACONATE is called to serve the congregation with love and compassion and to provide practical assistance when possible. In a congregation of this size, the board of 15 deacons is deeply grateful for the countless loving deeds performed by other members and friends of Central throughout the year. Deacons visit the hospitalized and homebound and maintain contact with our elderly and shut-in members through phone calls and visits. The Diaconate provides a reception or luncheon following a funeral, offers simple home repairs for our elderly or infirm, delivers homemade meals and arranges transportation for medical appointments. We also prepare the communion elements, recruit Sunday morning greeters, supervise the coffee hospitality time and sponsor the Love Loaf Campaign. Medical equipment may be borrowed from our Deacons' Closet.

"Central Lights" is a community of Seniors, men and women of Central Presbyterian Church, committed to Jesus Christ and called to the ministry of outreach to fellow Seniors through fellowship, education, entertainment, caring and service. In 1999, just our second year of activity, we have gathered on the second Monday of each month to celebrate many entertaining and provocative programs, either at Central Church for lunch or dinner or up and away for adventures by bus. Programs have varied from "Meeting Mark Twain" to our "Ants in Your Pants" picnic. We traveled to Washington D.C. to enjoy lunch and a boat trip down the Potomac, and dressed up for a delicious High Tea in the Spring. We learned about roses, safety from "scams" that prey on Seniors, how to be "heart healthy" from a cardiologist while singing Valentine love songs and clapped for the amazing living puppets that told us the story of Esther. Each month we have found inspiration and spiritual support from the brief but thoughtful devotions brought by a variety of our members. If you are among the "Chronologically Gifted" (55 years or older), we need your input! Make a reservation to join us next month. Invite a friend. God can use your talents in this ministry of fellowship, as we reach out, Beyond These Walls, to share the joy of life in Jesus Christ.

Our God is an awesome God, and he reigns! It is so necessary to remind ourselves of His sovereignty in the midst of the pain and difficulties of life. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. This is a truth we in the Paraclete Ministry stress to those we see who are struggling in the midst of the storms of depression, loneliness, family stress, job and health loss, and spiritual dryness. This year we have ministered in a variety of ways: through the Stephen Ministry, which has served over 37 people one-on-one and which will soon be adding three wonderful women of God as Stephen ministers - Sandy Finch, Mary Burkey, and Ava Parran; through the Mothers' Group (formally Hannah's Circle), a young mother's support group of 10 - 15 that meets weekly to praise God, study His Word, and surround one another in prayer as we seek to minister to our children; the Weigh Down Workshop, which biblically teaches us to turn to God for our dependence and true hunger; and Marriage Mentoring, wherein trained couples come alongside other couples who are just beginning the journey of marriage or who want to make their good marriage better. Our prayer for you is that you will join with us in ministering to the people of this congregation and beyond as we seek to be true caregivers and "move others toward Christ."

Christian Education at Central is more than just the exciting expansion of our Children's Ministries. It is the continuing development of diverse and challenging Adult Education opportunities that include both elective and ongoing classes which are even now out-growing the new spaces. Additionally, the Audio/Visual Committee repairs and maintains the equipment necessary for classrooms and worship, but it is also responsible for selection and purchase of new equipment as needed. The Library at Central consists of an adult collection of books, videos and tapes located beneath the Sanctuary in room #116. There is an office and workroom with its own computer, given in memory of David Swift by his family, for cataloging and processing all the collections. The children's books, videos and tapes have been combined with the Community Kids Christian Library (CKCC) that is located in room #115. The CKCL has its own reading space with children-size chairs. Both collections have been increased significantly because of generous donations and purchases. This year, we expect to expand the collection to include a substantial Audio Cassette Section. Work is progressing on the automation of the library and soon we hope to add computers in each library to aid in the search for materials.