Worship includes the largest and most strategic new ministry to be undertaken this year, the third service (EPIC). This service is a major expansion of our outreach to the college and post college ages, which are highly under represented in our congregation today.

The addition of the EPIC service and the offering of a 10AM service will relieve the crowding at the early service, opening growth opportunities in all services. Central's music program will also be expanded to support this change.

Continuing to grow and sustain our outreach, the 2001 budget for missions and social action provides for both new ministries and increased support for most existing ministries. True to our mission statement, we are sending three members to the mission field, Chris and Kay Smoes to Cameroon, and Mike Frantz to students at various music schools and conservatories. New missions causes to be supported are the Rural Presbyterian Church of India, a church planting movement among the untouchables, and an initiative to network churches and missions working among the (deleted-group-name) mission programs. New social action ministries to be supported are Shepherd's Clinic and Woodberry Crossings.

Middle school and high school student ministries began the year with significant new growth. A third of the sixty-four middle schoolers participating in a lock-in were from non-Central families! Bill Pitts, our new Director of Student Ministries, plans to grow our outreach to students beyond Central, while continuing to serve the growing number of students flowing out of Central's excellent Children's Ministries.

Sharing its excellence, Children's Ministries has reached out to both the local community and Seventh Baptist Church through its VEBS summer program, and will continue to do similar efforts this year. Like other parts of our ministry, Children's Ministries will expand significantly to support the third service. In addition, it is continuing to grow the M&M Kids Club and Second Sunday for the World, special programs which educate the children on serving the Lord throughout His world. Enrollment in Central's year old Preschool is growing rapidly, bringing new families to Central, and is expected to break even financially by the end of the year.

To support our greater outreach, we must be prepared to support those whom God calls to our faith community. This requires greater investment in our staff, the expansion and strengthening of existing initiatives like small groups, and the development of a planned program to assimilate and mobilize new members. Also to support the new service, we will provide additional child care, and funds for hospitality and fellowship.

To support Central's growing programs, and to handle its multiple new outreaches, we must heat, light, clean and maintain our large facilities seven days a week and fourteen hours most days. The higher cost of energy and the cost of maintaining multiple complex systems are also driving up this expense.

To keep the increase in the budget in the reasonable range, Central's debt service is being covered by the surplus from 2000. Praise the Lord!

This provides for office staff, telephone service, postage, copy machine and other administrative costs necessary to support the above growing ministries. Good management and faithful volunteers help to keep the growth in this area down. The need to communicate about our many ministries drives the expenses in this area. The new "News and Views" weekly newsletter is an effort to cost effectively improve our communications over the multiple pages of bulletin inserts used in the past.