The Centinel - November 99, Issue 9

---

Central Calls New Music Director

The Music Search Committee is thrilled to announce that we have hired a new Director of Music Ministries, Alida Oosthuizen. As we mentioned in the last Centinel, we hired Tom Brantigan to direct the Chancel Choir and were looking for someone skilled in contemporary music, but who could also play the organ and accompany the Choir. We had wondered just how difficult it might be to find such a person, but nothing is difficult for our Lord, and God quickly directed us to someone who surpasses our desires!

Alida was trained as a classical organist with a performance degree in organ from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. For the last several years, however, Alida has been leading praise and worship music in a variety of settings. She has served as a worship leader for Methodist, Presbyterian, and Dutch Reformed churches in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and for NetMinistries, a South African church based on the Willow Creek model. She has extensive experience working with youth and children in camp, school and church settings.

As a special gift to missions-minded Central, Alida has a heart for missions and city ministries. She has lead music for short-term missions outreach projects and developed a coffeehouse ministry in inner-city Pretoria. Perhaps one of her more unique experiences is a choir she started with some of the street children of Pretoria.

Alida spent four days with us in September during which time she accompanied the choir, auditioned on the organ, played with the Worship Team, and had many long discussions with members of the Search Committee. As impressed as we were with her resume, we were even more impressed with her musical skills and, as importantly, the insights she shared concerning the role of music in worship. With each day we spent with Alida, we became more excited about the gifts that God has given her, the depth and maturity of her faith, and the kind of leadership that she could bring to our music ministries.

As you were so faithful in praying for us, your Search Committee, please pray for Alida as she prepares to come to Baltimore. If all goes as anticipated with the immigration process, Alida should be with us around the first of December.

Pastor's Pen

As we transition into a new century and a new millennium, this is also very much of an exciting transition time for Central. Your Session is of the mind that we need to look around us, try to discern where God is already at work, and then put our efforts in those areas.

• One area is that of continued space problems. Our new building brought us to the point where we should have been about five years ago. It's already maxed-out. Hence this coming year will see the kick-off of Phase II of our Master Plan: a Family Life Center (Fellowship Hall/concert hall/gym) with additional classroom space.

  There is also a space problem with worship. We are over 80% full at both services, and so we anticipate launching a 3rd service next Easter. A task force, including our new Director of Music Ministries Alida Oosthuizen will be making recommendations as to what this service will look like (probably not like either 8:30 or 11:00) and what time it will be on Sunday mornings.

• God is doing great things on local college campuses. To partner with Him, Greg Meadows has come on board as our interim Minister for College, Singles, and Small Groups, while a search committee finds a permanent person for the ministry (yes, Greg is a candidate). Kathy Smith has also gone on staff with InterVarsity at Goucher College.

• Our new PreSchool and Children's Library is a response to the Lord's continued blessing upon our Children's Ministry. At the same time, Rhonda Herman's resignation (she'll still be here and involved as a "lay" person) gives us an opportunity to do a national search for Central's first full-time Director of Children's Ministries.

• And not all transitions are sweet: we bid farewell to our Communications Secretary, Karen McCaffrey as she has accepted a new position in Washington. So we will be seeking for her successor as well.

Transitions can be unsettling, but when the Lord is involved, they are always about the advancing of His Kingdom as He moves people toward Christ. That is what we are all about at Central. These are exciting times!

Keep moving!
Ron

FALL 2000 PRESCHOOL

Registration packets are available on December 1 for Fall 2000 Preschool classes. There will be a class for 2- and 3-year-olds on Tuesday and Thursday and a class for 4-year-olds on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Registration for church members begins January 14. Don't miss out!

Letters

Greetings in the precious Name of Jesus. It is with heartfelt gratitude that we wish to thank the Central Presbyterian Church family for your support and donation of volunteers and school supplies as you joined with us to make our August 29th Back to School Anointing Service a success. Through our combined efforts, we were able to serve 820 children and their families this year. We are still receiving wonderful feedback from the students, parents, and the community regarding this event. Thank you again for your assistance and we look forward to serving with you as we plan for next year's event.

Together in His Love and Service,

Eleanor Bryant
The Agape Family Empowerment Center

We wish to thank the 'family' at Central for all the prayers, cards, calls, visits, flowers and fruit. The Lord has provided an extraordinary amount of peace during these heart troubles. It is just what we expected but don't deserve. PTL

David and Heide Hungerford

Rhonda will never tell you all she has done under God's direction, so here is a sampling of her legacy.

CHILDREN'S EDUCATION & ACTIVITIES:

• Sunday School - enrollment over 1900
• Children's Worship
• Central Presbyterian Church Preschool
• Community Kid's Christian Library
• Nursery Care - hired nurse, improved care
• Adventure Club - Lenten program
• Babysitter Training Program
• M&M Kids' Club - missions-minded program
• Primary Retreat
• Day Camp at Beachmont Christian Camp
• Very Exciting Bible School - Enrollment of 175
• Girls' Bible Study
• Wacky Wednesday - summer program
• Pre-Confirmation Class
• Recognition of Children in Worship - adds children's message; recognizes children and staff

PARENT & STAFF SUPPORT:

• Coordinators' Dinner
• Sunday School Appreciation Dinner
• Parents' Night Out
• New Moms Welcome
• Children's Ministries Committee
• Assistant Director of Children's Ministries

ALL-CHURCH & INTERGENERATIONAL EVENTS:

• All-Church Skate
• All-Church Picnic
• All-Church Retreat
• All-Church Hayride
• All Saints' Party
• Christmas Eve Family Service
• Family Olympics
• Intergenerational Sunday School Classes
• 1999 Missions Conference - a children's theme

Core Value #10

Servanthood & Stewardship
Inside & Outside of Central

by Nancy Nasrallah

The core value of Servanthood and Stewardship is rooted in the concept of giving: what God has given to us and what we give back to God. What has God given to us? The Bible says that our Heavenly Father has given us a new heart (Eze 36:26), the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13), eternal life (Jn 10:28), and love (Jn 13:34), to name just a few. Physically, God gives us life here on earth, our bodies, our health, the people around us, our length of years, food, and material goods. He also shapes our personalities and gives us talents and abilities. All we are and all we have are gifts from God. We are totally dependent on Him for any good in and around our lives.

Our attitude towards Him shapes our response to His gifts. When we complain about what we have or don't have, we deny His goodness. When we abuse and waste our gifts -- body, possessions, or talents-we deny His Lordship and take advantage of His gifts to satisfy our own desires. But when we thank Him and use them wisely, God will produce fruit through them. Jesus Christ will be glorified and the Kingdom of God will rejoice. This is what stewardship is all about.

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, for Thee.

Our response to the giving of God increases as our eyes are opened to see Him and to see His hand in our lives. Jesus said "Freely you have received, freely give" to the disciples in sending them out among the villages (Mt 10:8), but Jesus has sent us out into our villages. What we have received, we are commanded to give. The love we have received we are specifically directed to give to others (Jn 13:34). This giving back to our Father by giving to Him or others on His behalf is our servanthood, as we obey our Lord through loving and giving. The disciples in the above situation were sent to teach and to heal physical and mental illnesses. In Mt 25:35-45, Jesus says that the marks of believers are feeding the hungry, showing hospitality, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners. In Romans 12:6-8 Paul lists other service gifts such as encouraging, giving, leading, and showing mercy. We can serve our Lord in a myriad of ways, beyond listing, even beyond our imagining.

Limitations? You don't have time, or money, or health? Making use of what God has given us is the key, not what God has not given us. Joni Eareckson has little use of her body, as a quadriplegic, but has a fantastic ministry to the disabled. She uses her heart, mind, and mouth. Mother Theresa took a vow of poverty but healed and cared for the sick and dying, and by her example led many others to do the same. Revivals have occurred because of a humble worker praying for years for a school, town, or country. The widow who gave two copper coins, all she had, was praised by Jesus over and above the wealthy givers (Lk 21:1-4). God has no limitations on what can be done with what He has given us.

What does God want? "My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways..." (Pr 23:26) This is the heartfelt cry of our Father in Heaven. Worship Him and give yourself back to Him.

1. A Personal Relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord, and God
2. Commitment to the Truth of God's Revealed Word
3. Worship as the Center of Church Life
4. The Great Commission - Near and Far in Word and Deed
5. A Biblical World View that Speaks to Our Culture
6. Kingdom Vision - We are One Part of the Whole Body of Christ
7. Growing Mature, Ministering Disciples
8. A Diverse, Loving Community
9. The Nurture of Children and Youth
10. Servanthood & Stewardship Inside and Outside of Central
11. Prayer

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

An Evening with the Old Testament

by Karen (Babbie) Jacobsen

Central Church was treated to a resounding and inspiring service on Sunday evening, October 3. This was the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Having built our sukkah, which in itself was a picturesque evocation of the blessing of the harvest season, we were then presented with a stirring celebration of the feast.

It was hard to know which celebrants were the most enthusiastic: the dancers with their colorful costumes and graceful supplications, the banner holders with their great swirling of all the moving colors, the male dancers with their fast foot movements and tambourine shaking, or we, the congregation with our spirited singing and rollicking dancing and clapping. It was almost impossible to stay still!

Perhaps most important, it was wonderful to feel that we had made a living contact with the original Hebrew celebration and that we were reliving the words of Psalm 150:3-6

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet;
   praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance;
   praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon loud cymbals;
   praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
   Praise the Lord.

Truly it was an evening to remember and repeat.

Where is our Tychicus?

Tychicus was Paul's "dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord", who was sent with a letter to the Ephesians to tell them everything about Paul and to encourage them. (Ephesians 6:21-22) The Centinel is calling at least one Tychicus, someone who loves Central and has a vision for communication and encouragement within our congregation. Reading skills required; writing and editing skills optional. Call Denise Simms.

Become a reporter. If your group's news is not in the Centinel, write the information or story yourself. Maybe God wants your creative talents used here.

"Love & Action" Christmas Gift Bags

Once again, area hospitals and nursing homes serving men, women and children suffering with AIDS hope that we can help them with gift bags. Regardless of how these individuals contracted this terrible syndrome, at this point in their lives they need to know that we (the Church) care and that Jesus still loves them. The small gifts, toiletries, and Scripture provide a way to share the Gospel.

Please fill a bag or two with items on the "ornament list" from the concourse Christmas tree. Bring the filled bags back to the concourse by Sunday, Dec.19.

Patients in the following area facilities receive gift bags:

• AIDS Interfaith Residential Services
• Baltimore Veterans Medical Center
• Bayview Medical Center
• Gift of Hope Shelter
• Johns Hopkins Hospital, Moore Clinic and Pediatric AIDS Clinic
• Movable Feast
• Pediatric HIV Project Headstart, North Ave.
• Ravenswood Nursing Home
• Temple House
• University Hospital.

Please call Barbara Ellingson for more information or to volunteer on the Project. Thank you and God bless you.

The FOLD: News about our Central Family

The Scates in Scotland

Anne and I cannot begin to thank you - the members and friends of Central - for the trip you gave us to Scotland in honor of the 10 years of ministry that we have had here among you. It has provided us with a lifetime of memories. We had been to Scotland back in 1985... now we knew where we wanted to go and how to do it. We made a clock-wise circuit around the beautiful country: beginning in Glasgow... on to Oban (with a pilgrimage out to the Island of Iona)... up Loch Ness to Inverness through the backroads of the Highlands to St. Andrews (our favorite spot). We then set-up base-camp in St. Andrews and took day trips to Edinborough, Perth, Sterling, Balmoral, fishing villages, etc. Key impressions: 1. how beautiful the land and the people still are since we were last there, 2. how much more "secularized " the whole country has become, 3. how "post-Christian" Scotland is quickly becoming... filling the spiritual void with a movement back to pre-Christian Druid sun worship (we saw these types of stores in every major city). All of this is evidence that we here at Central can never take our faith - and the future of that faith - for granted. No matter how beautiful a people are... no matter how lively their faith... no matter how deep their spiritual heritage (and Scotland's is deep) ...whenever we let our passion for Christ and the Kingdom wane (even in the slightest) we set ourselves on a course of spiritual disease.

Stay strong in the Lord,
Ron

Celebrate the Holidays with Your Church Family

Thanksgiving Eve, November 24:

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner - 5:45p
Thanksgiving Eve Service - 7p

Advent Fair, November 28:

Families gather to make crafts for Advent - 6p

Christmas Concert, December 19:

Celebrate Christ's birth with music - 4p

Christmas Eve Services, December 24:

Family Worship Service - 5p
Candlelight Services - 8p & 11p

New Year's Eve, December 31:

Communion Service - 7p
Watchnight Service - 11p

Blessed at the Missions Festival

by Abby and Rachel Henderson

This year's Missions Festival was a great opportunity for kids to learn that we are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING! We are blessed in so many ways. Our biggest blessing is knowing that God loves us and sent His Son to die for us. God does not want us to keep these blessings to ourselves. Even though we might not all be missionaries, we need to pray for others who don't know God's love and tell those around us that God died for them too.

On Friday, 45 kids spent all day with Jill Harris, a missionary speaker. We learned that almost 3 billion people in the world don't have anyone to tell them about Jesus. Most of these people live in the 10/40 window. A brief way to remember who they are when you pray for them is to use the THUMB for the Tribals, Hindus, Unreligious (in China), Muslims, and Buddhists. On Saturday the church had a dinner and a Concert of Prayer. We prayed in groups with adults and kids about different unreached people groups. We also prayed for (deleted), a group adopted by our church. On Sunday, the M&M Kids Club had a special training meeting with Miss Jill. We learned how to have a Quiet Time each day and prayed for each other. If you weren't here for the Missions Festival, you missed a lot of fun, a great speaker, and a great opportunity to see how we are blessed to be a blessing.

by Amy Davidson

What a blessing to see 45 children gathered around Jill Harris to learn about missions and the people around the world who don't know Jesus! She showed where they live, clothes and jewelry they wear, as well as games they play. For four hours the kids moved form one activity to the next, all missions oriented. She seemed to know exactly how much they could handle at a time. One of my most memorable parts was the true story about a boy named Nouk from Timbuktu. Ask one of the kids to tell you about him. I personally learned a lot that day, and wish I had taken this opportunity earlier in my life. By attending activities like this, our kids will be able to make a difference in the world. And so will we, if we also take the time to listen, learn and be open to missions.

Mark Your Calendar

Be sure to check the bulletin each week for meetings and details.