OUTREACH & MISSIONS MINISTRIES

Central views the world beyond the church walls through the lens of Acts 1:8. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 

We have partnerships in our neighborhood and local community, our city, nationally and globally.

If you want to get connected to our exciting Outreach ministries just contact Phyllis DeSmit, Outreach & Missions Coordinator, at outreach@centralpc.org.

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

ASSISTANCE CENTER OF TOWSON CHURCHES, Towson
Central has been active in partnering with ACTC as board members, volunteers serving, sorting and receiving at the center and with continuous donations of requested goods to meet needs of the homeless in Baltimore County.

YOUTH 180, Baltimore County Erik Dressel shares his winsome witness about the benefits of sexual purity until marriage on high school and college campuses through out Baltimore county. He often has multiple presentations scheduled daily and shares the microphone with teens who will testify to the rightness of his challenge.

With financial donations and volunteer efforts, Central helps to support other ministries to middle, high school and college youth through FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians at Universities and Schools), Youth for Christ, Young Life and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

NAVIGATORS, Baltimore County
The calling of the Navigators is “To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom through laborers living and discipling among the lost.” Joyce and John Sackett, as Christ followers, have lived out that calling. John serves church leaders by helping them focus on Christ’s commission to make disciples. Both Sacketts teach and equip others with the passion and skills to think beyond themselves, to be missional.

With a friendship evangelism approach Navigators, Regeneration and Search, ministries supported by Central, present the Good News and help inquiring adults to learn about God’s plan for their lives and to pattern their lives in a God-pleasing way. 

Acts4Youth, Baltimore, www.acts4youth.com
In 2008 Kevin Good created a supportive environment program for at-risk boys, reaching out to eight 4th graders at Guilford School. With faithful volunteers from several churches as mentors, these vulnerable youngsters have remarkably improved attitudes and behaviors lauded by their teachers and principal. After school they receive help with homework, take field trips to a variety of Christian businesses, receive training in saving and earning money, enjoy opportunities to play basketball and more. The 2009 school year will continue developing character and accountability with the initial 8 students and add another group of 4th graders.

HopeSprings, HIV/AIDS ministry, Baltimore, www.hopesprings.org
HopeSprings continues to move Central people from "going to church" to "being the church". In recent months, over 100 volunteers were educated about the HIV/AIDS pandemic both locally and globally through an established six-session course known as “The Journey.” Graduates are actively engaged in direct service to local HIV/AIDS affected people, creating an avenue for spiritual development and transformation for the individuals served and for those serving.

Woodberry Crossing, Baltimore County, www.woodberrycrossing.org
A farm, a forest, a zoo, a swimming pool, a craft house -- this setting at Woodberry provides country-life experiences for urban people who live in a city world of bricks and macadam. Several Central supported agencies, such as Baltimore Christian School, JACQUES Initiative (HIV/AIDS clinic), and Sarah’s Hope (women and children’s shelter) have boarded clients on Central’s bus for a day or a week in the country.

Baltimore Christian School, Baltimore, www.baltimorechristianschool.org
BCS offers an affordable, challenging, Christ-centered educational alternative for elementary children in the Pen Lucy area, where excellent academics are not available. Tuition is based on a family’s ability to pay and parents are required to invest hours into enhancing school life. With an emphasis on character development and patterns of success since the school’s beginning in 1993, there are many stories of graduates maturing well.

Sandtown Habitat for Humanity, Baltimore, www.sandtownhabitat.org
Central, rehabbing its 16th house in Sandtown, has a dedicated group of men and women who handle hammers and saws as they develop a relationship with the prospective home owner working with them. Work days are scheduled twice a month with active participation during a focused work week in June.

Baltimore County Women’s Shelter
Central is serving the Center at Franklin Square with two outreach efforts. One is supplying lunch on the third Thursday of each month to the 60-70 women at the Shelter. Having sought and received permission to have a Bible Study course as one of the offered classes resident women are required to take each day, Central women teach a group of clients once a week. 

THE WORLD 

SOUTHEAST ASIA

RESCUE OF CHILD SOLDIERS IN BURMA, www.divineinheritance.com
Church planting, pastor training. teaching alternative agriculture methods (instead of poppy production) and caring for orphans characterize Central’s relationship with a people group in Thailand, Burma and China. A recent focus has added the rescue and aftercare of child soldiers. In the only place in the world where oppressed children are being offered freely to the care of a Christian agency, the resources to respond are crucial A miracle of God has motivated the Burmese military authorities to set aside their original demand that there be no teaching about Jesus Christ in the homes provided to the former, young soldiers.

Several Central families have “adopted” a child soldier and CPC children’s offering monies have provided food and clothing for them.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LIVING IN CHINA
Central is supporting staff of Overseas Missionary Fellowship, China Harvest and Ministry to Mainland China who are providing key services to people living without hope. Outreach, working with nationals, includes designing and building homes adequate for a hostile climate, training medical personnel to offer strategic education and care for HIV/AIDS patients, providing supplies and support for churches, and generating underground schools of theology.

These are examples of the nine Central partnerships in Southeast Asia.

AFRICA

HOPESPRINGS, partnering in Malawi, http://www.hopesprings.org
By giving birth to an HIV/AIDS ministry, HopeSprings, in 2007 Central connected to several partnerships in Malawi which focus on issues of the pandemic: Somebody Cares, providing holistic care in areas of extreme poverty; Partners in Hope Hospital, offering medical care, agricultural help and youth education; St. Gabriel’s Hospital where an HIV/AIDS wing is under construction. Relationships are developing through regularly scheduled trips of Central people to Africa and Malawians to Baltimore. Targeted skills for US travelers include medical expertise, pastor training, marriage counseling, construction experience.

HopeSprings in Malawi is one of fourteen Central partnerships on the continent of Africa, including CPC children’s offering covering the school tuition costs for a Malawian teen.

EUROPE

THE SHELTER COMMUNITY HOUSE, The Netherlands Teri, daughter of a Central family, and Benjamin van Essen are staff at a Hostel in the red light district of Amsterdam. Their responsibilities involve all the hotel-type tasks, as they supervise workers, volunteers and interact with boarders from all over the world, most of whom are facing crisis circumstances in their lives. Both are led by the Spirit into transformational conversations that often happen over a year’s time, as guests come and go.

The van Essen’s ministry is one of four Central connections in Europe. Other locations are Spain, Turkey and Ukraine.

MIDDLE EAST

SAT-7, Cairo, Egypt and Damascus, Lebanon, www.sat7usa.org
On the air with three, full-time satellite channels, SAT-7 creates Christian television programming by and for the people of the Middle East and North Africa. When SAT-7 KIDS was launched, entire families, Christian and non-Christian, switched from radical, government-run stations to SAT-7, intrigued by the freedom, joy and love of Christian TV hosts. There is much positive viewer response and opportunity for clear presentation of the Good News of Jesus.

SAT-7 is one of two Central supported ministry units focused on the Middle East.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Wings of Hope, Haiti, www.heartswithhaiti.org
KC Bersch, daughter of a Central family, is a teacher and caretaker at a home/school for disabled, throw-away children in the mountains of Haiti. Love so strongly characterizes the care ministered here that Jesus becomes real. Even children who cannot speak exhibit behavior that is clearly praying! Regular trips are made to visit Wings, the travelers taking shoes, school supplies and toys.

In Latin America Central has a sister church in SaoPaulo, Brazil and supports several nationals with SEPAL, a Brazilian branch of One Challenge International.