July 24, 2018 www.centrallive.net 2001 E. MAIN STREET STREATOR, IL 61364 (815) 673-1581 EMERGENCY PHONE (815) 257-1582 STAFF Dr. Rory Christensen, Lead Minister Tony Ross, Creative Arts Minister Jessica Pastirik, Director of Involvement & Operations On Sunday, August 5, 2018 we will be hosting an open house for the Christensen Family from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the gym! Stop in anytime to see the Christensen's before they leave for Johnson University - Florida! If you are unable to make it to the open house but would still like to send them a note of appreciation there will be a card box in the foyer at the Involvement Desk. Chelsea Davis, Children s Minister Central Staff changes announced Rico Diaz, Director of Student Ministries We are pleased to announce a change for our church! Jessica Pastirik has been serving as our Director of Involvement for almost seven years now. The Elders are happy to announce her transition into the position of Director of Involvement and Operations. With this new role comes additional responsibilities. Jessica will now be focused on overseeing the day-to-day operations at the church, along with Central s current Involvement Ministry. Please join us in praying for her. We are looking forward to seeing how God uses her gifts, talents and dedication for His glory. SUNDAY WORSHIP 1st Worship: 8:15 a.m. 2nd Worship & Bible classes: 9:30 a.m. 3rd Worship & Bible classes: 11:00 a.m. The Elders have accepted the resignation of Chelsea Davis as our Children s Minister. She will finish with full time service here on September 30, 2018. Coming up... August 5: Rory Christensen. This will be his last time preaching here. He served here four years to guide our church to continue our heritage of making and maturing disciples of Jesus. One of his favorite passages of Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, because of it s focus on living as ambassadors of Christ, and on a God who makes all things new. He and his family will be leaving us to take another position at Johnson University, Florida campus. August 12: Eric Elder is an author, speaker and contemporary pianist with a passion for sharing Christ with others. Eric is also an ordained pastor and a technology expert, having worked as a technology researcher for a Fortune 10 corporation for nine years prior to going into full-time ministry in 1995. This unique combination of skills led USA Today to call him a new breed of evangelist, referring to his groundbreaking work of sharing Christ over the Internet with thousands of people every day in over 160 countries. August 19: Bill Allison, the Executive Director of Cadre Ministries whose obsession is to encourage and equip people to love God, love people, and make disciplemakers. As Cadre missionaries of encouragement and equipping, he and his wife, Stacy live by faith and trust God to financially provide for their family and their ministry with Cadre. August 26: Bill Allison
Bethlehem Walk Update Timing is Everything According to Troy Dimmig, Chairman of the Elders and Bethlehem Walk Chair, the next Bethlehem Walk will take place in December of 2019. First, consideration was taken about the search for our Senior Minister. The Elders have decided to keep their focus on this very important responsibility to the congregation. The kitchen update has started, with the majority of the work happening in September. After careful consideration of several factors, especially all the remodeling that has happened and what is yet to come with the kitchen, it was decided that we must reconfigure several of the Walk Sets. Therefore, we will be taking needed time to update the Bethlehem Walk for 2019! The Bethlehem Walk is a dramatic production that takes our guests on a journey back in time to the village of Bethlehem to see, acted out before them, various events that preceded the birth of Christ. Central has done the Bethlehem Walk for many years and will continue to so Kitchen remodel time line July 25, 26, 27 included constructing a 9 x 16 addition to back of kitchen. Current overhang outside south door. Set up electrical for this new room. Fabricating a wall for electrical room separation. Aug 22, 23, 24. Removal of the cabinets on north wall, brick wall installed in current door, new door where current serving window exists, knock hole in east wall into electrical room. Sept 9 thru 15. Gut remaining cabinets and equipment removal. Remove existing ceiling tile for cleaning. Paint existing rails for ceiling, install lights, remove fans, paint walls, epoxy floor, reinstall ceiling tiles, install cabinets, sinks and counters, move equipment back in and hook up. This is a big project and Troy Dimmig, who is in charge of this undertaking hopes many hands will make short work of this project that will set us up for the future. Here are the dates for upcoming work on the kitchen let me know if you are available for any or all. F.Y.I. Go to Central Church of Christ s website www.centrallive.net for those wanting to see the senior minister job description and hiring process for the senior minister position. There is a tab called Employment Opportunities. There will also be paper copies of this available in the Church Office and the Information Kiosk in the foyer. What does it mean to be BOLD? Especially when it comes to the idea of being BOLD for Jesus. At the end of June, Ashley and I took eight high school students and two adult leaders to Kansas City for a conference called BOLD. BOLD is put on by our friends at Radiant Church in Kansas City. BOLD s vision is clear and straight to the point, To see a generation in bold pursuit of Christ. This generation doesn t need more self-esteem, it doesn t need more fun, what it truly needs is relationship with Jesus that destroys all the self-hatred that cripples them. Then to be empowered to live lives that reveal the glory of God. We had one goal for going to BOLD, get students to fall in love with Jesus and to receive practical tools to keep that love growing long after the conference. I m crazy Rico Diaz, Director of Student Ministries enough to believe that a conference high doesn t have to die. So, with that goal in mind we went all in at this conference! We didn t want any student to feel like they couldn t get close to Jesus during this trip. It was right around the second day we started to see students understand and buy into the goal. Students were worshipping and praying, truly seeking the face of God! They got a small taste of Him and realized He is GOOD! The last day of the conference was so intense! We had a small prayer meeting in the conference, and our students prayed like I ve never seen them pray before! Prayers from a raw heart that s had a real encounter with the love of Jesus. My favorite story is when I sent one of the boy students with the girls to the van to grab something. I get a knock on my door an hour later and it was all five students, with teary eyes and they said We just had a prayer meeting downstairs for the last hour! In my four plus years of working with this group of students I have NEVER HEARD students say something like this! Never have I seen a group of students who didn t need adults to tell them to get together and pray over each other s lives. Typically, when we encourage students to pray for each other it s met with some sort of resistance. I share that one story because it was proof that God did something in the hearts of these students, I firmly believe that the tools that they received will help keep them in the faith for decades and not just a few days after a conference. Thanks for your prayers! They were answered! Page 2
Creative Arts Tony Ross, Creative Arts Minister Celebrate We love celebrations. They are an important part of our lives. We celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries and other important days. We throw parties, take pictures, give flowers and gifts. We eat special cake and go to our special restaurants. These special times remind us of the past and bond us together for the future. We not only have personal celebrations, we have national celebrations. We celebrate holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Again these celebration days are marked by time away from work, leisure, laughter and play. We picnic, parade, barbecue and shoot off fireworks. We spend time with family and friends. Such celebrations lift us from the routine of our lives. These celebrations are enjoyed and needed. Every Sunday should be a celebration. Every Lord's Day should be a holiday. Worship is like these other celebrations in that it reminds me of the PAST - what God has done. Worship centers me on the PRESENT- what God is doing now. Worship also give me hope for the FUTURE - what God will do soon. God is greater than all. If we can t find it within us to celebrate Him and His accomplishments, when we can so easily celebrate all the other events in our lives that we deem to be worthy, then I believe it may be time to examine our priorities. Please understand that I m not minimizing the holidays and special events that we celebrate. They are important and meaningful. What I m doing is putting God above all those things in His rightful place. Come to church ready to celebrate. We ll do our best to provide an atmosphere where you can do just that. Central Kids Chelsea Davis, Children s Minister If you are new to Central or have been here for a while you have probably read about or heard someone talk about Rock River Christian Camp, aka RRCC. RRCC is a camp located in Polo, IL. As a church, we help support the camp financially, spiritually, and physically. Each year, we set aside funds to help support RRCC and we also cover them in prayer through their monthly updates via e-mail. Throughout the year, we also send children and adults from Central to camp. RRCC host a variety of camps and events throughout the year for both children and adults. For example, marriage retreats, family camps, ladies retreats, and a variety of camps for children of all ages. At the beginning of July, I had the opportunity again to attend Embark (Main Camp) for 4 th 6 th graders. Tony and Felicia Brown from Central lead and organize this camp as the camp deans for the week. They do an awesome job! This year, they served as our king and queen as we took a trip through the Medieval Times! The campers practiced calligraphy, archery, and knot tying. They also learned about medieval medicine and catapults. All while learning about the armor of God and what each part of the armor stands for (Ephesians 6:12-18). Meghan Ross, also from Central, leads our lesson times each year and does an excellent job! She also leads our Primary Worship time at church on Sunday mornings at 9:30am for Kindergarten through 2 nd grade. Over 90 campers attended Embark camp! It was a fantastic week! When I asked some of the children what their favorite things about camp are, most of the children said they love coming to camp because they make new friends and learn about God. If they have been to camp more than once it is like a family reunion when they get to see friends from last year. It is so much fun! Intentional summer fun focused on God and building relationships is the best! If you have a child that is interested in attending camp next year but are worried about the price the church offers a variety of scholarships and early bird specials. Check out the Rock River Christian Camp website for more information about camp http://www.rockrivercc.net. Come check it out! Find dozens opportunities to contribute at Central stopping by the Serve/Contribute Tables on Sunday August 19 and 26 in the foyer. Staff and Volunteers will be available to answer questions between services and help you find the right place for you to use your gifts and talents. Together we can achieve so much more if we all take part in what God wants to do through Central. Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Study Please come and join us as we explore God s Word. We will have our first fall meeting on August 28. We meet in the Ministry Center s Upper Room, every Tuesday morning when school is in session, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. If you are in need of babysitters, just give us a call. If you have never attended a Tuesday Ladies Bible Study here s what you might expect: meeting 40 ladies of various ages, enjoying refreshments, laughing at almost everything, praying, growing in the knowledge of the Word of God, being challenged and humbled before our God. If you have any questions, please call Diane Hallam (815) 673-3665, or contact the Church Office. Page 3
Join us August 4, 2018 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Summer will be over before we know it! Our kids will be heading back to school soon so let's get together and kick-off this school year with a bang! There will be bounce houses, snacks, drinks, games, prizes, and more! And a special appearance by: Magic Mark We are looking for 40-50 volunteers who would like to serve. If you are available to serve for 30 minutes or an hour, e-mail Jessica Pastirik at involvement@centrallive.net or Chelsea Davis at children@centrallive.net. Kitchen Renovation Report The fundraising piece of our Kitchen Renovation Project is underway. And we're pleased to report our running total to be $32,369 given to date. Thank you for your faithful gifts that have brought us to the halfway mark. As we eye our September build date, continue to prayerfully consider how you can support this important project. Thanks again. Give on the go With summer here, one opportunity we have at the church may become more relevant to you. For many of us, summer includes trips that take us away. But we still want to give to support ministry. That being the case, if you haven't already, you may want to take advantage of our online giving through Push Pay. It helps you stay connected to what God is doing here--even while you're not! Set up secure, regular giving at www.centrallive.net under the giving tab.
THE TORCH 2001 E MAIN ST STREATOR IL 61364 PHONE: (815) 673-1581 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 296 STREATOR IL 61364 Dated Material Return Service Requested The Summit Celebration is an evening of worship, stories and speaking that kicks off the Global Leadership Summit. It occurs the evening before the GLS begins, August 8, at 7:00 p.m., and is open for anyone to attend there is no cost or GLS ticket purchase required. Come check out it out for free. You will come away uplifted. Have questions? See Tony Ross or Jessica Pastirik. Baptized Nicholas Barichello Brookelynn Gillespie Page 4 Statistics for June 17, 2018 1st Worship 82 2nd Worship 219 3rd Worship 89 Total 390 Bible Classes 147 Carolyn Simpson and family at the death of her sister, Florence (Guy) Grant, who died on June 29, 2018. Offerings Offerings needed to meet Budget-Y-T-D for 2018: $378,084 Offerings given to-date: $378,487 Financial Statement available at the Information Kiosk or the Church Office Statistics for June 24, 2018 1st Worship 94 2nd Worship 217 3rd Worship 90 Total 401 Bible Classes 160 Statistics for July 1, 2018 1st Worship 79 2nd Worship 254 3rd Worship 75 Total 408 Bible Classes 144 Statistics for July 8, 2018 1st Worship 79 2nd Worship 247 3rd Worship 100 Total 426 Bible Classes 147 Statistics for July 15, 2018 1st Worship 74 2nd Worship 227 3rd Worship 80 Total 381 Bible Classes 156