Central Baptist Church

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (Jesus, John 15:12).

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

We believe one of the fundamental characteristics of a life transformed by Jesus is serving the world, loving people as Jesus loves us - not with mere words, but with actions and in truth. In fact, love is the single most powerful identifier of a truly Christ-like life, and love will always express itself in action. As a community of Christ followers, one of our primary goals is for each member to get plugged into an opportunity to show God's love through serving the world. Our God is a giver, and as we are created in His image, we also want to be givers.

These service opportunities take many forms at Central, but they can all be lumped into two very general categories. (1) You can serve your fellow Christians in the Body of Christ. (2) You can serve people who do not yet follow Jesus and who are not yet part of His Body. We would encourage you to discover your gifts and passions, consider both categories, and prayerfully choose one or two ways to serve in each category. Don't be shy! One of the best things about belonging to the community of faith is that it provides you a safe place to take risks, to try and fail, and ultimately succeed.

Outside our church, you can serve the World in countless ways. We do provide some opportunities to serve our local community directly through the church:
• Neighborhood Outreach (contact the Church Office)
• Help serve Graham Elementary School (contact Andy)
• Deliver meals to Contact Ministries (contact Mary Ellen)
• Help with the annual Thanksgiving Feast of Plenty (contact the Church Office)

Within our church, you can serve your brothers and sisters in Christ in the following ways:
• Lead a small group or Sunday school class (contact Mary Ellen)
• Help with Wednesday Night Dinners (contact Mary Ellen)
• Sing in the choir or join the band (contact Andy)
• Help with the Lord's Supper (contact Andy)
• Help with the interior design of the sanctuary (contact Andy)
• Serve as an usher (contact Andy)
• Help with landscaping at the church's building (contact the Church Office)
• Help with painting and cleaning the church's building (contact the Church Office)
• Visit shut-ins (contact Mary Ellen)
• Help with funeral dinners (contact Mary Ellen)
• Be a receptionist during office hours (contact Tricia)
• Help with the offering (contact the Church Office)
• Help with Kids 2:52 (contact Grant)
• Teach a Focus Group for children (contact Grant)
• Help with the nursery (contact Grant)
• Mentor a teen (contact Josh)

Such a long list of ways to serve can seem overwhelming at first. Please, don't try to do everything! We would encourage you to prayerfully consider where God wants you to serve in each category: within His Body and in the World. With much prayer, look at your gifting and passion and choose one or two ways to serve in each category. Please feel comfortable asking your Sunday school or small group leader for advice. You can also contact any member of the ministry staff. We are currently in the process of evaluating all the programs and activities that occur within our church, and discovering where we are lacking at serving outside our church. More opportunities to love those who do not yet know Jesus will be coming!