a beautiful collision the irresistible...

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a conversation on life and faith A BEAUTIFUL COLLISION An interview with the four leaders of Collide, a joint church missional community for young adults. THE IRRESISTIBLE PRESENCE OF GOD A look into why Jesus has been the most captivating human to ever live. THE COONEY’S GO TO KIDS CAMP How one family has really experienced God through our summer Kids Camp. FROM CAPTIVATED TO CAPTIVATING What it means to grow from just being captivate by God, to living in the captivating power of the Holy Spirit. Captivate A New Series About Evangelism And The Irresistible Presence Of Jesus. OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE NO. 28 A PUBLICATION OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH ONLINE AT WWW.CENTRALCC.CA

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a conversation on life and faith

A BEAUTIFUL COLLISIONAn interview with the four leaders of Collide, a joint

church missional community for young adults.

THE IRRESISTIBLE PRESENCE OF GOD

A look into why Jesus has been the most captivating human to

ever live.

THE COONEY’S GOTO KIDS CAMP

How one family has really experienced God through our summer Kids Camp.

FROM CAPTIVATED TO CAPTIVATING

What it means to grow from just being captivate by God, to living in the captivating power

of the Holy Spirit.

CaptivateA New Series About Evangelism And The Irresistible Presence Of Jesus.

OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE NO. 28

A PUBLICATION OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCHONLINE AT WWW.CENTRALCC.CA

2 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

• Monday, noveMber 12th 7:15 - 9:00 PM

• tickets available at central connect beginning october 22nd $5 advance \\ $7 @ door

• bring a canned food iteM and help stock central’s food pantry for those in need ticket required for entry

TheJourneyWHERE WOMEN CONNECT. SHAPE.

AND SHARE THEIR LIVES

WOMEN’S LIFE

L I V E

EDITORIAL

06 | EDITORIAL by Andrew Plett

The irresistible presence of Jesus.

08 | ThE bIg pIcTuRE by Bill Markham

From captivated to captivating.

CONTENTSon the cover: Campus pastor Justin Driedger is leading a campus that isn’t even a year old yet and he’s already seen the captivating presence of God at work in Niagara Falls. In this issue, Justin takes time to talk vision and strategy for his young campus.

photography: Melanie driedger

DEpARTmEnTs

13 | DIscIpLEshIp AT cEnTRALBecoming who God created you to be

14 | EmERgIng gEnERATIOns by Debra and Dave Cooney

The Cooney’s go to Kids Camp.

16 | cREATIvE bRIEfThe creative process at Central

18 | nIAgARA fALLs cAmpus by Justin Driedger

Anticipation. My vision for what’s to come.

22 | mIssIOn by Mike Hicks

The God who had not forgotten them.

24 | cOLLIDE yOung ADuLTs by Andrew Plett

An interview with the Collide leaders.

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to join in uplifting worship and meaningful connection with one another! Our HymnSing is an evening of worship with the classic hymns that been an inspiration to the church for generations.

Details:All hymn sings are held at our Scott St. Campus at 6pm

Dates:Sunday October 14Sunday November 18Sunday December 9

FALL HYMN SING

HymnSingTIMELESS WORSHIP

InfORmATIOn

32 | cEnTRAL cOmmOnsA new way to communicate.

08 | cOnTAcT usCentral’s staff directory.

6 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

The records of human history offer few events that have had the power to cap-tivate entire people groups, or nations, let alone fascinate the interest of the worlds population.

For those of you in your late 50’s or 60’s, you might remember where you were on November 22, 1963, when you heard of

President Kennedy’s assassination. Maybe you remember July 20, 1969 as you huddled around your tiny black and white TV with your family, watching man’s first step on the moon in spell-binding amazement.

1986 held two significant events that I can still call to mind to this day. As a nine year old, I remember being in school and seeing the news coverage of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in our class. I also remember hearing about the tragic Chernobyl nuclear accident that stunned the world.

As a high school student, I remember being captivated by the trial of OJ Simpson. I watched the courtroom proceedings like their were a blockbuster action movie, going to bed each night with uneasy anticipation of what would happen next.

9/11 is particularly vivid for me today. It only takes the blink of an eye for me to put myself back in the setting of that day, as I laboured for my uncle’s masonry company. It was a beautiful fall day on Lakeshore road in Burlington as we laid the blocks for an Esso car wash. When I heard the news on the truck radio I remember trying to stay focused

on work, but feeling this insatiable need to know every detail that I could. I was fully captivated by that single event. It consumed my thoughts, distracted me from my work, and held my attention for days.

You could argue, that there has been no person that has captivated the thoughts of humanity more than Jesus Christ. Whether it be in awe or wonder, skepticism or opposition, reverence or disdain. Jesus is captivating.

He held the breathless anticipation of the prophets for thousands of years before he was ever born, had crowds of thousands follow-ing him, and still today his name alone demands attention like no other.

The irony of this to me, is found in Isaiah 53:2b. “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appear-ance, nothing to attract us to him.” (NLT). If there was nothing about his appearance to captivate and attract, what was it that drew people to him by the thousands? I believe that it was the presence of God, his father, in him

and the power of the Holy Spirit through him.

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. If you are up on your theology and hermeneutics you will rightly point out to me that it is not completely correct to say that it was the presence of God in him and the power of the Holy Spirit through him that made Jesus captivating. According to the bible Jesus actually is God (who is one) himself and part of the tri-unity of God; Father, Son, Holy Spirit. By some great mystery Jesus was fully God and fully man simultaneously. When I say that I believe it was the

the irresistible

by Andrew Plet t

presence of God in him, I’m referring to this mystery that allowed Jesus (being fully God) to have this divine separation that enabled him to also be fully man (See Jn 8:16; 14:2; 14:10).

As a man, it was his life of obedience and humility, a yielding of himself to God’s heart and character. In Luke chapter 4 we pick up a scene from Jesus’ life that have a few key phrases I want to draw to your attention.

After Jesus is baptized it says “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan river being urged by the Spirit into the barren wastelands of Judea.” (Luke 4:1). Notice that Luke records that Jesus was “full” of the Holy Spirit.

After forty days in the wastelands of Judea without food Jesus is tempted by the devil three times, to which he responds by quoting from the Old Testament.

Listen to what Luke records after Satan had finished tempting Jesus to no avail. “Then Jesus returned to Galilee, full of the Holy Spirit’s power.” (Luke 4:14)

He was led into the desert full of the Holy Spirit, but he walked out in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the power of the Holy Spirit in him that was so captivating to those around him.

There was an exchange that happened out in that barren wasteland. As Jesus responded to the Holy Spirit in obedi-ence, denied himself and put his faith and knowledge about God into action, he walked out with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Notice how the power didn’t come before his faith was tested, his will submitted, and his human desires were denied.

I think this is where we get hung up. We lack the captivating power of God because were not willing to risk, deny, or die to ourselves in that desert like Jesus did. We simply are not captivat-ing because we’ve haven’t allowed our faith to be put to the test.

fROm ThEEDITOR

PRESENCE OFJESUS

The irony of this to me, is found in“There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

Isaiah 53:20”

Through several seasons of short-term mission work over the course of a few years, I had the chance to be mentored by an older gentleman that has left a serious mark on my life. Because of his obedience he has truly walked in the power of the Holy Spirit for a long time.

We’d stay up long into the night as I listened to his amazing stories of God’s power at work through him healing people in dramatic ways, raising them up from the dead, giving him extraordinary visions and even on a few occasions opening his eyes to see the angelic realm at work.

I wasn’t captivated by his stories of church services, his personal devotion-al time or even how much of the bible he had memorized. I was captivated by the power of the Holy Spirit working through him.

I think that is what people saw in Jesus too. Not the fact that he knew about God, but that he was living for God. That was the unmistakable distinction between him and religious leaders of his day.

As a church we have just concluded a powerful series calling us to move from being fans to followers, and our first thought might be that this next series is a bit of a contradiction, but it is not, it is a succession. We are not talking about being “attractional” or flashy when using the word captivate.

We are talking about radiating with God’s character and power in a way that can only come from truly following him as we’ve been learning.

Being captivating isn’t about an attrac-tive exterior. It isn’t about you and I looking the part, knowing Christian lingo or having an evangelism script ready (that’s called being a fan). It is about you and I recognizing what the magnetizing force of Jesus was. The Holy Spirit. Plain and simple.

Jesus was captivating to others because of the deep work of God in his life. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Phil 2: 6-8).

He was a brilliant reflection of his Father. That only comes from being fully committed and radically devot-ed to relationship with God. Think about it. The Commander of Heaven’s armies (Rev 19:14), the author of the cosmos and the exact likeness of God (Col 1:15-20), comes to this earth as an average looking man, disguising his own glory in flesh that is neither beautiful or majestic.

The church will only captivate, if peo-ple are captivated by the presence of Christ in you and I. Period. Don’t blame the church, its on you and me. We get in the way. We distort the image of God with our sin, our attitudes and our religious hearts.

This next series is a call for us to reflect the brilliance and beauty of Christ. It is a call to be unmistakably cap-tivating to those around you because of because of what Christ has done in you.

I want to warn you, captivate is a verb. Through this series we are not sug-gesting that we want to take a passive, non-confrontation approach to evange-lism, as we “just sit back and let him shine”, rather we want to be bold and decisive, raising the bar and calling you to deeper commitment than ever.

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When was the last time that you were truly captivated? Maybe it was an event, a relationship, or a personal life experience. Do you remember what it felt like? Do you remember how it changed the way you saw the world?

Take a moment to pause and think about this. What happens when you are truly captivated?

If you’re like me, you can’t wait to experience it again. You also want to share the experience with as many people as possible. When you are truly captivated by something or someone, you’re more than willing to make incredible sacrifices in order to have the experience again.

So let me ask you another question: Are you truly captivated by Jesus? Take a moment to pause and think about this.

does the brilliance of christ in you capture the attention of those around you?

by bill mArkhAm

ThE bIgpIcTuRE

CAPTIVATING

How do you know when you are fully captivated by Jesus? To be honest, it’s really quite easy to tell. If you’re truly captivated by Jesus, you’ll do anything to experience the life He gives.

Not only that, you’ll do everything you can to make sure that others are given the opportunity to get to know who Jesus is as well. The interesting thing that happens as a result is this: When you are truly ‘captivated’ you, in turn, become ‘captivating’, because of His love and grace at work in your life.

I was thinking about the disciples, and how much they’d changed from their very first encounters with Jesus. What happened to this ‘rag-tag’ group of misfits that transformed them from seemingly cowardly men, to men of courage who fearlessly proclaimed the message of hope that Jesus gave

to them? I’m convinced that their transformations resulted from the reality that they were captivated by the life and message of Jesus.

He more than held their attention and interest; Jesus rocked their worlds in every way possible and showed them what a life worth living really looked like.

It’s true that it took three years of teaching, Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross, His resurrection, and the unleashed power of the Holy Spirit to get them to this point, but once they ‘got it’ they were actually even willing to die for this amazing truth. And most of them did.

Matthew 5:14 says this: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people

from captivated to

Photo: justin driedger

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BILL MARKHAM, Lead Pastor Central Community Churchweb: centralcc.ca

twitter: @billmarkham

Opposite page and pervious page images photographed by Justin Driedger,Niagara Falls campus pastor.

light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Take a moment to pause and think about this.

What really strikes me about what Jesus is saying here, is that we’re actually called to be captivating for one reason alone: so that others in turn will also be captivated by Jesus, the ‘Light of the World’ and experience the life-changing power of the greatest love story history has ever known: ‘... the story of a God who so loved the world, that He gave His only son ...’ (John 3:16).

Moving forward, as followers of Christ, we’re called to something greater. To move beyond just being people who are captivated by Jesus... and to actively become men and women of courage who genuinely live out our lives in such a way that others are attracted to Jesus, because His reflection is alive in us.

Take a moment to pause and think about this. That’s what this series is all about!

Photo: justin driedger

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LeadersBreakfast

Life Group Leaders join us for an intentional time of round table discussion over a scrumptious meal! Learn how we can continue to build momentum and sustain longevity in our LifeGroups. Hear what God is doing in so many groups and discover how one simple step will transform a followers journey.

When: saturday, october 20th 9aM-11:30aM

location: CENTRAL - SCOTT ST. CAMPUS

contact: please rsvp to pastor natalie [email protected] | 905-937-5610 ext. 249

LEADER DEVELOPMENT

This fall Central is hosting a variety of courses (called LifeLessons) at all of our campuses to help you truly discover who God created you to be, and to walk the road of discipleship with you. It is never too late to take time and evaluate, glean, and allow the support of others to help you grow as an individual.

Central has given me the awesome opportunity to teach the “Freedom In Christ” LifeLesson for the fall, and I am very excited about what God is doing in the lives of each person coming out! Through this 8 week course each person discovers how to let God take the reins of their life, allowing him to come and clean up any residue of the past once and for all. They learn how to give all of that baggage to Jesus so that they are free to walk without fear of the past, present or future.

There are still many people that have not heard of this ministry so let me introduce it. Freedom In Christ is a Bible based ministry that consists of seven steps to freedom. It teach us who we are in Christ, what the Bible says about us and how we can learn to receive healing for our hearts and souls. We learn how to walk it out daily in our lives.

Each step is designed to minister healing and restoration in our relationship with God and others, as well as in our own personal lives. Some of the areas dealt with are forgiveness, deception and pride. I count it a privilege to present a ministry to God’s people that has changed my own life. I had baggage, just like everyone else and He cleaned me up, set me on my feet and I have never looked back.

I have been active in this ministry for sixteen years and have seen countless people set free. I would encourage you to learn more about what it means to experience total freedom in your life. This course is for anyone, any age and walk of life.

To learn more about this course please contact Pastor Natalie at the church office 905-937-5610 ext. 249 or

[email protected]

by lorrAine hAwkins

DIscIpLEshIp

GOD CREATEDYOU TO BE

becoming who

“I have been active in this ministry for sixteen years and have seen countless

people set free.”

LIFEGROUP LEADERS DEVELOPMENT

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debrA’s side: We have been going to Central for about 2 years now and last year 3 of our children had the oppor-tunity to go to Kids Camp. They were nervous and scared at first, but they came back super excited and couldn’t wait to go again the next year. It was at that time we tossed around the idea that “next year” we would all go.

Well next year came like a roaring wind and we were asked to go as Senior Counselors. It was exciting but scary as neither of us had done anything like that before. We said yes and then quickly started to make plans to make the logistics of it all happen. Could we get the time off work, could we afford to pay for 4 children to go? Well to be perfectly honest it was all a struggle, right up to the time we left. But God knew that we needed to be there and he provided just as he always does. Someone blessed us and paid for 3 of our children to go, that was huge!

When my friend Tracy Hofland sug-gested that I partner with her with the senior girls I was a bit skeptical. I had done a lot of kids ministry but only with younger kids, never teenage girls away at a camp for 6 days! I had no idea what to expect.

When I walked into our cabin with 17 twelve and thirteen year olds, 2 bath-rooms and one giant room of beds I was a bit overwhelmed. We stayed up late the first night (well every night was late who am I kidding) talking and sharing. I shared that my family was there and that my “baby” was turning 9 on that Monday. The girls were so excited at lunch that day they stood up on chairs in the cafeteria, got everyone’s atten-tion and sang Happy Birthday.

The passion and energy was contagious you couldn’t help but smile around these girls. I learned very quickly who One Direction was too! (Girl you know you’re beautiful)

Chapel the next day and night were just amazing, very powerful. Worship was very energetic and GP did an awesome job teaching on the Armor of God, but I started to have some feelings that I didn’t belong there. Fear and doubt

came over me that I was not what these girls needed or wanted. At our devo-tion time that night I prayed and asked God to show me clearly that this is where he wanted me to be and allow me to connect with just one girl.

I was not expecting that God to answer my prayer, let alone answer it that night, but that’s what He did. We were done our devotion and everyone was getting ready for bed. I just sat in the chair as I knew there was no way I was getting in the bathroom anytime soon. I felt this presence standing above me and next thing you know one of the girls said “Debra do you want to know what I think and sat down.”

If that is not a very clear answer to prayer nothing is! We talked until 2am and I went to bed so excited and encouraged I couldn’t wait for the next day. The week was awesome, these girls were like sponges. They knew and respected when it was fun time and when it was serious time. One of our girls gave her heart to the Lord for the very first time during the week.

Watching these girls encourage one another and encourage me is some-thing I will not forget.

Another great joy was that I was able to witness my son give his testimony. Kids were asked to go up who had felt God had done something in their life that week. Isaac said that God had given him Peace and healed him of some things he was struggling with!

The funny part is I expected to go and have an impact on their lives however I believe I received the biggest blessing of all from them.

dAve’s side: When I decided to volun-teer at Kids Camp I was a little nervous to say the least and I had no idea what a battle the next few months would be. I quickly became the target of the enemy. You can’t do this, who are you? You are not qualified to help at camp. The enemy was filling my head with lies, you have only been a Christian for short time you don’t have anything to offer these kids at camp. At my lowest point I was seriously thinking of telling

cEnTRAL kIDs

the cooney fAmily: isA Ac - debrA - connor - dAve - A Aron - AmAndA

Ashley I couldn’t help at camp. Then I saw an article that Ingrid Dortono wrote in the Loop about her experience at camp. That article was exactly what I needed; I felt God was confirming that I needed to be there.

When we arrived at camp the theme was the armour of God. I didn’t realize at the time but I was going to need the armour of God just as much as the kids at camp.

The week was great and very well orga-nized. GP, Steve Mills and the chapel team were amazing; they really know how to use humour to get the message across. I had a great time getting to know the boys whether it was during devotion, playing volleyball or trying to destroy forts with water balloons at midnight. The two other leaders in my cabin, Frank and Braeden, were wonderful examples of good Godly men and I learned a lot from them. They encouraged me to come out of my comfort zone and watching them just give from their hearts non-stop was a blessing to me.

The last night in chapel we all sat as a group and we talked about the ser-vice. With 13 year old boys no one was talking (big surprise) and I felt God was asking me to share my story with the group about how I was attacked spiritually about going to camp. I kept trying to avoid it but God really kept the pressure on to share. So I asked God to give me the strength to share and he did. The kids listened and real-ly took in what I was saying. I quickly realized I was at camp not just to help the kids but so I could give a real life example of how the armour of God actually helped me.

It is wonderful that even now that we are home, camp is still a frequent con-versation for us. I can relate now and it really opens the doors of commu-nication. Whether it’s reminding the kids to put on the full armour of God, or watching my daughter become so excited to sing and do the actions to her favourite songs from camp.

Camp was tiring but it was worth the lack of sleep to see lives changed and I cannot wait to go back next year.

by debrA + dAve cooney

GOES TO CAMP

the Cooney family

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During the creative process for the Captivate series we brainstormed all of the scenes in the Bible where Jesus was drawing some significant crowds and attention. As we talked about what that might have been like we were drawn to modern day examples of people being captivated by major global events. The instant visual that came to mind was the

creAtive brief: cAPtivAte seriesfamily of the 1960’s huddled around the TV set watching the moon landing, or a crowd of people staring into a store front as they watch breaking news with intense focus. Back then, news was really news and people seemed to sit up and take notice when big things were hap-pening around them. The same was true in Jesus’ life. When Jesus was

near by, people got up and rushed to be near him. The bible says that faith comes from hearing (Rom 10:7) so we thought an antique radio would be an appropriate visual to convey our creative concept. Our media director, Scott Trapasso hunted down this old radio from the late 1920’s (a story worth asking him about next time you see him) and we

took it to an old barn in Ft. Erie, covered it with dust and cobwebs and took the shots we needed. This macro shot (taken by Scott) is a close up of the dial on the radio. Our graphic designer (Andrew Plett) then took the shot and finished the creative concept by adding additional information to the dial in the form of historic dates.

Photo: scot t trAPAsso / Artwork: Andrew Plet t

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If their was only one word I could use to describe this coming season of our church it would be anticipation. Wikipedia describes anticipation as being enthusiastic; an emotion involving pleasure, excitement and some anxiety.

Have you ever had those emotions? When you know you are on the cusp of something great and you aren’t totally sure how it’s going to play out. That feeling that you can’t shake of excitement while deep down feeling a little anxiety that you don’t want to mess it up?

This fall at the Niagara Falls Campus we are believing for explosive growth in our 3 C’s (Celebrate, Care, Connect). We are amping up our Celebrate weekend experience to be an unforgettable experience where people in our community will encounter God in a way that is engaging, relevant to their lives, and life changing. We will continue to aggressively pursue young families and find ways to serve them in our community. We are able to do this because of your involvement in making our church inviting and a place where people want to be. There are so many places you can plug in but let me feature our children’s ministry for a moment. I believe that God has blessed us with an amazing opportunity with our children’s facility in partnership with Funtown along with our volunteers and I believe the best way to serve a family is to serve their kids. I believe children are an indicator of the life of a church and nothing gets me more excited than seeing children in love with Jesus and excited about church. Would you consider investing a week or two a month in serving kids. You can connect with our children’s director Jesse Bone ([email protected]) and he would be glad to plug you in. Let’s celebrate and redouble our efforts as we serve God together.

by justin driedger

nIAgARA fALLscAmpus

ANTICIPATION;AN EMOTION INVOLVING

pLEAsuRE, ExcITEmEnT AnD sOmE AnxIETy. (wIkIpEDIA)

Campus pastors Justin and Melanie Driedger haven’t even been operating for one full year yet, but their vision is big, they are getting their hands dirty, and they are living out their call

to plant a campus in the north end of Niagara Falls.

Photo: melAnie driedger

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We are also seeing an explosion in our Care component which is all about loving life through life groups. I’m so excited as this fall we have launched 2 new life groups with the purpose of deepening the community we have here in our church. It’s powerful to do life with other people and grow together. These new life groups have been the result of people in our church recognizing a need and volunteering to meet that need. We have launched a young married life group with an amazing couple Joey and Sarah Jackson

([email protected]). This is truly a great opportunity if you are married with young children. We are also starting a single parents life group with Lindsay Morton ([email protected]) and they meet every Tuesday night.

If there isn’t a life group that doesn’t fit you at our campus we will work hard to start one. So why does this matter? The bible says that people will know we are Christians by the way we love one another and I believe life groups are an amazing avenue to do that. I want to strongly encourage you if you are part of our campus to get plugged in to doing life with other people. This is how you were created and I’m believing for an incredible year for you!

Lastly, in the area of Connecting we have many ways that this happening through our life groups but I want to tell you about an opportunity we’ve been given. Through relationship with our city and through Niagara Regional Housing we have been presented an opportunity to take on 74 units of government housing in the south end of Niagara Falls (6905 Warden). They have approached us and said that the last group ran out of funding and pulled out of this area, would you help? It’s an area filled with families and children who don’t have anything positive and would you consider partnering with us with these 200+ people?

Can I just say that this to me is the reason why we exist! So through prayer and conversation with our core team, we as campus have committed to partnering with NRH and over the next year we have planned strategic events to help facilitate and build relationship in this area. We will be doing a Halloween Hoedown on October 31 and Christmas gifts in December. These are all areas where life groups can really get involved. I’m dreaming of busing in dozens and dozens of children to our kids ministry after we’ve built a bit of relationship. This is something we are working towards beginning come January. What good is the message of Jesus if we aren’t willing to take it to people exactly like these. This isn’t just for the leadership team to take care of. This is all of us working together to share the good news of Jesus.

If I’m honest, my slight bit of anxiety comes in simply the fact that I just don’t want any of us to miss out this year on an opportunity to be a part of God’s church in its fullness. I’m praying that you will be captivated by the vision of our church to Love God, Love Life and to Love Others. I’m praying that you will plug in and not believe the lie that somebody else will step up. I’m praying that you will be moved with a heart to see community transformation with the message of Jesus. Are you ready? Why don’t you dive in and see where God will take you? Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

JUSTIN DRIEDGER, Campus Pastor Niagara [email protected]

@justindriedger

cOmIng OcOTbER 31 (5pm - 7:30pm)6905 wARDEn AvE, nIAgARA fALLs + 7924 AscOT cIRcLE, nIAgARA fALLs

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Alpha Life is an eight-week course that provides a great opportunity to explore the meaning of life, and learn more about faith in God in a relaxed, friendly setting. At each session, people enjoy great food and conversation in an open environment, where no question about life or God is too simple or too complex.

Scott St. CampusTuesdays at 7pm | Starting Sept 18

Downtown CampusWednesdays at 12pm | Starting Sept 19

For more information contact:Natalie Vanderwier.(905) 937-5610 ext 249 | [email protected]

CENTRAL DISCIPLESHIP

AlphaLifeTHE BASICS OF CHRISTIANITY

by mike hicks

gLObAL mIssIOn

THE GOD WHOHAD NOT FORGOTTEN THEM

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to the story of a young man whose life has been trans-formed by the power of Jesus

Christ. On occasion there are stories that cause us to reflect about the life we have, and the God that loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us. This is one of those stories.

“My name is Alex. I live in Lima, Peru. I was raised in Peru by my mother. Peru is a third world country with many people living in poverty, and that how my siblings and I grew up.

Our home was a cardboard box. When it rained, it would be destroyed, and after each rain we would have to rebuild our home again. When I was young I did not know what discrimi-nation was, but I knew we were treated differently than other people.

My younger brother George and I would beg, sing, and sell candy to try and make some money to help our mom. On one occasion we went to the coast and were selling candy in one of the more affluent areas of Peru. We were walking along a beautiful pier

that led to an upscale restaurant. As we stood on the pier, security per-sonnel approached us and told us to leave; they told us that poor people like ourselves were not welcome there. Although I was young, I allowed this experience to fill me with anger and bitterness. I determined to return some day to eat at that restaurant.

Several years later a missionary team visited our slum. They came and visit-ed with us, smiled, taught us songs and hugged us. They told us about a God who loved us and had not forgotten us. They told us how this God loved us so much that he had given His only Son to die for us. That team changed our lives and I vowed to change who I was and to change my world.

I am now in my twenties, married, and serving our Lord, Jesus Christ. Both my brother and I are pastors. I serve all over South America training up new pastors. I also serve with my brother and work with the youth of Peru. Many youth in Lima are involved in gangs, simply so they have a sense of belong-ing, and it is those young people we are trying to reach for God. In January of this year we held a youth conference for 3000 young people.

Many large churches approached us and asked how we did this with our limited resources. We of course know that it is not us, but God who is work-ing through us. We serve a God who had not forgotten us, and we bring that news to all who will listen to our story. We do this because of one mission-ary team who left the comfort of their homes in North America for two short weeks, hugged us, and told us of a God who loved us.

As a side note, for my first wedding anniversary I took my wife to that restaurant on the pier. You know, rich people eat the same fish as poor peo-ple. They just put it on a fancy plate.”

A short story of a boy in poverty a mission team, and the God who had

not forgotten him.

“Our home was in a cardboard box. When it rained, it would be destroyed, and after each rain we would have to rebuild our

home again.”

24 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

cOLLIDE

BEAUTIFULCOLLISION

Those song lyrics from songwriter David Crowder just happen

to explain the beauty and complexity of what God is doing between two

churches and the young adult community of St. Catharines.

Photo: Andrew Plet t

26 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

cOLLIDE

On Sunday September 23 I left my regular perch (reclining on the couch in-and-out

of sleep watching football) to spend the evening at Collide, the joint young adults

community of Southridge and Central Community Churches. I’m not exactly sure

what I expected, but what I witnessed was one of the most inspiring, energizing and

beautiful expressions of the church I’ve ever seen. After the service and some min-

gling in the atrium (supported by background music from a DJ) I sat down with the

four main leaders of collide (Jeff Price, Mark Whitson, Chris Fowler, Chris Whitson)

to talk about this bold new approach to community and ministry.

andreW: So, here we are at Southridge. Three staff members from Central and one from Southridge chatting about a young adult community that is blurring traditional denominational lines and shaping a radical new path. How did we get here?

JEFF: It all started with Roy Olende and Chris Fowler. Through their friendship they began to wonder what it would look like if Central and its young adult program, and Southridge and its young adult program leveraged their strengths and resources together. They were more or less doing the same thing, so they dreamed of what it would look like for two churches to say they were going to have a united front when it came to impacting university students in St. Catharines.

andreW: Is that where the name Collide comes from, two churches colliding?

CHRIS: Ironically that isn’t where the name came from. Central’s young adults ministry was called Collide for many years but it works on so many levels for us today still. You can talk about people colliding (not physically) with God and what they think about him, colliding with each other, two churches colliding together. Even some things that I just recently read, which I was unsure about at first but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I was reading about a series that the Orange ministry did with high schoolers, and what they were talking about was the idea that when you collide with something, one of those things isn’t the same. When I collide with God something is going to change. Our imperfection doesn’t affect God, it’s his perfection that affects us. So collide works on so many levels, it’s a great metaphor for what we are trying to do.

andreW: A lot of people inside the church might wonder how two churches from different theological perspectives can actually work together. If you take your previous analogy of one of the objects changing because of the collision, how will that practically play itself out with the two churches?

CHRIS: It’s one thing when we collide with God. But this is where that analogy breaks down a bit. To me its like a relationship. What happens in a relationship? Well, I get to know you - you get to know me. We like each other and there are things that are similar at the core that us together. Then there are differences from our life experiences and the things that have shaped who we are

up to this point that ultimately could be points of contention in some ways, but they ultimately, in a God filled kind of way, can be complimentary. Like any real relationship, both people change in a good healthy way. I feel as though we are very much in the early stages of this so we are working stuff out as we go along. The reality of God’s presence brings us together.

Mark: I love the PAOC (Penticostal Assemblies Of Canada) and that is my heritage, but I’m not the PAOC. And (looking at Chris) your not the MB (Mennonite Brethren). We are people that love being under those umbrellas but the umbrellas don’t define us.

CHRIS: We’re not embarrassed about or ashamed of our heritage. In fact, we do celebrate it and as we interact we’re going to have some awesome discussions that is going to deeply affect our communities. Last week some people from our (Southridge) vision night were walking by at the end of Collide and I jokingly said “we need a little more pentecostal around here.” And the truth is we do.

JEFF: I think it is actually really beautiful. I think (at Central) we hear a lot about the idea of dynamic tension, and that’s what I feel is so beautiful about this. Southridge and Central are similar in so many ways. We both want to see the world transformed, want to see God lifted high, want to see believers understand what the word of God means for them and how to live that out in a practical way, and what it means to live a spirit filled life in todays culture. Some theological things may be different, but those areas are not salvation driven, they are areas of distinction, areas that we’ve chosen to navigate together in true community, working through that. I’m probably going to mess up, Chris will mess up, but the thing is there is a greater cause that forces us to let go of things that create division and embrace unity. We are choosing to lay down non-essentials to show the love of God to people.

Mark: I think some times in our culture we are overly critical. Sometimes we are more interested in finding out what our differences are as opposed to finding out what we have in common. There is so much common ground between the MB and PAOC and I love that we get to work together because I believe that there are more similarities than differences, that’s what we need to stay focused on.

andreW: It seems like this kind of unity is something this generation really values. I get this sense that strong denominational emphasis doesn’t carry the same weight as it did for our parents and grandparents. I wonder if todays university students are actually really excited by this kind of partnership?

JEFF: That’s what I’m hearing! When I talk to a lot of university students they are amazed that two churches in the same city would do this together. That alone is a huge win for us. Students seem to really resonate with the fact that there are two churches willing to lay down their pride and their rights for the same common goal.

andreW: Chris, you took time at the end of the service to articulate the vision for Collide. Your vision starts with two words that are intriguing to me; an “imperfect community”, what do you mean by that?

CHRIS: It’s a bunch of people who realize that there’s no one who is perfect. People who don’t try to pretend that they’re perfect. It’s actually very refreshing, even for an old guy like me, we are just stating up front that we are all on the same page. No one in Collide is better or worse than the next person. The details of their lives might be different, but each one of us in incredibly valuable in God’s sight and we’re each marred and need to be remade.

by Andrew Plet t

[continued on page 31]

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collide worshiP leAder mArk whitsonPhoto: Andrew Plet t

30 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

Mark: I feel like its something that we don’t even know we are totally craving and longing for because we are in so many environments and situations where we never let our guard down. Whether in class or at church, or with family and friends. There are not a lot of places you can go where you can be vulnerable with the things you are really struggling with. I think an imperfect community carries some weight because I don’t think a lot of people would actually admit freely that they don’t have it all together.

JEFF: I would say an imperfect community for me is a place where you don’t have to pretend to have it all together. Your faults or failures, it’s a safe place to have those. So when we are dealing with things like theology or the philosophy of who God is, you don’t have to have perfect answers. We are dealing with things like how we connect together in a real and authentic way. We don’t want people putting on different faces or hats trying to be things they are not. We want people accepting others for who and where they are.

andreW: This idea seems to run contrary to the tropical university experience where so much seems to be about impress-ing teachers, friends, classmates and even future employers. I think it is hard not to want to appear perfect in a setting like university.

Mark: I think it will be amazing for a whole community to just acknowledge that they are just at the start of their journey. They don’t know what exactly they are going to do for a career, who they are going to marry, where they’ll live or what life will be like.

CHRIS: I think an imperfect community is also about us recognizing that even with relation to God, in your late teens and early twenties, you are still trying to figure those things out for yourself, establish your own thoughts about God, not only what your parents told you. Another way to put it would be that we want to kill this idea that you need to impress anyone here at Collide.

Mark: I think if we were to say it succinctly we would say an imperfect community is a group of people who are willing to admit they are on a journey as opposed to having already arrived at a place.

CHRIS: That’s a great way to put it.

andreW: One last thing. If you could stand in front of the thousands of people who attend our two churches and commu-nicate one thing about Collide to them, what would you say?

CHRIS: That we passionately want Jesus to deeply influence this young adult generation. That’s the only thing that matters.

JEFF: I would say that our defined win at Collide is those who are far from God falling in love with God, getting involved in a LifeGroup, becoming discipled and then becoming someone who influences their campus for Christ. There are 18,000 students at Brock, another several thousand at Niagara College and something like 30,000 in the Niagara region. It time. It’s time. Time to step out and become influencers to this generation and do what it takes to reach them.

CHRIS: I would also want to address the forty plus crowd. Our Adopt-A-Student piece is going to be a big thing at Collide. In our first two weeks we’ve already had 19 people indicate to us that they want to get connected to a family. What’s important about that is that it engages people who have the gift of hospitality to really love on people. People feel loved when people take time to make a meal and enjoy their company and get to know them. It also helps young adults get connected to the wider church. Collide has limitations, young adults can’t be everything to each other. They need the wider church, they need older people to speak into their lives. We need older people who want to invest in younger people. People don’t need to come on Sunday night, we can facilitate the getting connected. You don’t need to feel like you need to sit through a service that doesn’t speak to you, or isn’t about you in order to get connected with young adults. We will take care of the connections.

collide disciPleshiP leAder chris fowlerPhoto: Andrew Plet t

COLLIDE connect with us via twitter and post your instagram shots for a chance to win cool prizesinstagram: wearecollide + twitter: @wearecollide

32 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

lead teamLead Pastor

bill MarkhaMExt. [email protected]

Creative Communications

adaM fryExt. [email protected]

Ministry Environments

natalie vanderWierExt. [email protected]

Collide | Red Frogs

JEFF PRICEExt. [email protected]

Executive Operations

Mike hicksExt. [email protected]

pastoral & support teamCampus Pastor, Downtown]

SHAWN [email protected]

Campus Pastor, Niagara Falls

justin [email protected]

Pastoral Care

david toppingExt. [email protected]

Music Director

Mark WhitsonExt. [email protected]

Red Frogs + Collide

CHRIS WHITSONExt. [email protected]

Worship Leader

BECCA [email protected]

Worship Leader

Melanie [email protected]

LifeGroups

brenda drostExt. [email protected]

Worship Leader

greg sykesExt. [email protected]

Volunteer Coordinator

karlene MarkhaMExt. [email protected]

Emerging Generations Pastor

gianpaolo galessiereExt. [email protected]

Central Youth Pastor

alex sMethurstExt. [email protected]

Central Kids Pastor

JESSICA SMETHURSTExt. [email protected]

Jr. Central Kids Pastor

kathryn hicksExt. [email protected]

Kids Pastor, Niagara Falls

JESSE [email protected]

Kids Pastor, Downtown

catharine [email protected]

Professional Counselor

agnes vrieze,msw, RswExt. [email protected]

Production Director

darrick vanderWierExt. [email protected]

Media Director

SCOTT TRAPASSOExt. [email protected]

Print + Graphic Design

andreW plettExt. [email protected]

administration & building teamExec. Assistant To Lead Pastor

ASHLEY BERTIExt. [email protected]

Assimilation Director

EMILY SLUYSExt. [email protected]

Director Of Accounting

MONTE MILLARExt. [email protected]

Reception+Admin Assistant

jolene harderExt. [email protected]

Building Superintendent

greg burnsExt. [email protected]

Central Catering

iris regier + chris fannelExt. 230

THE LOOP ON-LINEYou can find it under ‘Media,’ and it is available the first Sunday that the print-ed version is available. Remember, one copy per household helps keep the costs down and helps the environment, too.

THE FUTURE HOME OF

CENTRAL COMMONSA PARTNER ONLY resource designed to give central partners a platforM to

coMMunicate the things that Matter to theM Most. our partners Will be able to subMita variety of announceMents that they Would like us to publish.

We are still Working out the details but We’d love to begin to hear froM you.

subMit your neWs to: [email protected]

library & bookstore (Located at our Scott Street Campus)

The library is full of great resources for all your needs. Please make sure you sign up for your library card. The Bookstore also offers resources to purchase. These include sermons and series, which are available on both CD and DVD. Please visit the Bookstore (located at Scott Street) or Central Connect (Downtown & Pen Centre) to order your copies. There are also lim-ited copies of books, Music CDs and DVDs from special guests who visit us from time to time.

Maybe you just itching to say a big thank you to soMeone

Everyone loves a hearty “thank you”. Why not submit one so that we can all feel good.

neW central live cd & dvd

Central Live 2010 + 2011 CD/DVD available at Central Connect or for download on iTunes (itunes.ca/central-live) for just $15. All proceeds will be used to produce future projects.

this space could really use an exciting birth announceMent

Have one you would like to celebrate with us? Send us an email for the November Loop.

if you’re grieving the loss of a loved one and you’d like to share it, this Would be a great spot.

Feel free to email us so that we can send our condolences to you and your family.

We’re doing our best to be better COMMUNICATORS

We understand that in a church our size people’s personal lives sometimes get lost in the shuffle. This is never our intention, but unfortunately it does hap-pen from time to time.

We’ve been getting helpful feedback that we need to work a little harder at communication so we are going to give this a trial shot. For the next 4 issues we will begin to build Central Commons. If you are a partner, this is your oppor-tunity to keep everyone up to date with what is going on in your life.

debit & credit card Machine

Available at Central Connect (Scott St. and Niagara Falls Campuses) for any giving or purchases you would like to make at Central. Please see the procedure card located at Central Connect for instructions. Cash back is not available at this time.

FINANCIAL NUMBERS

We are currently reworking how we communicate our financial information to you. Please stay tuned next month for a special financial report.

sTAff cOnTAcT

34 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

36 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

SCOTT ST. CAMPUS240 Scott St.St. Catharines, ON L2N 1H6P: 905.937.5610

service tiMesSunday Morning [9:30am & 11:15am]

doWntoWn caMpus203 Church Street, St. Catharines, ONP: 289.271.1014

service tiMeSunday Morning [10AM]

niagara falls caMpus6970 Mountain Rd.Niagara Falls, ONP: 905.325.8224

service tiMeSaturday Evening[6PM]