a publication of central community church online at...

a conversation on life and faith

27 MILLIONThe passion of our young

adult generation to address issues of justice, human

trafficking and sex slavery.

MORE THAN ENOUGH STORIESExamine how four people can

say that God is more than enough even through the storms

of life.

THE HOCKEY REV.A short introduction to

Shawn Paul, our downtown campus pastor.

THE JUICY DETAILSWhat really happened during our controversial ‘Not A Fan’

billboard campaign and series.

More ThanEnough

A new series about full confidence in Godin the middle of the storm.

NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE NO. 29

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

2 THE LOOP - A MAGAZINE OF CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH

DEPARTMENTS

06 | EDiToRiAl by Andrew Plett

Trusting God in the middle of the storm.

08 | ThE big PicTuRE by Bill Markham

Facing the furnace.

10 | colliDE by Jeff Price

27 Million

12 | lifE TogEThER by Natalie Vanderwier

How a LifeGroup helped a couple weather life’s storms.

32 | cREATivE bRiEf by Adam Fry

What really happened during the Not A Fan series.

34 | ThE lAST WoRD by Andrew Plett

Deep and beautiful.

CONTENTSON THE COVER: Francisco ‘Cisco’ Fernandez Denys shares briefly about

living with cerebral palsy and how he has learned to say

that God is more than enough for him.

PHOTOgRAPHY: SCOTT TRAPASSO

fEATuRES

14 | MoRE ThAN ENough TRuE SToRiES

A short introduction to four people from Central who have learned to trust God in the storms of life.

24 | EvERyThiNg coulD hAvE chANgED bAck iN 1969 by Mike Hicks

A story of God’s prompting.

27 | ShAWN PAul. hockEy REv. by Andrew Plett

An interview with our Downtown Campus pastor Shawn Paul about his passion for hockey and the church.

iNfoRMATioN

38 | cENTRAl coMMoNSA new way to communicate.

39 | coNTAcT uSCentral’s staff directory.

WOMEN’S LIFE

MONdAY, NOVEMBER 12TH 7:15 - 9:00 PM

• TickeTs available aT cenTral connecT beginning ocTober 22nd $5 AdVANCE \\ $7 @ THE dOOR

• bring a canned food iTem and help sTock cenTral’s food panTry FOR THOSE IN NEEd TickeT required for enTry

GirlsNightWHERE WOMEN CONNECT. SHAPE.

AND SHARE THEIR LIVES

O U T


I was six years old when I first remember experi-encing tragedy. It was the middle of the night and I was startled awake by loud, panicked banging on our front door. Within seconds I could hear my dad’s feet hit the floor as he hurried to see what the problem was. Standing by my door, which was open just a crack, I listened to a frantic man beg my father to call the police. We lived on a rural

road in Simcoe, Ontario and this man’s friend had driven into the ditch and struck a hydro pole in front of our house. The man died that night and I wonder if his family could say that God was more than enough for them.

Four years later I came face to face with tragedy again as I ran with my dad into the emergency room of an Ottawa hospital. I remember standing with him as he talked on the phone with a couple from our church who had gone to Toronto for a job interview. Dad’s voice wavered as he told them that they needed to come home as soon as possible, that something had happened. While he was on the phone I slipped away and managed to peek through the swinging doors of one of the rooms in the ER as doctors and nurses rushed in and out.

I’ll never forget seeing the soles of these little feet on the table as the staff frantically worked to save the life of that tiny baby. They could not revive him and he died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome that day. I wonder how long it took those grieving parents to tell God that He was more than enough for them.

Twenty-four years later, nothing could have prepared me for the winter and spring of 2011. In late February, my best friend and brother-in-law was killed in a car accident on his way home after a weekend of skiing in our favourite ski town in Montana. Ladell’s wife, carrying their unborn

child, and his niece were in the car with him that snowy night and by some great miracle, walked out of the car with minor injuries.

Just over a week later I was preaching to 900 people at his funeral.

A few days after the funeral, while we were still in Alberta, I received a call from my mom; my thirty-six year old sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer and things didn’t look good.

Three weeks after that I found myself in the emergency room of the Hamilton General dealing with tragedy again. My uncle (whom I had worked for and was like a father to me) had fallen off scaffolding on his job-site injuring his head and spinal cord. After emergency surgery and hours of anxious waiting in the intensive care, the news came back. It wasn’t good. My uncle Eric passed away that night and a few days later I was leading worship at the funeral of a man that I deeply loved and respected.

It wasn’t even another month before we would receive anoth-er agonizing phone call informing us that my wife’s grand-mother had passed away. Within two months we were faced with the loss of three significant members of our lives and the news that my sister had a very aggressive cancer. Now it was my turn. Was God really more than enough for me?

In this issue of the Loop you are going to briefly meet four people who have gone through significant trials in life and still chose to declare that God is more than enough through it all. Not in a cliché, scripted words manner, but in a deeply trusting way. I hope that through their stories you become encouraged and inspired to truly come to the place where you can confidently say that God is more than enough for you. Even in your darkest hour.

by Andrew Plet t

EDiToRiAl

ThE SToRMThE SToRM trusting God in the middle of


How do you respond when life gets so intense, when the heat is turned up so high that even the

strongest people around you crumble under the weight and pressure?

For months now I’ve been planning to preach a series on miracles and the supernatural power of God, and over the last while, the way in which I think God is calling us to tackle that subject is changing.

We’ve studied the miracles of Jesus and the supernatural activity of God before, yet something different has been stirring inside of me lately; something I was reminded of as I was reading through the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.

The scene at the beginning of Daniel opens with the Babylonian King hav-ing laid siege to Jerusalem, capturing the great city. As a part of that victory, he instructed his chief of staff to bring young men from the royal and noble families back to Babylon as captives. The Bible records these men as being strong, good looking, smart and gifted.

by bill mArkhAm

fuRNAcE

ThE bigPicTuRE

fuRNAcE (Daniel 1:3-5) The best of the best! You might know them as Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel.

Surprisingly, the first few years of their service in the King’s court were filled with exceptional favour. In fact, the Bible says that God gave them “an unusual aptitude for understanding in every aspect of literature and wisdom.” (Daniel 1:17)

It’s incredible to think that these exiled men from a foreign country were now given positions to influence the direc-tion of the nation that captured them. As amazing as this is, the part of the story that grips me is how these men, in the face of incredible challenge and the temptation to compromise, held to the unswerving conviction that God is “more than enough”.

Their unwavering conviction inspires and continues to remind us today that God more important than posi-tion, power, and popularity with those around you. His power is revealed when we come to the end of our-selves and we have had enough! It’s in these moments that our eyes are truly opened: not only does God show Himself as being “more than enough” to meet our needs right where we’re at,

He then transforms our situation into something supernatural.

Our More Than Enough sermon series is about intense situations where this idea is challenged. Is God really enough to take care of me even when my life situation seems desperate? Is God “more than enough” when I have been stripped of everything and I am forced into a situation not of my choosing? (Daniel 1) Is God “more than enough” when I face a situation where it seems that I am going to be destroyed? (Daniel 3) Is God “more than enough” when I am being per-secuted for doing the right thing, especially when it goes against what everyone else is doing? (Daniel 6)

It is my hope and prayer that by the end of this series that you will be able to boldly proclaim with authenticity, “God is more than enough” no matter what situation you face. May you live in the confidence of these Hebrew slaves who declared in the midst of the most difficult life situation possible, “Our God is able to save us...but even if He doesn’t, we will serve Him!” (Daniel 3:17-18)

facing the

Photo: justin driedger

BILL MARKHAM, Lead Pastor Central Community Church

web: centralcc.ca twitter: @billmarkham


According to recent studies there are over 27 million people being trafficked around the world. Statistics state that of the 27 million, 79% of the victims are being exploited in the sex trade, 70% of victims are females and the aver-age age of victims is 12-14 years old. According to Biz Magazine “The Golden

Horseshoe is notorious for human trafficking. Southwestern Ontario accounts for 75% of all human trafficking cases that go to court in Canada: Niagara, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Ancaster and Hamilton are major hot spots. With the U.S. border close by, the Niagara Casino, strip clubs and agriculture/ farms make this area an attraction to traffickers”. Statistics say that every two minutes a child is trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

At Collide we feel compelled to fight human trafficking! Slavery is larger now than at any point in history and we believe that something needs to be done! On September 30 Collide hosted a special service entitled Real Justice where we talked about this horrible atrocity. We were very excited to host missionaries who are rescuing girls from the red light district in Calcutta, India and talked about the responsibility we have to be a light in this very dark situation.

At the end of the night to symbolize our desire to be a light to the Niagara region, we filled 200 L.E.D. balloons and dis-tributed them to all the students at Collide. It was amazing to see so many students make the declaration that they are going to help make a difference. Along with many social awareness campaigns here in St. Catharines, Collide is supporting an amazing organization called “The Well” in Calcutta, India. The Well is rescuing girls from the red light district and teaching them skills that make them employable.

In April, Collide will be hosting a missions trip to Calcutta where we will have the opportunity to work with these girls and help make a practical difference. If you are interested in finding out more about this missions trip please go to www.wearecollide.ca

colliDE

27 MillioN27 MillioN

COLLIDE: Connect with us via twitter and post your instagram shots for a chance to win cool prizes

instagram: wearecollidetwitter: @wearecollide

Photos: dAvid rustenberg

by jeff Price


I was wondering if you could do me a favour. Next weekend when you come to Central, would you to take a look around at all the people who come out to your Campus? Now, don’t just scan over the crowd of people; this time, take a closer look. You’ll probably see a family that you have never met before with a couple of little kids, or a young mom who is sitting a couple rows in front of you, or an older gentleman who slips in quietly behind you.

It’s eye-opening when we stop and pause for a moment and start to see the people around us, I mean really see them. We are reminded once again that every person has an untold story. A story, I believe, with all my heart, that is meant to be shared. We are innately designed to go through life alone, with the love and support of other people in our lives.

Every weekend we gather together under the same roof, for one com-mon goal. And yet, how many of us can say we are really involved in the lives of those we come to celebrate with at our campuses?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find life a little hectic. Between balancing work, being a mom, a wife, and a friend, I forget to stop and see the people around me. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own story that I rush by the people I cross paths with and don’t take time to hear their story.

Recently I had the privilege of hearing one couple’s story that I’d like to share with you. They have asked kindly to remain anonymous, so let’s call them Jeff & Aimee.

A few years ago Jeff & Aimee started attending Central. They had just moved from out of town and did not know anyone. They came for a few months and felt compelled to start getting involved. Not being sure what exactly to get involved in, they started helping out in Children’s Ministry, and soon started going to a LifeGroup with other couples in their demographic. During the course of the next few months Jeff & Aimee started to experience a variety of hardships. Aimee’s mother passed away. They had been trying for a few years to get pregnant and then Aimee had a miscarriage. Jeff’s company

was experiencing cut backs and he lost his job. They had to quickly sell their home to downsize and move into a rental.

From the outside one would look at this couple’s life and wonder, how on earth can anyone go through this and come out on top? When I spoke with this couple they shared with me a really incredible part of their story – they did not go through this journey alone.

You see, when Aimee’s mother passed away she could not believe it, but everyone from their LifeGroup came to the funeral and, over the next couple of weeks, brought food to their home. When they went through their miscarriage, another close couple from their LifeGroup skipped a party they were all going to, brought take-out, and they all had a “night in”. When Jeff lost his job, their LifeGroup was right there to help them move and walk through the process together. Time and time again they were overwhelmed by the love and support of the people in their LifeGroup! They learned that this is what the church family is all about.

Like many of you, I recall a time in my life when I felt it was a weak-ness to open up to others or to lean on anyone. But, like Jeff and Aimee, I am learning that there is strength in being part of a community of people you can share your life with. At Central, LifeGroups are not only an incredible opportunity to walk alongside others, they are also a valuable tool to grow in your faith and develop your personal relationship with Christ. LifeGroups provide a safe environment for asking questions and seeking answers.

If you would like to find a group that is a great fit for you please feel free to contact our Care Team at 905-937-5610 ext. 249 or e-mail [email protected].

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

or [email protected]

HOW BEINg IN A LIFEgROUP HELPEd ONE COUPLE WEATHER THE STORMS OF LIFE

by nAtAlie vAnderwier

lifEgRouPS

TogEThERTogEThER

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 have been an inspiration to the church for generations.

Details:All Hymn Sings are held at our Scott St. Campus at 6pm

Dates:Sunday November 18Sunday December 9

HYMN SING

HymnSingTIMELESS WORSHIP


Over the next few pages you are going to meet four people from Central who have real stories of pain, addiction, heartache, loss and disappointment. Jesus said “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)

That is a powerful true verse. The only problem is that it isn’t always easy to trust God through the storms of life.

In preparation for this series we felt it was important to introduce you to people who have had to make a decision to declare that God is more than enough for them every day and sometimes minute by minute.

Our hope is that through their short stories you will be filled with the kind of faith three Hebrew slaves had when faced with death by fiery furnace, as they declared “Our God is able to save us...but even if He doesn’t, we will serve Him!” (Daniel 3:17-18)


Photo: scot t trAPAsso

Emily SluysAge: 34

Struggle that you are faced with?Emotional & relational rejection

How have you learned to say God is more than enough with confidence?I thought I had married someone with whom I would share love, dreams and a family for the rest of my life. When he left me, I had never felt so deceived and rejected. I had to consciously choose forgiveness and love over bitterness, and in the years that followed I resolved over and over to trust God no matter what. I choose daily (at times even hourly) to embrace that God loves me and is always with me; to trust Him when things don’t make sense or don’t turn out the way I hope; to trust Him in spite of overwhelming thoughts and emotions that tell me I don’t matter or that I’ll be lied to or rejected again. It’s been in the painful times that His love and presence has been more than enough and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.



Devon Waters & Doug Cushman (His AA sponsor)

Age: 44

Struggle that you are faced with?Alcoholism

How have you learned to say God is more than enough with confidence?For ten years I battled with alcoholism. I hit rock bottom on December 31, 2010 as I sat in the St. Catharines mens detox completely broken, afraid and hopeless. That’s when I met Doug Cushman and everything began to change. Through Doug’s influence in my life I’ve given my heart to Jesus, become a part of a 12-step program and started to live out my faith with passion and purpose. I can say God is more than enough because even in the hardest moments of my life, I know God is in control, that somehow and in some way, He is working everything out for good.



Francisco FernandezDenysAge: 26

Struggle that you are faced with?Cerebral Palsy

How have you learned to say God is more than enough with confidence?I have celebral palsy in the left side of my body. I’ve had it since I was born because of a shortage of oxygen at birth. There’s limited mobility and elasticity in my left arm down from my shoulder to my fingers and my left leg down from my achilles heel to my ankle. I’ve learned to say God is more than enough because God has shown himself to be faithful and constant through everything in my life. He provides peace at times in my life when there was frustration, disappointment and hurt because of my disability. My disability does not limit my hopes and dreams. In fact, God has given me my own talents and abilities.


Sue AbrahamsAge: 41

Struggle that you are faced with?Loss of my daughter

How have you learned to say God is more than enough with confidence?My world was turned upside down when my daughter Brooke was born severely brain damaged from complications during her birth. We were told she might not live a day, but if she did, her life (and ours) would be very difficult. Just after her fifth birthday Brooke suddenly passed away peacefully in our arms. We knew she wouldn’t live a long life, but the pain of losing her was more than I thought I could handle. Her death brought me to my knees and I did ask God why it had to happen, but I soon knew that I needed to make a decision to stop questioning and to choose to have faith. Over time I realized that I never did have enough of what it takes to be a mom to a child with special needs, and I couldn’t possibly cope with the loss of our child if God wasn’t more than enough for me. With Him by my side there is nothing I can’t handle.



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 January 18

Downtown CampusWednesdays at 12pm | Starting in January 2013

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

CENTRAL DISCIPLESHIP

AlphaLifeTHE BASICS OF CHRISTIANITY

It was 1969 at my grand-parents’ place in northern Ontario. They lived half-way between the town of Sundridge and Magnetawan on the 124 highway. The muscle cars of the day were the Chevy Camaro, the

Dodge Charger and the Ford Mustang. Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister and I was nine years old.

Dad and mom decided to take us on one of our regular day trips to Magnetawan, to the boat launch. We would take a picnic lunch, set up lawn chairs, and put our sun hats on. Mom couldn’t swim but loved to soak up the sun on the beach while keeping an eye on us. At the end of the boat ramp the water was about 3 feet deep then it dropped off. The drop off was blocked by a large concrete curb so the trailers wouldn’t roll off the ramp and sink in the river. Since I swam well, I was allowed to swim around beyond the ramp to my heart’s content, but my little brother, at 6 years old, was not able to swim yet and had to stay on the ramp.

On this particular day, my dad and older brother were fishing on the dock, about a stone’s throw away from us. I had swimming goggles on and was dog-paddling around, swimming out beyond the boat ramp, enjoying myself. I could see the bottom of the river. The water was a coke-colored

northern Ontario shade of brown but very clear. My younger brother was splashing around on the boat ramp. Mom watched him as she sat in her chair.

David started walking closer to the curb at the deep end of the ramp. I could hear mom saying ‘get back from the edge David.’ He didn’t listen very well. I was still out past the curb pad-dling around as I watched through the goggles, while he stepped up on the curb. Then I could see his little feet walking down the curb. On one side of the curb it was 3.5 feet deep and on the other side the water was 8 feet deep. As I mentioned, mom couldn’t swim. In fact she still can’t swim. Then it happened. One foot slipped off the curb over the back side and then the other. Sploosh!!!... David was in deep water, head thrashing around, mom was yelling and wading into the water but she couldn’t reach him...he was in way over his head! I could hear mom screaming and I could see him going down.

Without a conscious decision, I found myself swimming over to him. I grabbed him around the waist and swam, pushing him towards the con-crete curb. Over he went back into the shallows. Once I had pushed him back to safety mom grabbed him, hugged him, kissed him, spanked him, and all the stuff moms do when they are traumatized. Not fully comprehending

the danger he had been in, I went back to my swimming.

I often wonder about that moment in time some 40 years ago. A simple act carried huge significance, with reper-cussions that affected a lifetime and multiple lives. When I think of the possibility of what could have hap-pened, how quickly it could have all been over, I call it a miracle that my brother didn’t drown that day. Knowing myself at nine, and my normal behav-ior, I can’t take any credit for saving him. I know that I was prompted by an external force to be paying extra attention that day, and to respond the way I did. Now David is married and has his own family, in part because a 9 year old boy was prompted by the Holy Spirit to push him into safe water.

Have you ever been paddling around and seen someone slip in over their head or happened upon someone who was already drowning in some way?

The Bible says in James 5:20, “…let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

I’ll leave you with a thought that I read in a devotional recently: The only thing you CAN take with you to Heaven, is people. So be gentle and loving; be a light for Jesus. Be someone that His spirit can work through, to help those who are drowning.

by mike hicks

PERSPEcTivES

19691969 EVERYTHINg COULd HAVE CHANgEd

back in The summer of


hockEyREv.


ShawnPaul

A SHORT INTROdUCTION TO SHAWN paul: cenTral’s doWnToWn campus PASTOR, A COMMITTEd FATHER, COACH and hockey nuT


We started the day with Shawn Paul at

5:30am on Thursday October 24. We’re not

sure about you, but we don’t know many

pastors that start their day that early, espe-

cially to step on the ice with the team they

coach and influence. We followed Shawn

for the day to get a sense of his passion for

the church, hockey, and what he feels the

future holds for our downtown campus.

ANdREW: Tell us a little bit about how hockey has shaped your life.

SHAWN: I was born and raised in friendly Manitoba. Being from the prairie provinces, hockey was a huge part of my life as a young man. It was hockey, hockey, hockey! If I wasn’t on the ice, I was playing hockey on the street or was glued to the television watching Hockey Night in Canada. I was a goalie and had some big doors that were potentially opening up for me as a fifteen year old. A Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) scout had shown plenty of interest, having me attend a prospects camp. Things were looking good for me and my hockey career until one day, God stepped in and changed what I thought was the course of my life.

ANdREW: What did you feel God was calling you to pursue instead of hockey?

SHAWN: Full-time ministry, no question. I had a life-changing word from God one day when I came home from school in

by Andrew Plet t

[continued on page 31]

DoWNToWNcAMPuS




pastored for the previous 14 years in Manitoba, and decided to move across the country to southern Ontario. With no jobs and three children, it was very stretching and out of our comfort zone. Yet, through a series of extraordinary events, I was made aware of a ministry that one would think I would probably have known more about….Hockey Ministries International (HMI). Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would work as a mis-sionary in my home country but, alas, it is only God that knows all things, and I began working full-time with HMI in 2010. I presently serve as the chapel leader for the St. Catharines Junior B Falcons and am a chapel coordinator for the OJAHL and the GOJHL. One could certainly say that I have come full-circle alongside the incredible sport of hockey!

ANdREW: How about the campus you pastor, what is the future of Central’s downtown campus?

SHAWN: One thing that I’m excited about is our city and its revitalization plan for the downtown core. As someone new to the city I’m looking forward to the new performing arts centre as well as the new hockey arena. What thrills me about that is that I see this all as a prophetic gesture of what God wants to do, starting at our core and moving out all across the Niagara Region. I believe that God wants to revitalize and transform the lives of the people of our city. When I consider our downtown campus I really believe the sky is the limit and that our current building isn’t near big enough for what God wants to do. Potentially there could be a life transformation centre where healthy families walk alongside needy people in our community. Maybe adopting them for a year and providing for them in many different areas, assisting them to achieve a state of healthiness in their life that may have never known otherwise. With my involvement in hockey, God only knows what the potential could be there as well.

grade 10, as God explicitly asked me the question, “Are you going to play hockey this year?” With no experience hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit to that point in my life, I began to question whether or not it really was God that spoke to me. Yet, at the same time, there was this sense that God indeed was directing me with a plan that was different than anything I had ever considered. It became solidified in my life a short time later, as a lady in my church came up to me one evening, saying that she believed God had given her a verse of the Bible to share with me. Not having any idea of this enormous struggle I was going through, she began to read 1 Tim 4:7-8 which says, “…and exercise yourself unto godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise for the life that now is, and for that which is to come.” It was at this point that I literally walked away from the game I loved, to such an extent that I never even put on a pair of skates for nearly 15 years. Surrendering to my Lord and Saviour took on a whole new meaning.

ANdREW: What brought you to Central?

SHAWN: Our family recently moved to St. Catharines in the summer of 2011 to support my mother-in-law who had recently been widowed. She had attended Central and naturally we came alongside as we were looking for a church home. I had no idea nor intention of ever being on staff with Central. My wife and I had simply prayed asking God for the right church to link arms with and it became clear to us that we were in the right place. The fact that I’m now on staff with Central is simply a result of His “ordering our steps.”

ANdREW: How has hockey become a part of your ministry calling?

SHAWN: Our family took a massive step of faith in 2009, when I resigned from the church I had

God explicitly asked me the question, “Are you going to play hockey this year?”

[continued from page 29]


This past September we launched a series, Not A Fan, that spread throughout our entire church and city. It was our hope and intent

that this new series would present to those inside and outside of the church with the question, “Who is Jesus?” as well as encourage them to personalize it by asking, “Who am I in relationship to Jesus? Am I fan, a follower, both, or neither?” Admittedly, it’s not an easy question to answer, but one we obvi-ously think is important.

As a leadership team, we knew that we wanted this series to be something bigger than we had ever done before. We wanted to be more intentional in how we communicated these questions beyond the large weekend experience. So we began exploring and decided to move the same topic into LifeGroups, Kids Ministries and our Central Youth Movement, while providing time for reflection, feedback and discussion.

We purchased over 300 copies of Kyle Idleman’s book, Not a Fan (which was the springboard for this series), which were bought and read by hundreds in our church family. We interviewed

by AdAm fry

DETAilS

cREATivEbRiEf

DETAilSformer NHL rookie of the year, Willie Plett, and St. Catharines’ own 3-time Olympic Medalist, Tonya Verbeek, to hear firsthand their experience with fans and fame. We also did some-thing we hadn’t done in a while: we took out billboard advertising space for the month of August to help promote the series - 6 billboards across the Niagara Region asking our commu-nity to engage in a conversation about Jesus and their relationship with Him. Along with the billboard campaign, we launched an opening page to our website with a video by Pastor Bill, explaining the question and the goal of this new series. I would like to reveal the results of this series and celebrate with you what God is doing within our church community.

During this campaign in the months of August and September we saw a 25% growth in visits to our website, and can say with confidence that over 1,100 people from our community watched that video and heard the message of Jesus. That’s awesome, right? It gets better!

As a result of this series, 77 people indicated that they wanted to become a follower of Jesus either for the first time or after a long time away. Out of those 77 people, 70 decided

to attend AlphaLife, a eight week course designed to help answer the initial questions about God and faith. 135 people showed interest in fur-thering their faith journey by joining a LifeGroup, and 67 people signed up for a FirstServe opportunity to begin volunteering. Now that is something to get excited about!

It is with great enthusiasm that we can say every person who made a personal decision to follow Christ, expressed an interest in a LifeGroup, or wished to serve through our FirstServe opportu-nities was followed up by phone and email, ensuring that everyone who indicated the desire to move forward was met with the right opportunity and a warm and welcoming environment.

Today I want to take a moment to reflect and celebrate what God is doing in and through His local church, Central. We stand in awe at His amaz-ing grace that continues to welcome friends and families into this glorious relationship. We continue to pray that each and every one of us would desire to move from being a fan to being a completely committed follower of Jesus Christ, no matter the cost.

all the juicy

THE RESULT OF OUR CONTROVERSIAL NOT A FAN SERIES ANd BILLBOARd CAMPAIgN?

1100PEOPLE WATCHED

OUR VIDEO EXPLAINING WHAT IT MEANS TO

FOLLOW JESUS

77 PEOPLE MAdE A dECISION TO FOLLOW JESUS AS A dIRECT RESULT OF THE SERIES

25% INCREASE IN VISITS TO OURWEBSITE

67PEOPLE SIGNED UP

TO BEGIN OUR FIRST SERVE VOLUNTEER

TRAINING

135INDICATED INTEREST IN TAKING THE NEXT

STEPS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN A LIFEGROUP

25+24+51+H138ToTal days unpacking The

NOT A FAN CONCEPT

31 DAY BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

SERMON SERIES OVER SEPTEMBER

TIME SPENT IN DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH LIFEGROUPS

ADAM FRY, Creative Communications Pastor, Central Community Church

twitter: @adamfry


by Andrew Plet t

DEEP &bEAuTiful

ThElAST WoRD

DEEP &bEAuTifulL

ately I’ve had a few people ask me the same question about the Loop, so I thought the answer to their question might prove insightful and interesting for everyone. Here is an excerpt of the response that I gave to the question of why the Loop looks the way it does.

Question: There seems to be a lot of big pictures of the pastors, and they look like models in them, why do we use pictures like that, are we trying to fill space?

Answer: We don’t have a set amount of pages to fill every month. The Loop fluctuates between 36 and 44 pages depending on the amount of content we decide to put in.

Because we have an exceptional relationship with our print-er (Bertie Printers) and the amazing gifts of our staff and volunteers at Central, we have an incredible platform to communicate God’s truth in an inspiring, deeply challenging and visually stunning way every month. In every issue our vision is to marry deep truth with beautiful layout. Some people are moved by content and some are moved by visual aesthetic. It is not either/or, it is both, and our commitment is to be extremely intentional about both.

Last month I had some specific questions about pastor Bill’s images for his editorial so if you are wondering why they looked like they did, here’s your answer:

In preparation for our Captivate series we knew that we wanted to visually support pastor Bill’s writing with images that were visually stunning and thought provoking. We did the photo shoot in our studio (our NF campus pastor Justin Driedger was the photographer) and decided that we wanted to remove all visual distraction in the background and focus our shots on the eyes and the detail in clothing and on his face. You may be interested to know that the same amount of thought and care that goes into the images we use goes into the writing on the pages; nothing is filler or just eye candy.

Our goal wasn’t to make pastor Bill look like a model but to captivate and draw you into a detailed and stunning image of a person. If we had done that shot outside in the parking lot, there would have been too many distractions for the eye and would have undermined the whole point of the visual. That would have been fluff.

Sometimes as churches, we believe the lie that something beautiful can’t be deep or that placing value on aesthetics is somehow not godly, but that isn’t what I see in the Bible. If you’ve ever stood outside on a clear night in Glacier National Park, Montana, or Smithers, B.C. where you can see the milky way stretch across the sky, you will know that beauty is God’s idea, it is who He is.

As far as the Loop is concerned, we will continue to humbly bring our best before God when it comes to beauty and content. We won’t always get it right, yet we will strive to do the very best we can with what we have.

36 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]

Mission + Collide

JEFF PRICEExt. [email protected]

Executive Operations

mike hicksExt. [email protected]

Pastoral TeamCampus Pastor, Downtown

SHAWN [email protected]

Campus Pastor, Niagara Falls

JUSTIN [email protected]

Pastoral Care

dAVId TOPPINgExt. [email protected]

Worship Leader

greg sykesExt. [email protected]

Worship Leader

BECCA [email protected]

Worship Leader

MELANIE [email protected]

LifeGroups

BRENdA dROSTExt. [email protected]

Emerging Generations Pastor

gIANPAOLO gALESSIEREExt. [email protected]

Youth Pastor

ALEx SMETHURSTExt. [email protected]

Sr. Kids Pastor

JESSICA SMETHURSTExt. [email protected]

Jr. Kids Pastor

kaThryn hicksExt. [email protected]

Kids Pastor, Niagara Falls

JESSE [email protected]

Kids Pastor, Downtown

caTharine [email protected]

Red Frogs

keiTh hamilTon-smiThExt. [email protected]

Print + Graphic Design

ANdREW PLETTExt. [email protected]

Media Director

SCOTT TRAPASSOExt. [email protected]

Production Director

darrick vanderWierExt. [email protected]

Support 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]

Volunteer Coordinator

karlene markhamExt. [email protected]

Professional Counselor

AgNES VRIEzE,MSW, RSWExt. [email protected]

Central Catering

IRIS REgIER + CHRIS FANNELExt. 230

STAff coNTAcTiNfoRMATioN

Emerging generations Team

creative & Production Team

SCO T T SCHULT z sharon hauckJOE CARUSO JAMIE IdzENgABARRY WILLS AdAM FRYJOHN SCHROEdER PAUL OL AdIPOrick rik k erink JEFF PRICEbill mark ham mik e hicksquinn hofl and NATALIE VANdERWIER

The board

CENTRAL COMMUNITY CHURCH240 Scott St.St. Catharines, ON L2N 1H6P: 905.937.5610


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 MOST TO THEM. 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: commons.centralcc.ca

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 ARE 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?

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.

ARE YOU INTERESTEd IN SHARINg YOUR sTory? We’d love To hear iT!

If you have an exciting story of some-thing that God has done or is doing in your life, share it with us by emailing us at: [email protected]

if you’re grieving The loss of a loved one and you’d like To share IT, THIS WOULd BE A gOOd PLACE TO leT The church knoW.

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 personal lives sometimes get lost in the shuffle. This is not our intention, but unfortunately it does happen 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 share what’s important 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.


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]

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