Community support and world-wide outreach are important roles in all churches and vital to their health and growth. Helping the needy, tending the sick and befriending those who are alone on an individual basis are a part of Central Christian Church’s ministry, but Central also supports other organizations and non-profits to help them meet their goals in the process of making the world a better place for everyone.  

Representatives from several of those organizations gathered at Central this Sunday to hear Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford deliver the sermon, “Partners in Life for the Transformation of the World.” Following worship they joined Central’s congregation in fellowship hall, giving the church members an opportunity to visit and get a first hand glimpse into the workings of those various programs supported by church funds and volunteers. 

Tables with posters, brochures and other informational material lined the walls of Fellowship Hall. A bountiful buffet enticed everyone to enjoy favorite appetizers while visiting with one another. 

The ending to a beautiful day was the evening Taize service, a combined effort of Central and St. Thomas the Apostle’s Episcopal Church.  The Taize was conducted by Central’s choir director, David Aston, and St. Thomas the Apostle’s director, Lee Corbin. 

If you are unfamiliar with Taize, it is an ecumenical type of worship reaching people worldwide. It originated in a small village in the southern part of Burgundy, France by a monk named Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche. It seeks to unite all forms of Christianity. Its peaceful, contemplative nature has drawn millions from all over the world to practice this kind of worship. 

Central offers Sunday morning service at 11 a.m. in the church Sanctuary and Church in the Dog Park at 9 a.m. on the first and third Sunday of the month. It is a church where all are welcome.