VISION AND PRIORITIES

On September 10th, leaders from all the different ministries within our church gathered for Vision Day. Each year we take one day to dream for the year to come, and all unite behind one vision. This year our three priorities were that we would rejoice in God, receive God’s love, and implement Become.

Rejoice In God

Revival is always preceded by a people who turn and return to God, finding life with God to be their greatest joy. Within scripture and history, when God’s people turn to Him in prayer and worship Him as their chief joy, God moves in powerful ways, bringing about His salvation. So, this year we want to re-center ourselves on finding our happiness in God –rejoicing in God. We believe that we can accomplish this as a church through prayer, worship, and celebration.

RECEIVE GOD’S LOVE

The love of God is the formative power by which our hearts and lives are changed. Receiving and resting in the abounding love of God revealed in Jesus is what bears spiritual fruit that will last. Therefore, we want to offer avenues of formation that we pray will make the love of God more real for each of you.

Implement Become

In 2019 we launched a two-year fundraising campaign called BECOME. By the goodness and grace of God, over two million dollars was given on top of our operating budget. The leadership of the church laid out four aspects of the campaign that the church prayed would be strengthened because of our BECOME Initiative:

1. Long Term Home—God provided

2. Church Planting

3. Leadership Development (specifically investing in minority leadership)

4. Mercy and Justice

Over the next year, we want to focus specifically on investing and implementing the Leadership Development and Mercy and Justice priorities of BECOME. One of the ways we’ll live into Leadership Development is by hiring full-time ministry interns that will work within the church while working on their master’s degrees. We are excited that Phabienne Anderson is our first Ministry Intern. Phabienne joined our team in late August and is already a tremendous gift to our church. We are excited to hire more interns over the years to enable us to do ministry that glorifies God and does good in Durham. Learn more about our Vision and Priorities for 2023 using the QR code below!

At the end of 2021, we concluded the two-year fundraising portion of our five-year Become Initiative. Our goal for Become was to raise $3M in addition to our operational budget, for a total of $5.5M. In the end, through the generosity of our church, we raised $5.2M ($2M on top of our operating budget), which will enable us to become the church God has called us to be for His glory and the good of Durham.

In 2022, our Leadership Development flourished with the addition of Phabienne Anderson as our inaugural Ministry Intern. Phabienne has been an invaluable asset to our team and church, lending her expertise to Pastor Evan in coordinating impactful events like the RENEW conference, and enhancing our formation through the observance of Advent, Black History Month, and Lent. Phabienne's contributions also extend to the women's ministry, where she partners with Christie Bowman to spearhead the Women's Bible Study, delivering insightful teachings, podcasts, and guiding small group leaders.

Phabienne is working towards her master’s in biblical studies and will complete her degree in the spring of 2024. We are excited to hire more interns over the years to enable us to do ministry that glorifies God and does good in Durham.

When Become began, we believed God would move us out of the church-plant phase into more of an established church in Durham. Our prayer is that God would continue His gracious work of forming and shaping us to be His people in Durham; that we would become a faithful church in this city that continues to minister to Durham long after all of us have passed into glory.

Sunday Morning Worship Attendance 2022

Worship Team Highlight

In 2022, our choir and worship team continued to flourish. With a growing number of participants, the choir became not just a musical ensemble but also a tight-knit worship community. Our worship team expanded to include a diverse mix of members and non-members rotating in to bring fresh perspectives and talent to our services.

The highlight of the year was August's Worship Workshop, where the choir learned nine new, dynamic selections, further diversifying their repertoire. Additionally, our Next Generation Choir made great strides, as the number of children and youth participants nearly reached the point where they could be separated into distinct groups.

To further deepen their spiritual growth, the Worship Team has been delving into the book Refocus: 52-Week Devotional for Worship Leaders & Teams by Aaron Bucy, seeking to bring a renewed focus to their ministry and relationship with God. All in all, it was a year of growth, learning, and renewal for our church's music ministry.

Families are important to all of us at Christ Central. The goal of Central Kids is to partner with parents, equipping them so that the word of the Lord would grow in the hearts of their children. We are thrilled to share with you the highlights of our children's ministry from the past year.

The Treehouse, our kid-friendly service, was successfully launched in the fall of 2022 and has been a hit among our younger members. Our Central Kids made a positive impact in the community by helping over 40 of our neighbors in need through the creation of blessing bags. We were so excited to see over 70 kids jump “On the Case” for faith during our Vacation Bible School. Additionally, we were excited to kick off "Central Littles" with a variety of fun and engaging activities for children three and under, including Bubbles and Chalk, Notasium, and Duke Park Play. New and expectant mothers also had the opportunity to come together and support one another through events organized just for them. We were overjoyed to welcome 15 new babies into our church family.

We are grateful for the continued growth and impact of our children's ministry and look forward to all that is to come!

As we reflect on the past year, we are excited to share the many achievements and experiences of Central Youth.

One of the biggest highlights of the year was the hiring of Rose Abernethy and Emilio Hood. Emilio serves as our Youth Ministry Director, and Rose as our Associate Youth Ministry Director. Having them be a part of our team has been a huge blessing!

From bowling night at AMF to our Not-So-Silent-Night Christmas Party, Central Youth was able to offer a variety of activities that promoted fun, friendship, and growth.

One of the most exciting events was our Fall Retreat, which provided a unique opportunity for our youth to deepen their relationships with each other and with God. Our Youth also enjoyed Friendsgiving, another memorable occasion, filled with delicious food and games.

Central Youth was able to make a positive impact in our community through various fundraising efforts, including a bake sale that supported Durham Plunge. This week-long local mission trip allowed our youth to serve our city, and even enjoy a thrilling water rafting trip down the Neuse River.

We are proud of the growth and development of Central Youth and are grateful for your support and commitment to this important ministry. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for our youth in the coming year.