We prepared this page to give you an idea about what to expect when you visit Central. We would like you to feel at home and to better understand our worship services.

Central reaches out to one another with God's love, God's unity and God's purpose. And together we reach out to the campus, the community, the Web, and the World -- to increase the influence of God's kingdom in human hearts -- for their eternal good and to His eternal glory.

Central strives to be a Bible-oriented, Christ-centered congregation.

Our purpose in worship is to maintain the attitude Christ commanded when He said, "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). When you visit our assembly, you'll notice that we try to keep it pure and simple. Our praise for God is uplifting, and our fellowship as God's people is warm, loving and sincere.

---

Arrival:

When you arrive, you'll be greeted at the door with a warm, welcoming smile. Our greeters are here to serve you. If you have any questions, just ask them. They'll answer your questions, direct you where you want to go, and help you in any other way they can. They'll also give you our weekly bulletin that will tell you what will happen in our worship service as well as what events are coming up in our church family.

---

Worship:

It is our purpose to be governed in everything we do by the Bible alone. For this reason, our worship consists only of those five acts which the New Testament reveals were performed in the worship of the early church. Each Sunday we sing songs of praise to God (Colossians 3:16), speak to our Heavenly Father as we pray (Acts 2:42), give of our means to support the work of the church (I Corinthians 16:2), partake of the Lord's Supper in memory of Christ's death on the cross (I Corinthians 11:23-29), and teach and preach the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).

---

The Lord's Supper (Communion):

The church assembles on the Lord's Day (Acts 20:7) for the purpose of remembering (Luke 22:19) the life, death, burial, resurrection, acension and promised return - just as Jesus directed (Matthew 26:26-29 and I Corinthians 11:23-29). Jesus instructed us to commune with Him and with one another by "breaking (unleavened) bread" (representing His body) and drinking the cup of the fruit of the vine (representing His blood) until He returns. This observance is a time of reverential personal reflection (I Corinthians 11:28) upon God's love, our life, forgiveness, and salvation for every Christian in the assembly.

Singing:

Singing is another important aspect of our worship. We sing without instrumental accompaniment, as did the earliest Christians, so everyone has the opportunity to participate. Rather than viewing singing as a medium of entertainment, we see it as an enjoyable way to express our praise to God (Hebrews 13:15). Singing is our way of expressing our joy and gratitude to the Lord, and we use a variety of music both old and new to convey to God what is in our hearts.

---

Prayer:

We believe in prayer, both private and collective, so when we come together to worship we offer prayer to God as a means of praise, and also as a way of making requests. At various points in the service, prayers will be led that convey to God our thanks for His blessings, as well as those seeking His blessings. It is a joy and a comfort to be able to ask God’s help for those who are hurting in various ways. Prayers are offered from the heart and petition God for the needs and salvation of all people, and for our local, state, antional and world leaders (I Timothy 2:1-4).

---

Scripture:

Our worship time often includes public reading of a portion of the Bible as a means of encouraging the believers and listening to God. The passages read bring together a common theme that is central to the worship plan for that day. God's word is living and active and capable of impacting our lives today.

Our services (especially on Sunday mornings) include a sermon of about one-half hour. The goal of these messages is to teach God’s word and to encourage living as Christ teaches us to live. We preach God's saving message of hope (Romans 1:16, Romans 8:24, John 3:1-3 and I Peter 1:22-23) and encourage people to obey the gospel from the heart (Romans 6:17 and II Thessalonians 1:8). We instruct and admonish Christians to heed sound doctrine ("healthy teaching") reveled in God's Word God and not follow the commandments of men (II Timothy 4:1-5). Sermons are based upon the Word of God, filled with the Word of God and encourage application of the Word of God to our daily lives. At the conclusion of the sermon, an opportunity will be afforded for those who are ready to follow Christ to say so publicly and to be baptized (immersed) into Christ. We do this because we want everyone to follow Jesus, but this is a personal decision, and you will not be coerced to do so in any way.

---

Giving from the Heart:

On the first day of every week (I Corinthians 16:1-2) we give our members the opportunity to return to God a gift of thanks for what He has done for us. Although any offering you make is accepted, as a visitor, you need not feel any obligation to give any money. God desires a loving gift from the heart and not a forced gift (II Corinthians 9:5-8). Our purpose in assembling is not collecting money, but to worship God with a thankful heart for the gift of Jesus (John 3:16 and II Corinthians 9:15). Our giving to God is an expression of our gratitude, given freely in love according to the blessings God has bestowed upon our lives (Luke 21:1-4 and II Corinthians 8:1-5). These gifts are used to support the work of the Central Church in providing for the physical and spiritual needs of those who are in need.