www.centrallive.net

2001 E. MAIN STREET STREATOR, IL 61364

(815) 673-1581

EMERGENCY PHONE

(815) 257-1582

STAFF Dr. Rory Christensen, Lead Minister

Tony Ross,

Creative Arts Minister

Jessica Pastirik,

Director of Involvement Minis-

tries

Chelsea Davis,

Children’s Minister

Rico Diaz,

Director of Student

Ministries

SUNDAY WORSHIP

1st Worship:

8:15 a.m.

2nd Worship & Bible classes:

9:30 a.m.

3rd Worship & Bible classes:

11:00 a.m.

August 22, 2017

Plug in to the Small Group just right for you! At Central we believe that a key part of spiritual growth takes place by connecting within the local church. Our primary way for helping you do this is by offering small groups. Within a small group you will grow in your knowledge of God’s Word as you find encouragement and accountability. When life feels overwhelming, our small groups will offer the support that you may not be able to find elsewhere. Our prayer is that by joining a small group you will experience deeper close-ness with God, grow in your faith, and build meaningful connec-tions with people who care about you. Groups will start in early September. Contact Jessica Pastirik, Director of Involvement Ministries at involvement@centrallive.net or (815) 673-1581.

Mark your calendars! Trunk or Treat is taking place on Saturday, October 28, 2016 from 5-7pm. There will be live music, games, food, and tons of candy! Trunk or Treat is a great Halloween alternative that allows families and friends to dress up and have fun in a safe environment. Candy is passed out by families and friends from their decorated vehicles. Be on the lookout vehicle registration and volunteer sign-ups will begin soon!

Study the Old Testament Books of 1 & 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles

at Ladies Bible Study Please come and join us as we explore these Old Testament books. We will have our first fall meeting on August 29. We meet in the Ministry Center’s Upper Room every Tuesday morning when school is in session, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. We will have study guides available. Childcare is also available. If you have never attended a Tuesday Ladies Bible Study, here’s what you might expect: meeting 40 ladies of various ages, enjoying the refresh-ments, laughing at almost everything, praying, growing in the knowledge of the Word of God, being challenged and humbled before our God. If you have any questions, please call Diane Hallam at (815) 673-3665.

Central Students is hosting a Movie on the Lawn! On Saturday, September 9, we'll bring out our large inflatable projector screen and watch “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone”. This is a completely free event!! We'll have popcorn and drinks provided for you, but you'll need to bring your own snacks. As summer is winding down, let's get together under the night sky one last time before we're forced indoors as winter looms around the corner. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to sit on. We'll start at dusk!

Fellow Co-workers, Dr. Rory Christensen

Page 2

T here’s an old song I grew up singing in church that came to mind recently, as I was planning for the fall. You may know it: “Victory in Jesus.” It’s the first bit of the chorus that got me: “O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever.” One of the key things that drives me spiritually is the reality that God in Christ has already sorted out my past, present and future. I like the way Paul frames it with his rhetorical (and insightful) question in Romans 8:31, “If God is for

us, who can be against us?” Who indeed! Years ago, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19th century preacher from England) spoke into this. Some of you know that I have been having fun with his devotional, Morning and Evening over the past few months. Let me share with you the en-try for the morning of August 24 (I’ve been reading ahead a bit). It gives us a mindset for the fall. Warning: it’s a bit lengthy, and written in old, Victorian English (feel free to enjoy it and learn from it, though; I know I do!).

“The breaker is come up before them.”—Micah ii. 13.

INASMUCH as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would’ve been had He never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ traveled the road, but He has slain thine enemies. Doth thou dread sin? He has nailed it to His cross. Doth thou fear death? He has been the death of Death. Art thou afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent of any of His children; they shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome. There are lions, but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point. God has taken away in the person of Christ all the power that anything can have to hurt us. Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously along your journey, for all your enemies are conquered beforehand. What shall you do but march to take the prey? They are beaten, they are vanquished; all you have to do is to divide the spoil. You shall, it is true, often engage in combat; but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe. His head is broken; he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for his malicious design. Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond count.

“Proclaim aloud the Saviour’s fame, Who bears the Breakers wond’rous name; Sweet name; and it becomes Him well, Who breaks down to earth, sin, death and hell.”

Friends, as you move into the fall, don’t soon or easily forget that Christ is our Victory. He has already sorted out what we can obsess over and worry about. That being the case, as you move into the fall, hit Ephesians 6, suit up, and walk confidently, “with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. . . take up the shield of faith, with which you can extin-guish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:14-17). And, walk with confidence in Christ through whom we have the victory!

Be bold. Stay faithful.

Rory

Central this year had the blessing of being able to host a private viewing of the Global Leadership Summit, a two-day leadership conference hosted by Willow Creek. I had a great time learning from the best of the best in leadership. One thing that really stood out to me during this conference was a quote from Andy Stanley, “your greatest contribution to the world may not be something you do, but someone you raise”. The world pulls us in so many different directions that it is easy to lose sight of the things and peo-ple that are the most important in our lives. As parents and adults, we get pressure to try and do it all from all sides. You have to do this, you have to do that, make sure you go here, make sure you go there, pay this, pay that, and don’t forget this. I encourage you to stop that! Don’t try to do it all, actually stop doing and start being. Be in the moment with your children, be present, and be a positive voice in their lives. I can’t remember everything my parents did growing up, but I do remember the times that they showed up and stood up to encourage me. Remember, “your greatest contribution to the world may not be something you do, but someone you raise”. God bless.

Central Kids Chelsea Davis, Children’s Minister

Page 5

Creative Arts Tony Ross, Creative Arts Minister

Mission

Philippians 1:6 says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Central Church of Christ has been around a long time. Some of us have seen more of it’s history than others, but there is a tie that binds us together. That tie can be found in those verses. We are all tied together by the fact that God has created us and be-gun a good work within us. We come together, through all different circumstances and personal histories, to “work until it is finally finished” when Jesus returns. Later on in this chapter Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is that their love will continue to overflow. That is my prayer as well. People need Jesus. You know it and I know it. When you look at the world today, it is clear that what is missing in peoples lives is Jesus. At the end of the day, Central Church of Christ will continue on in different ways through differ-ent people and programs for longer than any of us will be around, because it is God’s church. What we are responsible for now is making sure that the work God has started within us doesn't get sidetracked. So many things want to shift our fo-cus, whether that be personal struggles, world events, or even change. Now more than ever is our time to buckle down, refocus ourselves on the mission. The mission of telling people about Jesus. Don’t lose sight of this work that God has given us. We are all capable and we are all called. We are in this together.

Central Youth Rico Diaz, Director of Student Ministries

In August, our church hosted the Global Leadership Summit. GLS was an amazing experience. We were able to hear from a hand-ful of great leaders from all areas of life. Thursday morning we started the conference with Bill Hybles. Hybles is the Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church and founder of the GLS. During his talk, he shared two things that really stuck with me. First, he mentioned how he had a 2-minute conversation with a waitress. As he was sitting there having dinner he noticed that this one waitress had some amazing leadership skills. He had two choices, just sit there and observe her leadership skills and say nothing or observe her skills and stop and encourage her. That small 2-minute conversation helped changed her life! She didn’t see herself as a leader, she only thought of herself as just a wait-ress. That story lead Bill to ask this question, “When did you learn that you were a leader?” Who spoke into your life to call out those hidden gems that God placed inside of you? I’m sure there was at least one person in your life who helped shape your iden-tity. Do you ever think about where you would be if that person would have never spoken into your life? Maybe you would have never attended college, maybe you would have never taken that missions trip? All of this reminded me how important it is to speak into the lives of the students that God has placed into our care! My older brother I always tells me that if it wasn’t for his friend’s parents he would have never gone to college. He had one person encour-age him, now all of his success hinged on that one person. We have that same chance! Are we willing to take those few minutes to invest in someone else’s life? Don’t downplay the impact that you have. You are a leader. Keep an eye out for all those small moments God gives you to lead strong!

The annual Ladies Salad and Casserole night will

take place on October 2 at 6:00 p.m. at Central Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 2001 East Main Street. All ladies 18 and older are welcome to attend. Do you have a signature dish? Does someone ask for the recipe every time you bring it? If so, here is the oppor-tunity to show off your culinary skills! Again, All women are welcome, we simply ask that you bring your favorite dish to pass.

The International Conference on Missions “TOGETHER God’s Plan to Redeem the World”

Nov. 16-19 at Peoria Civic Center Someone once said: “The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone and too important not to try to do together.” Central Church of Christ is registered for this event, so if you wish to attend check with the Church Office (815) 673-1581 to make sure you are in our system, then admission to ICOM is free!

Dated Material

Return Service Requested

Page 6

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT NO 296

STREATOR IL 61364

Statistics for July 30, 2017

1st Worship 82 2nd Worship 229 3rd Worship 96 Total 407 Bible Classes 151

Statistics for Aug. 6, 2017

1st Worship 78 2nd Worship 217 3rd Worship 130 Total 425 Bible Classes 164

Offerings

Offerings needed to meet Budget-Y-T-D for 2017:

$434,610 Offerings given to-date:

$414,601

Financial Statement available at the Information Kiosk or the Church Office

Since April 2016 34 Givers

E Giving

Baptized

Jennifer Hardin

David Hardin

Landon Ross

Simon Ross

Austin Taylor

Statistics for Aug. 13, 2017

1st Worship 90 2nd Worship 199 3rd Worship 107 Total 396 Bible Classes 153

Statistics for July 23, 2017

1st Worship 75 2nd Worship 252 3rd Worship 81 Total 408 Bible Classes 148

2001 E MAIN ST STREATOR IL 61364

PHONE: (815) 673-1581

THE TORCH

Giving Options: If you would like a contribution state-ment for tax purposes, please consider these two options:

E-giving- you may want to take ad-vantage of our online giving through MoGiv. It helps you stay connected to what God is doing here--even while you're out and about! Set up secure, regular giving at

https://app.mogiv.com/christiscentral

You may also set up scheduled reoc-curring donations.

Boxed offering numbered envelopes- If you currently do not have our boxed set and would like them, please call the office at (815) 673-1581. If you forget your numbered envelope, pew enve-lopes are available for your conven-ience. If you have any questions regarding giving options, please contact Julie Happold, 815-673-1581 or email

financialsecretary@centrallive.net