by David Docusen | January 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
An entire community, gathered around the Word. That is our aim for 2013 at Center City Church.
On top of reading the same Scriptures together all year long, we will also be forming Life Groups all across our city to dig into the journey in the context of community. The following is a list of FAQ’s that will help you get a feel for what these groups are and what they are not.
LIFE GROUP FAQ’s
What is a Life Group?
A Life Group is simply a group of people that decide to get together once a week and discuss what God is showing them in the Word.
How do the groups run? Is there a leader?
This is not a small group. There is not one designated leader that comes to teach each week. For the purpose of logistics there will be one facilitator per group. This person is responsible to communicate date/time/place to group members. The facilitator is also the person that will communicate with pastoral staff with any questions or needs.
What if I’m new or I can’t find a group?
Contact Pastor Joseph who will have a list of groups and facilitators by emailing him at [email protected].
Who can start a group? How?
Anyone. Gather a group of friends that you enjoy spending time with and let Pastor Joseph know so we can help support you.
What if I didn’t do any of my reading this week?
Come anyway and hear what God spoke to your brothers and sisters. There is not an ounce of judgment in these groups.
What if no one in my group did their reading this week?
Meet anyway. It’s just as much about consistently sharing life together.
How long should we meet each week?
A meeting can last between 30 minutes and an hour and a half.
What do we do when we meet?
Catch up with each member of the group, pray, and discuss the week’s reading. Ask questions like, “What is happening in the texts? What is God showing you? What is puzzling? What is God trying to get you to do?” etc…
Where can we meet?
Wherever the group wants to meet. Coffee shops, homes, etc. Anywhere you would normally hang out with friends.
What if I already know I can’t do a whole year?
Be up front with the group about those details and don’t sweat it. We’re not trying to be legalistic about this. We’re simply trying to provide the space for people to grow.
Are the groups co-ed?
There are no restrictions on any groups.
What if I need/want to change groups?
Since the groups are voluntary and are largely self-forming, you get to choose who you want to be in a group with. In the rare occasion that one would need to switch groups they would be as free as they were initially to leave their group and join another one at their discretion and the discretion of the other group.
How many people would makes a group too small?
If there are at least 2 people, it’s a party!
Does everyone in the group have to go to our church? What if they go to a different church? What if they don’t go to church at all?
Anyone can be in a group.
What if we want to add someone to our group mid-year?
Great!
What if we have [doctrinal/theological] questions?
Talk them out in your group. Wrestle with these questions. When you arrive at something that you just can’t find an answer to, contact one of our pastors.
I’ve tried to read my Bible through in a year before, and I failed. Why is this year going to be different?
It may not be. It’s going to be hard but worth it. This time you will have an entire congregation doing this along with you. There is comfort in that.
What are the characteristics of a healthy group?
Great conversation, deep relationships, and lives shaped and changed by the Word.
What if I’m new to all of this and I’m scared to ask dumb-sounding questions? I have little or no knowledge about the Bible and church, is this for me?
There is no judgment. Simple questions often are the most profound. Everything is clothed in love.
Do I have to be a Christian to attend a group?
No
by David Docusen | January 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
Happy new year to our Center City Church family! I’m so excited about the days ahead for our community. Four words sum up our desire for you at Center City Church in 2013: Read. Pray. Gather. Go.
Every person at Center City gets a free Moleskine journal. Included in this journal is a Bible reading plan. Every day there will be a selected reading for you. Read this with the knowledge that God is speaking to you. Read slowly. Before and after you’ve read, take some time and quiet your heart. Ask God to show you something about Himself and about yourself. If you miss a day’s reading, don’t beat yourself up and try furiously to catch up. Just wake up and start fresh on the new day. The goal of this is not for you to read the Bible through in a year. The goal is for you to get to know God. We have included a page in this journal that will help you practically engage the Scriptures through journaling and prayer.
Spiritual formation, the progressive transformation into Christlikeness, is not intended to be a private affair. Our entire community is reading through this plan together throughout the year. With this in mind, we have Life Groups to walk with you on the journey. These are groups of people that simply decide to gather on a weekly basis to talk about what God is showing them through the Word and wrestle with questions together.
We believe that the natural byproduct of knowing God intimately is devoting our lives to His service in His Kingdom. That means we serve our communities with the tender love of Jesus. It is in this context that we then obey the imperative of Jesus from Matthew 28 to go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus.
Read. Pray. Gather. Go.**This reading plan can be found online at YouVersion.com or on your mobile phone by using the YouVersion app and searching for the Life Journal reading plan.
by David Docusen | December 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
Jesus left the message of salvation, freedom, healing, etc. in the hands of imperfect men and women. Those that deal with doubt. Worry. Insecurity. Disappointment. This is an incredible reality. He could have chosen to do this any way he wanted, but he chose people like you and I to pass along this message to all that would hear.
We don’t get it right all the time. We don’t live out what we say we believe every step of the way. We fall. We get up. We disappoint ourselves and others. We are imperfect. And that’s exactly why we need each other. We can do more together than we can alone.
Imperfects unite. Let’s do something meaningful together. All for His glory.
**Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
by David Docusen | December 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
The final few weeks of every year are always a great time to make final, tax-deductible contributions to organizations that you believe are doing great work in communities across the world.
I would love for you to consider making a year-end contribution to the work we are doing at Center City Church. We are continuing to grow, both numerically and spiritually, as a church family. Any gift, big or small, is appreciated.
Would you prayerfully consider making an investment into our community?
Click here to easily give safe and secure via PayPal.
by David Docusen | December 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
Every time that I want to learn more about my wife, Dara, I go to her Uncle Forrest (pictured above). He has known Dara for her entire life. He loves her so much and he’s a great story teller. I ask him questions about her. He tells me story after story about Dara’s life. I don’t talk right to Dara. I just talk to Uncle Forrest because he’s known her for a lot longer than I have.
There are other times that I want to learn more about her from other perspectives, so I always call her sister, Tori (pictured above). She and Dara are as close as sisters can be, so Tori is a treasure trove of information on my wife. I learn so much about my wife from her sister.
This is pretty ridiculous, right? It’s also not true. When I want to get to know Dara, I spend time with her. I ask her questions. I enjoy her company and we enjoy life together.
Sadly, I think that many relegate their relationship with God to hearing about him from a pastor on a Sunday morning. Maybe a mentor that has known God their entire life. Or a good book on God. That’s not the way that God designed relationships. It’s true for a healthy marriage and it’s true for your relationship with Him. He wants to talk to you. He wants to enjoy your company and enjoy life with you.
We get to know God through His Word – the Bible. We spend time with him in prayer. That’s the way that we cultivate relationship and intimacy. He knows everything about you. Maybe you can learn more about him?
We are moving into a season unlike any I’ve ever been a part of in my life. Our entire community is gathering around one reading plan in the Scriptures. Our aim is not to read the entire Bible. It’s to get to know God. He wants to talk to each one of us, individually.
If you want to know God for yourself (instead of simply relying on others eyewitness accounts), I encourage you to join us. If you want to learn how to read the Word and grow explore your faith on a deeper level, click here to read more about how we are all pointing to God during this upcoming season as we dig into his Word together.
Uncle Forrest and Tori are great ways for me to get to know Dara more. But if I want to know my wife, I have to talk to her, personally. Pastors, mentors, friends and books are great resources. But they aren’t enough. God wants to talk to you, personally. He knows your name. Get to know him.
Click here to see how you can start the journey with us.
by David Docusen | December 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
I recently wrote this letter to a group of friends at Center City Church. Seemed appropriate to put it on my blog so that as many people from our community as possible can get on the same page with where we are headed in 2013 as a church family.
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Friends…
If you want to know where God is taking us as a church family in 2013, check out the front page of our website and click on the first picture you see (read, pray, gather, go). This is a simple gathering of people who want to dig into the Word together. It’s not formed by the leaders, but by the people in our church that choose to engage the Word in the context of community. In my mind’s eye, I can see people gathering at coffee shops, restaurants, living rooms, break rooms, etc. all across our city. I hope every one of you catches the vision of joining together in unity and that even now you are already thinking about a handful of people that you can dig into this together.
Let’s join together and try to do something I’ve never seen accomplished quite like this: an entire church community gathering around the Word. Reading the same thing at the same time. Talking. Praying. Wrestling. Gaining understanding. Growing.
As I read thru the Word, I’m reminded that disciples are not mass produced. They are hand crafted and uniquely designed. As each one of us learns how to read the Word and apply it to our lives, we grow in our relationship with God and learn to hear his voice through his Word.
That’s a picture that I’m willing to fight for to see accomplished. Let’s do this together. We’ll be sharing more in the next few weeks as we lead up to January 1, but I wanted to write you, personally, to make sure we are all on the same page as we move into this new season. Love you guys!
Pastor David
