by David Docusen | July 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
As Center City Church continues to grow, I am celebrating the growth of our team. Dara and I are so blessed to lead with a group of leaders that faithfully love and serve our community. Our team consists of many that give beyond imagination to ensure that Center City is a healthy place for people to explore matters of faith and grow deeper in their relationship with God.
For all of you that skillfully lead and influence our community toward Jesus – both publicly and behind the scenes – THANK YOU. You challenge and inspire me all the time and I am so grateful that you are a part of our lives.
No person can grow alone, and I’m growing because of your presence in my life. You are loved, valued and appreciated.
by David Docusen | July 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
Here’s a list of the upcoming events at Center City Church:
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THIS WEEK
Acts of Kindness Week – July 9-15
Join us in a week of loving on our community with intentional acts of kindness. Share your story: [email protected] Summer Reading Series: Life Together – Friday July 13, 7pm
Tonight is our last evenings of conversation surrounding Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book. [email protected] NEXT WEEK
CharlotteONE – Tuesday July 17, 7pm, First United Methodist Church
Community Dinner– Sunday July 22, 6pm, Independence Park/Pavilion 1
Join us for a potluck style picnic. This is an opportunity to connect as a church family and invite friends from our community. [email protected]WEEKLY
Summer Reading Series: The Circle Maker – Thursdays,
Our church family is reading Mark Batterson’s book about prayer.
Morning Psalms and Prayer – Thursdays, 6:30am
Wednesdays at Hawthorne Place – Wednesdays, 6:30pm
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by David Docusen | July 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
“There was something so powerful about being prayed for by a man with a long, gray beard.”
That was the response of one of the thirtysomethings in our church this past week. He was walking through a very difficult week and had sought out the counsel of a man that was probably thirty years older than him.
“His language was different than mine and we don’t completely relate on every level, but he had wisdom.”
These are powerful statements. These are powerful moments. And I’m praying that this becomes a common occurrence in our church family. We are young. We are vibrant. Every one of us thinks we are going to change the world. Center City Church is full of young adults. Of the 120+ people that come to our church on a regular basis, 90% are in their 20’s & 30’s.
This is amazing that we are able to reach this demographic. But we are searching for spiritual mothers and fathers. Are you out there? We are calling out and praying for those that have been around the block more times than us. We are asking for wisdom from those that have seen more than we’ve seen. We may not agree on everything, but we are hungry to learn. Are you out there?
I believe that God is calling out to spiritual mothers and fathers to become a part of our church family. To dive in deep and experience the joy of investing into the next generation of business leaders, pastors, missionaries, moms, dads and influencers. What have you learned? We need to humble ourselves and learn from your experiences.
I know you’re out there. And we are inviting you into our world. We’re looking for spiritual mothers and fathers. Will you join us?
by David Docusen | July 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
All of us are broken. There are hurts, pains, disappointments, failures and shortcomings that litter the landscape of our lives. There are no exceptions. We all stand unified on this one front. Everyone is broken.
Each one of us a has a choice: what will we do with our brokenness? There are some that use brokenness as an excuse to let go. To give up. To give in an engage in self-destructive behavior.
There are others that get choose to grind it out and make the most of life, choosing to fight through their brokenness to make the world a better place. While making the world a better place, however, no amount of good work can ever heal a heart completely. So the search continues for healing.
There are others, still, that choose to bring their brokenness to Jesus. To lay down their hurts, pains, disappointments, failures and shortcomings that litter the landscape of their lives. While all of us are broken, there is only one person that can heal our hurts, take away our pain and turn around our disappointments, failures and shortcomings. That person is Jesus. And he’s calling out to every single person that is experiencing brokenness. He’s offering new life. He’s offering a new beginning.
If you are broken, welcome to the family. We all share this reality. But there is hope beyond reason. There is joy in spite of past circumstances. Give Jesus a chance. We’re all broken. And we’re found whole and restored when we place our faith in Jesus.
We are the family of the broken, restored by a loving savior. The choice is yours.
by David Docusen | July 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
We just kicked off our Acts of Kindness Week at Center City Church and we want to hear your stories. If you have a story of an impacting moment from this week, email us at [email protected]. Our leadership team would love to hear from you!
by David Docusen | July 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since we started Center City Church in April of 2010 is how to patiently lead toward our vision. When God put the dream in our heart to start this church, it included some pretty amazing things that I could see for our church family. But everything happens in seasons, stages and phases. As we walk through these seasons, stages and phases, God’s intention is for us to continue to learn and grow.
For the past several months, I’ve been thinking deeply about the structure of our church as an organization. As we continue to grow, how do things change? How do we continue to develop leaders that can run with this vision that God placed in our hearts?
As I have continued to learn as the church grows up, I have one phrase that continues to go through my head: one step at a time. That’s how we get to where we are going. One step at a time. Building upon each season. Learning what works and what does not. Learning how to lead in the midst of changes and challenges. One step at a time.
As I’ve taken this approach, I’m realizing a powerful leadership principle: the church is growing as I am growing as a leader. The more that I learn to let go and place this dream in the hands of others, call out and develop leaders, the more that it looks like God’s church and not mine. I love that reality.
One step at a time. And one day we’ll look back at a thousand steps and realize that we’ve changed the world along the way. If you are working toward a dream or a goal, realize that it probably won’t happen quickly or easily. Put one foot in front of the other and stay faithful to the task at hand.
For now, it’s back to work. One step at a time.
