Five years have
passed since I accepted the invitation to become the pastor of Centerpointe
Church. Each year has been filled with faith in God, patience, persistence and
hope in our future. These were foundational years, each year building upon the
previous one.
Each year began
with a season of fasting and prayer, and God has led us and blessed us. We have
seen people won to Christ, grow in Christ, and be sent out for Christ.
As we review the
last five years, we can see that God brought the right people, at just the
right time, to give us wisdom, direction, and guidance.
In 2011, our theme
was “Unstoppable.” The theme proclaimed that this church is God’s church and it
will move forward. The leadership of the church made some structural changes
that gave us a model for how we were going to work together. We also added a café
in order for people to connect and nurture community.
In 2012, the theme
was “Ready the House.” We raised the funds and remodeled 90% of the inside of
the church with the intention of making the physical house as exciting as the
people who attend.
In 2013, we went
through The Bible in a year. It was called “The Story.” For some, it was the
first time they read through the whole Bible. We also gave a $100,000 offering
to Instituto Biblico Rio de la Plata, a Bible School in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, which at the time was 25% of our building fund.
In 2014, our theme
was “Greater.” We made a commitment at the March business meeting to make a
decision about our property, and in December, we entered into a 99-year ground
lease that would enable us to transition to a new facility by 2018. We also
made adjustments in the youth leadership, rebuilt the stage, and repaired the
parking lot.
In 2015, our theme
was “Forward.” We took a major step toward our future by adding Pastors Brandon
and Hannah Horst to our staff as children’s pastors. Because of this decision,
we were able to provide more resources to families with children and add an
additional worship service on Sunday mornings.
2016 looks to be
another great year of life-changing impact as we further define our
discipleship process to help more people grow in Christ. Furthermore, we will
expand our outreach, media, and music ministries and continue to have an
emphasis on missions. Finally, our plans are to identify a location in order to
start the moving process.
Block buildings use
a strong steel rod called rebar. The rebar runs through the block in order give
support and strength to the wall. As I look at what is holding us together as a
church, I can clearly see six areas:
- Fasting and Prayer – Each year we begin with a time of fasting and prayer, which guides us in our decisions for the year.
- Unified Leadership – We have an incredible staff and board that operate in faith and are not afraid to make courageous decisions.
- Word and Worship – Every Sunday, we gather as a family to spend time in worship and learn from His Word.
- Missions Focus – Centerpointe Church has a long history of praying and supporting our home and world missionaries. In 2012, we supported 38 missionaries on a monthly basis. Today, we support over 60.
- Church Unity – Every step made over the last five years was accomplished because our hearts remained connected in love and unity.
- Focus on the Next Generation – We have made significant resource investments in our children and youth. We can see the benefits of those investments as our youth lead in worship, work and give to missions, lead small groups, and make a difference in their schools and families.
We are very blessed
to have godly staff, leaders and workers, who have caught the vision and
mission of Centerpointe Church. With God’s help, we will continue to be
passionate followers of Jesus, inviting everyone we know to join us. We will
continue to pray for a great spiritual awakening in Northern Virginia and we
will continue to be a strong supporter of missions throughout the world.
I am blessed to
pastor such an incredible group of people!
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith
May the favor of
the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes,
establish the work of our hands. (Psalms 90:17 NIV)
1 comment:
It has been a great five years, and I have been blessed over and over again, to serve and worship alongside your family! I'm looking forward to the next five years with Centerpointe Church!
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