July 24, 2025

Dear Central Church,

I learned a statistic this past weekend at District Assembly that I can’t get away from: 86% of Christians in the United States came to faith before the age of 18! This underscores what we’ve always known about the importance of ministry to kids and teens. This is not to say that people don’t come to faith after they turn 18, but it reminds us that our youth and kids ministry are vitally important in our mission of evangelism.

Over the last year, we’ve had 37 people get baptized, formally declaring their decision to become a follower of Jesus. They range in age from 7 to 50+, but the majority of them were young people under the age of 25.

I thought for a moment about what was “the thing” that led them to make this decision. The reality is that it wasn’t the singular efforts of any one person or ministry, but the combined work of the church. Think of the seeds of faith that were planted in preschool ministry, spiritual seedlings that were nurtured in kids church, conversations held in youth small groups, and youth adult ministry that gave college students a place to belong at Central. God’s prevenient grace is at work in all these ministries as he uses ALL of this to bring people into a saving relationship with him!

Thank you for being a church that invests in young people. Together we create an environment with faith that can develop, grow, and be nurtured into maturity.

This Sunday we will dedicate 4 babies! Four sets of parents will stand before our church and make a promise to bring their child up in the “fear and admonition of the Lord.” They are counting on us to continue to be a church where seeds of faith can grow up into mature followers of Jesus.

Will you join me in prayer for our kids and youth ministries?

Will you continue to give tithes and offerings so that lives can be transformed by the Good News?

Will you support our pastors and leaders?

Will you serve in these ministries?

Let’s say “yes” together and continue to be a church where young faith flourishes!

Until He's Finished,
Pastor Mark