Advertising - The two main areas of advertising that are covered at Central are for Central itself & for special events. This ministry can have great impact for Christ. A deacon is in charge & often recruits help from others.
Athletics - There are numerous opportunities to engage in sports with other Christians at Central. An August golf tourney is organized to benefit the Midwestern Children's Home. Volleyball is played every Sunday night during summer break at the home of Bob & Ruth Williams. Various members sign up to host the supper afterwards. Please bring friends to join these activities. Additionally, there is the KICKS program, see listing below. This can be a way to bring them to God, but often it is just a great way to enjoy Christian companionship.
Audio Systems - As technology improves, we try to implement what is appropriate to enhance our worship. At services, weddings & funerals, there are trained members who see that the sound is adjusted & any video is clear. These people see that microphones are in operating condition & distribute them. They are also responsible for the special sound system available for the hearing impaired.
Baptistery Maintenance - A person or couple is in charge of keeping the baptistery filled, the water sanitary & all the garments & towels clean & available for the convenience of those being baptized.
Benevolence - Each week members are encouraged to bring canned goods which are placed in the plastic storage cabinet in the kitchen. These are then distributed to the needy as information is received. At least one elder & deacon are in charge of this ministry & are assisted by many others.
Bible Classes - Since classes are offered for all ages, there is always a need for well-prepared, conscientious Bible class teachers. There is an elder in charge of the teaching program & a coordinator who arranges the children's classes. Most classes run on a six-month rotation.
Bread of Life Cafe' (Community Meal) - Every Wednesday evening at from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Central provides a free meal for anyone in the community. At 6:30, there is a short devotional and all are welcome to participate. For members, there is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Center.
Building Maintenance & Repair - An elder & two deacons have the primary responsibility for building maintenance & repair and welcome help. Occasional "work days" are set aside when all members can come & help with specific projects.
Bulletin Boards - There are many large bulletin boards in both buildings & keeping those bright & attractive with great messages is a good way to use your artistic talents for the Lord.
Children's Hospital Sewing Group - On the 2nd Wednesday of each month, a group of women sew at Children's Hospital. They sew on buttons, quilt, make small clothing items, etc., as they are trained by the staff. They are gone from about 9AM - 3PM & lunch is furnished by the hospital.
Coffee & Conversation Time - From 9-9:30AM each Sunday, coffee, juice & pastries are served in the Fellowship Center. This offers a time of fellowship & conversation before classes begin.
Communion Preparation - Central prides itself on having communion bread that is handmade by the women of the congregation. They use the ancient recipe as recorded in Leviticus 2:4. The women are scheduled to fill the communion cups & put the bread on trays for the Lord's Supper each Sunday.
Education Supply Room - Keeping our wonderful stash of educational supplies neatly organized & available is a big job that the teachers greatly appreciate. Having just the right materials at their fingertips helps each class go more smoothly.
Foreign Missions - Several of Central's members have gone on mission trips to various foreign countries & Central offers prayer support & sometimes financial support to supplement what is contributed through individual efforts of those going on the mission trip. Current trips planned in 2008 are Honduras Mission Trip (7-10 through 7-18) and Baja Mission Trip (7-26 through 8-2).
FriendSpeak - As a local mission & evangelistic effort, FriendSpeak is a program of helping people in the Cincinnati area for whom English is a second language. Through reading together simplified Bible lessons from the book of Luke, we can let the gospel speak to the readers as we help them with their reading & conversational English.
Greeters/Ushers - People are scheduled to greet incoming visitors, give them a bulletin & help them find seats or guide them to the coffee available in the Fellowship Center. If possible, conversing enough to get names and addresses is a helpful part of this job. There are two people assigned each Sunday morning & one each Sunday evening.
Hostess Table - Visitors are encouraged to sign the guest register at the Welcome Table where they are greeted by a hostess & given homemade goodies, such as bread or cookies, as a welcoming gift.
KICKS - KICKS stands for Kids Introduced to Christ's Kingdom Through Sports. It is a noncompetitive sports league for children ages 3 through 6th grade. This league will emphasize equal playing time, sportsmanship, character, self-esteem and introduce children to Christ. Any questions contact Shirley Horner @ 598-1293. Click here for more info.
Life Groups - Every Sunday evening members meet in small groups to sing, pray & discuss a Bible topic of interest. The discussion topic changes periodically, currently (2009) we are studying prayer. Most groups meet in homes.
Library - The church library is available for all members to check out books, but keeping all the books catalogued & organized can be quite a job. It is a great service, however, to make available the many materials - from research to children's books.
Music Ministry - The objective is to serve in the ministry of music to establish an environment of praise, reverence and encouragement through song during our assemblies. Music is a powerful form of communication expressing joys, sorrows, praise and adoration. Our songs should reflect His boundless love and blessings in our life.
Nursery - Two women are assigned each Sunday morning & Wednesday evening to help care for children from birth to two years old in the nursery on the lower level during the worship time. There is also a nursery class during regular class time.
Primary Activities - A deacon is in charge of planning activities for children younger than sixth grade. These field trips, egg hunts, parties, etc., help the children get better acquainted with other children from Christian homes.
Retreats - The annual women's retreat is the first Friday/Saturday in November. This is a time set aside to meet with our fellow Christians to grow spiritually & in knowledge of Christ & each other.
Singing - Singing is an integral part of our worship. An elder is in charge of the rotation of song leaders & all work together to help members learn new songs.
Sound Ministry - In one sense, the Sound Ministry is the single most important part of what happens in any given service, for it is a basic common denominator to everything that happens. From the beginning to the end of each service, the sound needs to complement the minister or the singing to make the message heard. Careful attention should be given to every detail of this ministry just as a highly skilled preacher practices a sermon. A sound system greatly aids the congregation in its worship as thoughts focus on the message being heard. No one notices a well run sound system, they hear only the Word.
Summer Camps - Children & teens of the congregation both attend & counsel at Christian youth camps. Younger ones usually go to Fort Hill Christian Youth Camp & the teens to Northwest Ohio Christian Youth Camp.
University Outreach - Efforts are made throughout the year to reach & assist local college students. We offer special young adult classes & activities to help them to feel a part of our Christian community. Helping with their tutoring, social events, or transportation is always appreciated by both the students & the organizers.
Vacation Bible School - Our vacation bible school in 2009 will be July 13 - July 17. VBS runs in the mornings from 9:30-11:00 for children ages 4 through 12.
Worship Service Coordinator - One man each month is in charge of getting those "Privileged to Serve" together to pray before starting the service. Anyone scheduled who cannot fulfill that responsibility is responsible for getting a replacement & notifying the worship service coordinator.
