In 1953 a group of engineers and businessmen chose Visioneering as the name of a new, innovative design and manufacturing company poised to serve the emerging aerospace industry. Now, 56 years later we’ve chosen it as the name of our November Outreach sermon series. In both cases the desire is to capture the sense of seeing the needs and possibilities of the future and preparing for it. In our case, that means we need to see some things about God clearly too.

Traditionally we have hosted a Missions Conference that has showcased the wonderful ways Central supports people who are serving God and reaching out in Jesus’ Name locally and in different parts of the world. We have brought in special speakers and have missionaries lining the Concourse. This year is different. We decided to highlight God’s calling on the lives of our favorite missionaries this year: you. (That’s right, you.) The person you see in the mirror every morning has a special call rooted in the heart of God that will use your gifts and skills to reach the world around you. God’s way is to use us, and to use us in partnership with Jesus’ other followers, no matter what local church they call home.

Beginning next week, we will spend three weeks looking at God’s passion to heal and transform lives, looking at how God wants us to participate personally in his work, and seeing the wonderful ways we can join others in the Church of Jesus Christ in this exciting calling. There are a number of special events that will inform and challenge us. And, of course, some of them are our friends serving overseas! (We can never pass up the chance to support and learn from them!) Dick Bransford will be here, as well as our new partner, Chief Theresa from Malawi. We’ll hear from HopeSprings folks who went to Malawi last summer, and celebrate with Acts4Youth. Get a brochure and mark some of these events on your calendar.

In addition, we will still have a special speaker in Sunday worship. On week three we will host Ben Abell, Senior Pastor of Regional and International Engagement at Grace Fellowship Church. Ben is a personal good friend of mine who has been used by God to unite dozens of churches and hundreds of people together in prayer and service in Baltimore. I have spent hundreds of hours praying and planning together with Ben, as we have tried to sense God’s heart for transformation in the Baltimore Region. I can think of few people I would rather have share about partnership in God’s service than Ben.

Finally, we’ll have all kinds of missionaries in the Concourse. Hundreds, in fact. But they won’t be behind tables or standing at displays. They’ll be going to worship, hanging around in the Concourse, and filing out to their cars to serve God where they live, work and play.

Pastor John E. Schmidt

Conference Events