This past Sunday at Central we unveiled our two-year plan for enhancing our Christian ministry in our immediate neighborhood, throughout our city, and into the world. “Ignite” represents an exciting new season of vision and mission at Central and our desire is for every person in our church to participate in this together.

Our goal is to contribute $.96-million over the next two years to upgrade our facilities and make needed repairs and improvements to our home base; to significantly deepen our partnerships with local groups who do great Gospel ministry in our city with more money, volunteers, and resources; and to bring our foreign missions efforts under the umbrella of the overall vision of Central.

Vision and mission. That’s the focus of “Ignite.” And we need to do this right now. We don’t need to put it off. We don’t need to wait. This opportunity for more ministry inside and through our buildings, for more mission into and throughout our city and world — by God’s grace, we need to make this happen!

Matthew Kelly gave the commencement address at Xavier University three years ago, speaking to the graduating students about generosity, patience, and living life by looking at the big picture view of things. And he concluded his remarks with this:

“In a land where there are no musicians; in a land where there are no storytellers, teachers, or poets; in a land where there are no men and women of vision and leadership; in a land where there are no legends, saints, or champions; in a land where there are no dreamers — the people of that land will most certainly perish.

But you and I, we are the music makers; we are the storytellers, teachers, and poets. We are the men and women of vision and leadership; we are the legends, saints, and champions. And we are the dreamers of the dreams.”

If we don’t do it, who will? If we don’t do it now, when will we? This is us. And this is today. This “Ignite” just feels like Central.

We can’t out-dream our God. We can’t out-give our Lord or out-vision or out-mission God. But we can strive with every fiber of our being to give ourselves fully to his beautiful vision and his glorious mission to shine light into darkness and bring his salvation to Amarillo and to the ends of the earth.

Peace,

Allan