Dear Centerpointe Family,

Your joyful generosity is the foundation for our ministry and mission and we are grateful. Thank you for all you do. As you consider your giving commitments for 2012, please prayerfully consider making a first-time commitment to Centerpointe or increasing your existing commitment in support or our ministries. The best way to do this is through confidential, secure online giving but you may also return a confidential “My Giving Goals” card (mailed to you in November) to our Stewardship Secretary, Dixie Johnson.

For information about Centerpointe’s stewardship needs, please click on the link below to download the 2012 Campaign Letter. We are grateful for your support.

Campaign Letter 2012

Dear Centerpointe Family,

It is your Elders’ prayer that as we serve the body of Christ, we will do so guided by His Holy Spirit, giving God honor and glory in all that we do. We thank God for our active and involved congregation and for the opportunity to lead and serve you.

Ministry Work in Progress

Session is continuing to work on actions regarding property and finance. A thorough outline of Centerpointe’s finances was mailed to the congregation in March 2011. Session, working through the Stewardship and Operations Team, is seeking a new loan on the Centerpointe property from a local commercial lender. We are working on matters of title regarding the property. Through the efforts of the Worship and Theology Team, we are also following changes within the Presbytery regarding denominational issues and property.

Five new Elders – Ofelia Gomez, Barbara Holden, Pam Lung, Fiona Parken and Sigrie Potter were ordained and will serve for three-year terms. They are gifted women with hearts for God and it gives us great joy to welcome them on Session.

Looking forward

We are looking forward to the fall season of stewardship and service. It will be a full and exciting time of worship and celebration for the ministries of Centerpointe Presbyterian Church and Preschool.

Please continue to pray that we would seek God’s vision for Centerpointe’s future.

Carolynn Harrison
For the Elders serving on Session at Centerpointe Presbyterian Church

Dear Centerpointe Family,

We, as the Elders of the church, are so thankful to be serving you and the Lord at this time. We all sense God’s great movement in this church and in each of you to be drawn in, filled up and then sent out to our community and our world. We ask that each of you would join us in praying that we all would be attentive to God’s will and then get behind him and follow where he leads us as the Body of Christ. This update is being provided to let you know about the focus of our ministry work and leadership decisions. 

Ministry Work in Progress

We are very pleased to report that our pastor sabbatical fund for the support of Pastor Mike’s Sabbatical in the Spring/Summer 2012 for study and refreshment is moving towards our goal. We have now received $13,500 towards a goal of $21,000. Thank you for your continued support and prayers to reach this goal.

Session members and Rian Gamble will meet with the Ponderosa Homeowners Association to get their support as the next step changing our Conditional Use Permit with the city.

Pastor Mike attended the Minneapolis Fellowship Gathering of nearly 2000 pastors and elders to discuss the changes in the Presbyterian Church and possible next steps.

The Presbyterian Church has a New Form of Government and a new Book of Order. Centerpointe’s by-laws will be changed to conform to it.

Please continue to pray that we would seek God’s vision for Centerpointe’s future.

Carolynn Harrison
For the Elders serving on Session at Centerpointe Presbyterian Church

Dear Centerpointe Family,

We thank God for our family of faith and celebrate your involvement in this fellowship.  Thank you for your continuous prayers as God moves in our congregation in new and greater ways.  We are grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Elders.  This update is being provided to let you know about the focus of our ministry work and leadership decisions. 

Ministry Work in Progress

Adult Formation plans to continue EQUIP: Tools for building your life of faith classes and add to them social activity groups, starting three to four times a year, as well as forming social activity groups that will last 8-10 weeks to help with drawing people in.

Pastor Mike is working on building connection within the church family. Children will continue to be included at the beginning of first service, and children from third grade through high school will be included in worship at second service once a month.

The Fall Kick-off Celebration, including ministry appreciation for service last year, and vision for next year, will be on September 11, 2011. The Kick-off Celebration will include two special services of worship followed by a box lunch picnic on the lawn.

Presbyterian Women received a gift from a Centerpointe member’s estate to be used for a permanent kitchen when additional buildings are completed in the future.

Looking Forward

Twelve years ago, Centerpointe’s Session called the congregation to a season of prayer to discern God’s will for the next 100 years of our congregation.  That season of prayer birthed the Walking by Faith capital campaign and the move to the current site after we stepped out and followed God’s nudge without knowing where we were going.  After three years at Centerpointe, the Session is again calling us to 90 days of focused prayer asking how God wants us to move forward.

Rain Gamble gave the first update to the Session regarding his research for the future vision of Centerpointe. One of the key issues facing any projects in Pleasanton is the City of Pleasanton’s imminent focus on the East Side Plan, due to begin early 2012. The East Side Plan could play a role in Centerpointe’s expansion plans.

Please continue to pray that we would seek God’s vision as the Elders look to Centerpointe’s future.

Dean Freeman
For the Elders serving on Session at Centerpointe Presbyterian Church

At our former church location on Mirador Drive, we were blessed, through the generosity of many, with wonderful worship music accompanied by a pipe organ. Before re-locating to our new campus, we were able to sell the organ to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, Alabama.  They plan to bless the instrument during a “Church Music Sunday” on September 25.  Now the organ will bless a second congregation.

Our Choir Director and Organist, Katie Walda, sent the following note to them on behalf of the Centerpointe family:

On behalf of Centerpointe Presbyterian Church (formerly Pleasanton Presbyterian Church), I want to send you our Blessings on your Church Music Sunday, September 25.   Music is such a vital part of worship.  It draws people in, fills up their souls, and sends them out feeling refreshed by the Holy Spirit.  In a congregation that cherishes organ music, having a good instrument only enhances their worship.

For many years, our congregation was blessed to have a beautiful pipe organ, and organists that were able to make it sing.  As our congregation moved on, and left our old building, we realized that we would not be able to take the instrument with us.  Now you have it, and I know for certain that your congregation will also enjoy many years of wonderful music from the instrument!  It will be a wonderful asset to hymn singing, concerts, choir anthems, and I’m sure many other musical events!

May God bless you, your choir members, the instrument, and the members and staff of Trinity Presbyterian.  You are in our prayers this weekend.

Hallelujah!
Praise God in His holy temple;
Praise Him in the firmaments of His power.
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him for His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with the blast of the ram’s horn;
Praise Him with lyre and harp.
Praise Him with timbrel and Dance;
Praise Him with strings and pipe.
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud-clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

May God Bless You!

Sincerely,

Katie Walda
Organist/Choir Director
Centerpointe Presbyterian Church

And here is Ben De Van’s reply following their dedication:

Thank you very, very much Katie for sending this beautiful message to us!  I read it to the choir before the organ dedication service on Sunday evening.  It was also quoted in that service.  Your warm greetings, good wishes, and blessings are very much appreciated.

We had a wonderful day on Sunday, both morning and evening.  If you will share your postal address with me, I will send you some bulletins and music by snail mail.
What a blessing that organ is!!!

God bless you in your ministry of music.

Ben

In May, the Elders and staff completed the review of our Open Doors 9:00 a.m. worship service plan. Click on one of the links below to download the report. Feel free to contact any elder, Worship Director Brian Marriott, Pastor Mike Barris or any other member of our ministry staff team if you have further questions.

Thank you for your interest.

Executive Summary – Open Doors Worship Review

Full Report – Open Doors Worship Review

Twelve years ago, Centerpointe’s elders called the congregation to a season of prayer to discern God’s will for the next 100 years of our congregation. That season of prayer birthed a vision for a new church home and the Walking by Faith capital campaign and ultimately, the move to our current campus. We followed God’s many “nudges” without knowing where we were going. It has been a journey of faith and obedience and God has blessed it. Since the move, the congregation has grown and we’ve founded a highly regarded preschool coupled with an after-school elementary student program. Our leaders have been sensing from God that it’s time to create a long-range strategy for completing our campus master plan. And we want to proceed in the same way that we did over a decade ago, by starting with prayer.

Over the next 3 months, Pastor Mike and the elders are asking every household to be in focused prayer asking God how he wants us to move forward in mission and ministry. Please pray for God to provide vision and the direction to our elders as they engage in this spiritual discernment process. They will be prayerfully considering a range of options based upon God’s direction, from maintaining our current ministry and focus for an extended period without any further campus development, to creative ways to expand ministry and build more of our planned facilities.

During this three-month period, Rian Gamble has been engaged to research the range of options for completing our campus master plan. Rian grew up in this congregation and felt called, after moving back to this area, to serve. He is uniquely qualified, having worked for several years in city administration followed by five years in real estate development. He most recently served as the community liaison officer for the Marine Corps’ mountain warfare training center in Bridgeport, CA. Rian’s modest compensation for this short-term assignment will come from designated funds that were given to move Centerpointe forward in its mission and ministry.

Elder Monthly Update

July 2011

Dear Centerpointe Family,

We thank God for our family of faith and celebrate your involvement in this fellowship.  Thank you for your continuous prayers as God moves in our congregation in new and greater ways.  We are grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Elders.  This update is being provided to let you know about the focus of our ministry work and leadership decisions.

Our Prayers

Reverend Robert S. Vogt passed away on July 16, 2011.  Bob had previously planned his memorial service with Reverend Bill Nebo and other friends.  His service is tentatively planned for August at First Presbyterian Church in Livermore, which has a sanctuary with space for the anticipated attendance.  Reverend Nebo will officiate.

July Action Items

Greg Robitaille was given final approval as Director of Centerpointe Preschool. Communion for next month was moved to August 14^th in order to have an ordained minister present.

Ministry Work in Progress

Tim Hunt reported on the work of the Communications workgroup.  Plans are in motion to incorporate more media, personal stories and witness during Sunday services as well as on the Website and E-News.

Looking Forward

Twelve years ago, Centerpointe’s session called the congregation to a season of prayer to discern God’s will for the next 100 years of our congregation.  That season of prayer birthed the Walking by Faith capital campaign and the move to the current site after we stepped out and followed God’s nudge without knowing where we were going.  After three years at Centerpointe, the session is again calling us to 90 days of focused prayer asking how God wants us to move forward.

During this time, the elders will be engaged in a discernment process asking God what he wants us to do next.  Rian Gamble has been engaged to study a range of options for this site during this time.  Rian grew up in this congregation and felt called, after moving back to this area, to serve.  He is uniquely qualified, having worked for several years in city administration followed by five years in the development business.  He is currently the community liaison officer for the Marine Corps’ mountain warfare training center in Bridgeport, CA.  Rian’s modest compensation for this short-term assignment will come from designated funds that were given to move Centerpointe forward.

Michele Rediger

For the Elders serving on Session at Centerpointe Presbyterian Church