The kick-off event in honor of Central Presbyterian Church of Waco/Woodway’s 150th anniversary celebration saw 50 volunteers wearing bright blue anniversary t-shirts to participate in a community service and outreach blitz on Saturday, February 2, 2019.
Central’s heritage is deeply rooted in community service, and what better way to celebrate a birthday than by reaching out to surrounding sisters and brothers!
Church members split into three teams: baking, crafting and delivering baskets of goodies to local Woodway and Hewitt first responders (police and fire); sorting through donated appliances at the Caritas Hidden Treasures Store; and sewing pillows for foster children and caddies for nursing home patients’ walkers.
Through this day, full of service-oriented activities (#KeepingChristCentral), a proclamation reaffirming Central’s continuing commitment to local missions, including its long-standing relationship with Mission Waco, Compassion Ministries and Habitat for Humanity was sealed, and the blue wave of baptismal excitement that would culminate with an anniversary worship and celebration on February 17, was birthed!
The service day began early as members and friends arrived with sewing machines, irons, ironing boards, scissors, pins, and wonderfully fun coordinating fabrics. Nine women forming the sewing circle worked seamlessly to create pillow cases for the local Trulight 127 Ministries and walker caddies to be delivered to local nursing homes.
The sewing circle was so inspired in their time spent together they pledged that this was only the beginning! (Contact the church if you would like to know more.)
Later that same morning, 19 volunteers splashed into one of the Caritas thrift stores to test, repair and sort electronic devices for resale. It was an assembly line of productivity and laughter, with lots of joy spilling all over the place!
Meanwhile, wonderfully gifted volunteers were back in the Activity Center providing cookies, goodies, craft set-up and even pizza for 20 children, parents, grandparents, and mentors who gathered as lunchtime approached.
Central volunteers created sweet, hand-printed appreciation and thank you cards full of scripture and heart, ate pizza while the artwork dried, and made special deliveries, visiting with our local Hewitt and Woodway police and fire officers.
A couple of days later, when a Hewitt police officer was shot, the church was able to correspond quickly and pray for its new friends. These projects are all about building bridges of love, thanks and service with neighbors!
Since Central’s motto is, “Where Christ is Central in everything we do” these activities truly inspired church members to get back to the roots of evangelism – carrying the Good News to our neighbors as the hands and feet of Christ. The congregation is looking forward to continuing this outward-looking, inclusive, multi-generational self-giving as they turn the page and begin their next 150 years!
Together, enthusiastically, both inside and outside the church, we look forward to worshipping and working together, growing and going, #KeepingChristCentral!
Heartfelt thanks to the church members and volunteers who contributed to the outreach effort and graciously shared their story with us.
Central Presbyterian Church is located at 9191 Woodway Drive in Woodway, Texas. Worship takes place on Sundays at 10:45 a.m., preceded by Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.