Dear Parents, Guardians, and Members of the Central Family,
I want to share an important update about our Next Gen ministries. We know that Next Gen ministry (birth - college) is vital to
the health of our congregation and to making disciples of Jesus Christ. One of my primary goals at Central this year is to strengthen and grow our student ministries.
Over the past several months, we have been listening carefully to feedback from parents, families and other leaders, and have begun
making meaningful progress to strengthen and enrich our Sunday and Wednesday Next Gen programming.
Because our church is growing in so many ways, we want to ensure that we are providing dynamic, engaging, and Christ-centered opportunities for our children and students to grow in faith and
community. As part of this commitment, we have recently restructured our Next Gen Department and will be enlisting new leaders to support this vision.
We want to thank Zack Bloodworth and Erika Regier for the time and care they shared with Central
and wish them the very best.
During this transition, several members of our staff and clergy are stepping in to support and strengthen our programming:
- Jaime Reinen, Central’s
Executive Director, who brings more than 15 years of experience working with children of all ages.
- Rev. Virginia Brown, who has 14 years of youth ministry experience prior to her appointive ministry. Virginia will be leading our youth on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, and she is excited to jump in. We are especially energized about the opportunity to grow a strong and engaging youth
platform under her leadership.
- Kari Horton, our Director of CCA, who holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and has many years of experience working with children.
- Mary Bassett, our Director of Central Littles who continues to faithfully care for our youngest
children and also holds a degree in Early Childhood Education.
You may already be noticing some positive changes on Sunday mornings, including:
- Music and welcoming energy in the classrooms
- Enrichment packs and hands-on learning
opportunities
- A more intentional worship experience
- Breakout sessions for engagement and discussion
- A weekly memory verse to take home and practice together
We have
also implemented an updated sign-in and sign-out process to strengthen safety and communication with families. Our hope is to transition to iPad check-in in the future, which will require parents and guardians to complete their profiles and information. While we are not there yet, we are actively working toward that goal.
Our Next Gen Council will continue working alongside staff to help shape the future of this ministry, ensuring that we build strong continuity between our children’s and youth ministries by creating engaging experiences for every age that are rooted in our United Methodist faith.
Finally, if you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I am excited about the future of this ministry! Thank you for trusting
Central with the spiritual care of your children and youth.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Jennie Williams
Senior Pastor, Central United
Methodist Church
