As our current sermon series is focused on the different ways of worship, we thought it fitting to give the Ministry Spotlight for February to our own Worship Ministry here at CABC!

Ministry Spotlight: Worship Ministry
Ministry Chair Person(s): Laura Enslen

“Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise His holy name (Psalm 30)” is just one of the many, many scriptures that reference worship & singing found in the Bible. It is also one of the verses that best sums up the work of the Worship Ministry here at CABC. Though it is one of those ministries that you literally can see every Sunday morning, there is a lot that goes into our Worship Ministry that is not necessarily seen or even known.

The purpose of the Worship Ministry here at CABC is to provide opportunities for the congregation to encounter the saving power of Jesus through worship in song  and other creative venues (choirs, special music & instrumentals, dramas, videos & photos and stage décor). This ministry includes our on-staff Worship Director, Laura Enslen, and her amazing team of volunteers who serve as worship leaders, musicians, singers and sound technicians (thank you plug (pun intended) to you all for your commitment and service each week).

Our Worship Ministry does an amazing job each week preparing for Sunday worship and selecting, practicing and leading congregational songs that connect and unite with the sermon theme for the week. But that is just one responsibility of this ministry. Other responsibilities include: preparing for Wednesday Night youth worship – a recently developed aspect of Worship Ministry to help engage youth in the worship leading and participating experience – by selecting, practicing and leading songs that connect with the lesson themes and youth group as a whole; providing worship in song for additional services (Good Friday, Christmas Eve, memorial and wedding) and events (CABC Highway Kids Christmas play) as assigned or requested; and providing opportunities to develop musical talent within the congregation – often through in-house or locally provided worship workshops.

Some of the recent goals of Worship Ministry have resulted in new objectives being introduced that you may have noticed such as: introducing new songs to the congregation one to two times a month through special music, praise choir and the worship team, as well as utilizing praise choir in worship as part of the regular worship team at least once a quarter.  Any one else been enjoying these features?!

We here at CABC are grateful to have such a Christ-centered Worship Ministry and such a lovely vocalist (inside and out) leading us in our time of worship week in and week out. Says Laura Enslen about her love for music, “I think we express our devotion to God in so many beautiful ways, and music has always been a place where I can feel close to Him. Leading our congregation is a wonderful gift to be given, and I’m humbled in how he uses each of us on a Sunday morning. Our team of volunteers are dedicated and talented, and I am so thankful to serve alongside of each one. When we raise our voices together in song, I get a small glimpse of what heaven will look like when we are all gathered around the throne singing praises to our Lord.”

If you have a love for music, whether it’s singing, playing and instrument, or helping enhance audio and visual effects be sure to connect with Laura for a chance to be a part of CABC’s Worship Ministry. You can usually find her on stage on a Sunday morning or connect with her right here!

After a holiday break, we’re back with more CABC Ministry Spotlights, highlighting the various and diverse ministries found right here at CABC! First up for 2020 is the CABC Finance Committee!

Ministry Spotlight: Finance Committee
Ministry Chair Person(s): Mike Enslen

Now that the holiday season is over and the new year has started, we’re all ready to budget, tighten up our spending, and balance some checkbooks, right?! Well, okay maybe we’re all not that excited about finances in that perspective… but our CABC Finance Committee sure is! (anyone else hear crickets chirping?)

CABC is blessed to have a wonderful Finance Committee dedicated to tackling the big (sometimes stressful, but important) questions and concerns of being stewards of God in regard to monetary matters. The committee holds to the words of Paul in his letter to the Philippians saying, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).”

The committee’s primary purpose is to oversee the financial activities of the church and to maintain its books and financial records. The committee itself is made up of five areas of service: a chairperson to serve as the Church Treasurer, and Elder representative, the on-staff Bookkeeper, the Financial Secretary and anywhere from 2-4 members of the congregation.

The Finance Committee has many important responsibilities (as do all our wonderful ministries) that help keep our financial records organized, secure and honest. Some of those responsibilities include: preparing the annual church budget by consolidating individuals budgets from all staff, committees and ministries within CABC; regularly reviewing the financial condition of the church and providing leadership and the church body as a whole with reports reflecting the health and/or needs currently found; establishing goals and priorities for the Finance Committee itself based on the church’s objectives and long-range plans as defined by the Elder Board; and finally, maintaining insurance policies for the church, ensuring adequate safeguards are in place to control and limit access to the church’s monetary funds, and providing for the audit of the church’s books and financial records every third year.