August 2025 Congregational Meeting Recap
Dear CPC Family,
This past Sunday, August 3rd, we held a congregational meeting to talk together about where the Lord is leading us in the new ministry year. While many of the regular rhythms of our ministry will remain the same (Sunday Worship, Sunday School, and CPC Mid-Week), we are also taking steps of faith to bring the Gospel to our neighbors and friends.
The plan is an ambitious framework that reflects our belief that our gracious and generous God will continue to do His good work through the members of CPC and further extend the Gospel to Wallingford and its surrounding communities.
Guiding the 2025-26 Ministerial Calendar are Matthew 22:37-39 and Philippians 3:8. Our purpose as a church is to know Jesus and be transformed by His presence, and, likewise, to invite other to know Jesus and be transformed by His presence.
By engaging with one another and the surrounding community, CPC in the coming year will demonstrate and extend God’s grace. God has told us that He will accomplish His purpose in and through us as we use the means that he has given us. Throughout the history of God and His people, the Ordinary Means of Grace has been the way that Jesus is present with us and ministers to us and our neighbors. The Ordinary Means of Grace are the shepherding care of Christ, the Word and sacraments, and the community of faith. Our ministry plan reflects the way that we believe the Lord is calling us to deploy those means in the life of our church.
Financial Update
Operations:
The operating budget calls for $185,000 in giving in the coming year. Congregational giving is projected to be $135,000. This represents about $15,000 more the amount collected this past year from the CPC community. Gifts from outside supporters are budgeted for $50,000, a $4,000 increase over current levels.
Building Fund:
The Building Fund Campaign has raised over $100,000. A balance of $24,000 remains to meet our $125,000 goal. After our initial deposit to White Oak Baptist Church, the balance on the purchase stands at $70,000. Unspent building funds currently are being held in short-term CDs yielding 4 percent annually.
Expenses are reviewed on a monthly basis to insure they do not exceed revenues. The church also maintains a reserve fund, currently valued at $23,000.
Deploying the Means of Grace in the life of the church
Shepherding Care of the Church
Pastor Mike will begin visits with CPC members and regular attendees to discuss their relationship with Jesus Christ and how He is working in their lives. More details will follow on these pastoral meetings.
CPC also will see an expansion of its leadership team. The congregation has submitted elder and women’s leadership team nominations. These candidates will be evaluated by qualifications outlined in the Scripture and the Book of Church Order. Following a season of preparation and discernment, they will be voted on by the church body in August 2026.
Word and Sacrament
Starting September 7 and meeting weekly through Sunday, October 19, we will be holding a Confessional Theology Workshop. This workshop will be an explanation of what we believe and why we believe it. It is open to all and required for those who are pursing leadership at CPC.
Derived from the Greek work leitourgia, or “work of the people,” our liturgy in the coming year will see more involvement by members of the congregation. The ministry plan calls for the creation of a Liturgy Leadership team whose members -- both men and women of the church --will lead the congregation in various parts of the service.
Community of Faith
Speaking of liturgy, it can be confusing to many who don’t understand it as our “conversation with God.” To that end, we seek to remove barriers that a newcomer may find daunting. This means cultivating Welcoming Teams and creating materials that explain the liturgical steps of our worship service.
We will also be more focused in sharing the wonderful story of CPC and God’s guiding hand in our formation. We will develop ways to invite others to join us in worship and church activities. And we will set times for communal prayer outside of Sunday worship.
Our Communal outreach, meaning Christ-centered hospitality to our neighbors and friends, will take several forms. CPC will actively participate in the life of our town through events like the Holiday Stroll and Porchfest. We also are exploring the opportunity to work with a local coffee shop for Sunday evening gatherings for our friends who are desiring to explore Christian faith or who are unable to attend Sunday morning service.
Finally, we will host several events of our own. Lillian Eshelman has assumed the role of Family Outreach Coordinator to plan high quality, high hospitality, high relational gatherings that deploy the resources and talents God has given us. Events are tentatively scheduled for October, November, and December. Also under consideration is a parenting conference next March.
I ask all who call CPC their church home to prayerfully consider how the Lord is leading you to invest in our shared ministry with your time, your abilities, and your resources. As we seek to be faithful to the Lord’s plan for His church, I ask that you be present, share ideas, and get involved in planning and creating opportunities to serve one another and host our neighbors.
Our plan is still a working draft, the budget and Ministry Plan will be revised and finalized by the Session before the start of the fiscal year on September 1. I invite everyone to provide feedback as you pray about your part in the ministry of CPC. Feel free to email me your questions or ideas at mike@cpcwallingford.org or to setup a time for further discussion.
In Christ,
Mike