Amarillo Central Podcast

“No one drifts into spiritual maturity.” Spiritual growth requires intentionality, and that happens best in the context of relationships. The goal for our church is for all of us to be on the journey of discipleship, and our leadership has narrowed it down to 3 easy concepts: Connect / Grow / Serve. We introduced “GROW in Classes and Groups” recently, and we wanted to go a little deeper on that to...

The Bible doesn’t shy away from talking about how we use our money, but we’re often hesitant to have those conversations ourselves. When we remember that everything we have is God’s, perhaps it will change our approach. Consider that we are taking what is already His and seeing how He is leading us to use it. Today’s episode is a look at upcoming conversations we’ll be having as a church about gen...

The goal for our church is for all of us to be on the journey of discipleship, and our leadership has narrowed it down to 3 easy concepts: Connect / Grow / Serve. We introduced “CONNECT with Worship” on Sunday, and we wanted to go a little deeper on that topic for our episode today. We live in a time where people are searching for genuine, authentic community. As followers of Christ, worship is on...

Advent is the season of the church calendar where we anticipate the coming of Jesus—both his first coming as a baby and his second arrival that is still to come. This time of year is about how we live between those two places, and the way we approach the season can be a witness to our culture about God and his plan for the world. Join us for this conversation about lights and songs, symbolism and...

We are a story people, and we learn through story (think of all the stories throughout Scripture). So as a part of Missions Month, we’re looking at mission work through the lens of our personal stories. Listen to today’s episode to hear about the experiences of Jordan Womble, Ethan McNeill, Elaine Nesbitt, Mic Biesboer, Hannah McNeill, and Greg Dowell in the mission field. From landmines to shoele...

Today’s conversation is a look at another one of our ministries here at Central—the Student Ministry. Listen in as Mesa Allison, Rylee Lutes, Mic Biesboer, and Hannah McNeill begin the conversation with memorable experiences that they had as teens, and then discuss the best gourmet burritos of all time, provided by our very own teens last Sunday for Missions Month. Then we jump into the hopes for...

We start off talking about our wackiest fashion choices as kids, but then we talk a little bit about the Holy Spirit and our faith. What is your understanding of the Holy Spirit? How does it inform your faith? As Mic prepares to teach a class on the Holy Spirit this fall, we want to take a deeper look. We are comfortable with the Holy Spirit speaking to us through Scripture, but perhaps there are...

In 2018 after a church-wide study and much discernment on the part of the leadership at Central, women’s leadership expanded to include participating during the worship hour. When we read the Bible as a story—a story that’s taking us somewhere—we get a better idea of what God has to say about men and women who were created in His image. Central is inviting people to purse opportunities to grow in...

On this podcast, we are going to take you inside some of our ministries here at Central, and we begin today with Children’s Ministry. If you’ve been here on a Sunday morning, you’ve likely seen toddlers and elementary-aged kids being dropped off at the check-in desk for class or you have seen kids running excitedly to Children’s Worship right before the sermon each week. So what is the purpose of...

You heard the dating story last week (if you missed it, look for Episode 72), and today we move on to marriage, kids, and the call to ministry. The kids are growing, and Mic and Tara are entering full-time ministry. They share about the specific point in time where things shifted for them—a specific conversion moment they experienced as a family. Tune in for the conversation. Speakers: Greg Dowell...

Central has hired a Senior Minister, and this episode serves as a first introduction to Mic Biesboer and his wife Tara. Listen in to hear about their favorite foods, where they grew up, when their faith journeys began, and how Mic and Tara started dating. God is present through all of their story—family influence, Sunday Bible class, summer camp, and more. Have a listen today and come meet Mic and...

We have some expert opinions to share about this year’s camp experience. SITS (Summer in the Son) is Central’s first church camp for our 3rd through 6th graders at Ceta Canyon, and 3 of our kids let you in on all the stuff related to camp—fishing, hiking in heels, and how sweaty the weekend gets. But they learn some things too while they’re at camp. Let Averylynn Belcher, Bradford Belcher, and Ali...

Our Student Minister Mesa Allison hosts today’s episode by interviewing Hannah Green, Cooper Fewell, and Lara Reeves about Camp Blessing. These high school students spent a week serving at this summer camp experience for students with special needs. God’s work was evident throughout the week, and our students tell us about His work in their own words. Have a listen to hear about helping every camp...

It began as a service offered during the week through the church office. But then it was moved to Sunday morning, allowing those seeking assistance and those attending Central to be in one place experiencing the love of Christ together. Care Central is more than assistance, although the help is so valuable to the people who visit. It’s more about making personal connections, learning names, and mo...

On today’s episode, we welcome our new summer children’s ministry intern to Central! Introducing Taylor Edmundson—she comes to us by way of New York to Nashville to Amarillo. She likes cold brew coffee and just graduated from Lipscomb with a degree in Elementary Education. Her faith journey has taught her to surround herself with people who encourage her to grow, and she is open to where God is le...

On today’s episode, we welcome our new summer youth intern to Central! Meet Kathryn Culbert—her roots are in Canyon, TX; she just finished her freshman year of college; and she is exploring ways to build her personal relationship with God. Listen in as the youth staff also shares what brings them closer to God, what draws our teens near to God, and what we are looking forward to this summer. Speak...

Madison Knebusch is one of Central’s own, growing up here with her parents and four siblings. She was an energetic, joyful 8th grade girl. But she got sick, and the story of her next two years is a difficult one. Today we hear from her parents, Levi and Shannon, about their journey through Madison’s illness and death. It was hard and not without struggle. But as a way to continue Madison’s legacy,...

Today’s episode features Tim McMenamy, Monette Treat, and Connie Garcia—all who have an active role with Martha’s Home—joining Greg Dowell, our Executive Minister. The Martha’s Home ministry has been around since 1987 and is one of our local mission partners. But what exactly is Martha’s Home? Why does it matter? Take a front row seat with our guests on the episode as they walk you through what th...

We have a special treat today! Hannah Stover, Faith Wood, Bayli Nash, and Gracyn Knebusch—4 representatives of our graduating high school senior class—join Greg Dowell on the podcast today. They talk everything from peacocks to Trek to being loved by the Central community to how God is at work in their lives today. This is an important time in the lives of our senior class. We want to love them we...

This episode is a bit different as we enter Holy Week on the church calendar. We want to take these 12 minutes to focus on a spiritual practice as we enter these days before Jesus' death and resurrection. Using “lectio divina,” we will focus on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and open ourselves up to what God has to say to us through his Word. If you don’t know what lectio divina is, we encourag...

On today’s episode of the podcast, Sheldon DeVries from Journey Church joins Greg Dowell here at Central for a discussion about the time following Easter. We are quite familiar with the resurrection of Jesus, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which are rooted in resurrection, are foundational to this church. But what about the period of time after Jesus is raised from the dead?...

Part of Central’s identity as a church is loving and helping people, especially through mission work. Steve Cearley, chairman of the Missions Committee, shares with us some important changes to the foreign works we support. • The Liras transition from Brasilia to South Florida • Our House in the midst of fighting in Ukraine • New mission partners in Boa Vista, Brazil The episode covers some other...

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) Sharing our lives—that’s the point of being in community as well as one of the reasons God created the church. Today, Kate Malone (long-time member) and Hannah McNeill (Communications Director) join Greg Dowell (Executive Minister) on this episode to discuss h...

Here at Central we know that God has given Kevin Schaffer, our worship minister, the gift of music. But do you know where it all started? He has been on quite the path from jamming to vinyl records of Abba all the way to a stint with the singing group Acappella. Listen to Kevin’s story and let it remind you to consider how God has gifted you. More than that, how can you use those gifts to God’s gl...

We've asked an exclusive panel of experts, and the consensus is that “kissing is gross.” But what about loving your family? Or your favorite toy? Love is a beautiful gift God has given us. Hear from these experts, a handful of our kiddos here at Central, and their perspectives on what they love.