A Church on River Watch Parkway
Central Church of Christ sits along River Watch Parkway in Martinez, Georgia, just across the Savannah River from Augusta and within easy reach of Fort Gordon (now Fort Eisenhower). The congregation describes itself with a short three-part motto: Reaching Up, Reaching In, Reaching Out, and that phrase appears throughout church materials and ministry descriptions. Members and neighbors know Central for its steady rhythm of Bible classes, an unaccompanied style of Sunday worship, a packed youth calendar, and a stream of benevolence work that reaches into schools, hospitals, and food pantries around the Columbia County area.
Restoration Roots and What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Central belongs to the broader fellowship of Churches of Christ and identifies with the Restoration Movement. Leaders describe the goal of the movement as restoring the worship, organization, and government of the first-century church rather than following denominational creeds. Central has no creed other than Christ and looks to the Bible alone as its source of doctrine, so visitors will hear it described simply as non-denominational.
On Sunday mornings the order of worship is straightforward and traditional. The congregation sings a cappella, with no choirs or instruments, just blended voices lifting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together. Several prayers are offered through the service, including prayers for the sick and those in need. The Lord's Supper is observed every Sunday morning in memory of Christ's death, with unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, and a weekly financial offering is collected (guests are not expected to give). A Bible-centered sermon follows, usually about thirty minutes long, and the minister closes by inviting anyone who wishes to commit their life to Christ or request prayers to come forward.
Service Times and the Weekly Rhythm
The main weekly schedule gathers the church three times each week. Sunday morning begins at 9:00 AM with Bible classes for every age group, followed by worship at 10:00 AM. A second worship service meets on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, and on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM the midweek Bible study meets. During the summer quarter (May through July) Wednesday evenings become Winning Wednesdays, with guest preachers from across the Southeast brought in to teach their best or favorite lesson. Services are streamed through the church's audio and video team, and recordings are posted on the church's YouTube channel so that members who travel, are sick, or serve in the military can stay connected.
Other regular weekly rhythms include a Thursday morning ladies' Bible class at 10:30 AM, a Friday morning men's breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Grovetown, and a Friday morning food pantry that hands out groceries to neighbors in need throughout the year.
A Pulpit Ministry Led by Craig Middleton
Central's pulpit minister is Craig Middleton, who began serving the congregation at the start of 2024. Middleton earned degrees in journalism from the University of Georgia and mathematics from Augusta University, taught locally at Lakeside High School, and previously preached at the Aiken Church of Christ in South Carolina (2013-2022) and the Buford Church of Christ in Georgia (2022-2023). He also serves on the board of Palmetto Bible Camp. He and his wife Kelsy have three children and have been part of the Central family on and off since 2004.
The full-time staff is rounded out by Luke Gay, who joined as a youth intern in the summer of 2024 and now serves full time as youth minister while pursuing a ministry degree through Heritage Christian University, and Michael Rowand, the connections minister, who brings a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies with a minor in Greek from Ohio Valley University. Office support is provided by Sharon Hennen and Amber Norris. Members and visitors can reach the minister directly through minister@visitcentral.org or request a personal Bible study online.
Elders, Deacons, and Ministry Leaders
Central is shepherded by a team of seven elders: Bobby Pace, Riley Kester, Ben Lambright, Billy Middleton, Sonny (Arthur J.) Gay Jr., Joey Burns, and Ben Weathers. Their biographies reflect long ties to the Augusta area: Riley Kester's first association with the congregation goes back to 1965, Billy Middleton co-owns Industrial Metal Finishing downtown, and Sonny Gay met his wife Deborah at Central before they were married in 1967.
A large bench of deacons carries day-to-day ministry. Jeremy Hinote leads the SOAR youth rally, Virgil Wilkerson oversees the food pantry, Dick Willis coordinates both the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home devotional and the Baby Basket Ministry, Michael Hay and Al McCain handle worship service duties, Bryan Scarbrough leads Education, Derek Chumney leads Young Families, Doug Norris cares for shut-ins, Kenneth Graves covers middle school, Kyle Oliver oversees outreach, Jamie Farr leads College and Young Professionals, Todd Gay leads high schoolers, Joseph Burns leads Children's Education, Brian Gill leads the youth group, and Justin Yates leads Lads to Leaders. A separate layer of ministry leaders directs everything from streaming and security to greeters, audio and sound, interior decoration, and missions.
Children and Students at Central
Children's ministry at Central runs from a staffed nursery for infants and toddlers through fifth grade. Weekly Bible classes meet on both Sunday and Wednesday, a Sunday evening program called Christ's Kids serves children age 2 through first grade, and Joseph Burns serves as the deacon over Children's Education. Annual rhythms include a spring egg hunt, a fall Trunk or Treat, a summer Vacation Bible School, and bi-monthly service opportunities such as nursing home singing, Paper Prayers, game nights, a back-to-school bash, and family movie nights. The curriculum quote that anchors this work is Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go."
The student ministry, led by Luke Gay, covers sixth through twelfth grades and is one of the busiest areas of congregational life. Students gather for monthly devotionals, service projects, multiple youth rallies each year, an annual in-country mission trip, and a week of Bible camp. Highlights include Ice Cream Sundays, a Wednesday-night Upper Room Hangout, a December trip to Exposure Youth Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, a progressive dinner around three members' homes, Palmetto Bible Camp during its third week (directed by Jeremy Hinote), the SOAR rally hosted at Central that draws more than 650 students from across the Southeast, a summer lock-in, a winter retreat at Camp Canaan in Rock Hill, and a Friendsgiving campfire each November. Each quarter the young men also lead the Sunday evening worship service themselves, leading songs, prayers, communion, and short lessons.
Adults from College to Seasoned Saints
The adult ministry at Central is organized by life stage. College and Young Professionals, led by deacon Jamie Farr, gathers students, young singles, and young marrieds for social events, service projects, and its own summer-quarter Bible class. Young Families, led by Derek Chumney, brings together young marrieds and singles with children for fellowship plus dedicated Sunday morning and Wednesday night classes. Seasoned Saints, made up of members fifty and older, fills its calendar with annual trips, bimonthly fellowships, holiday parties, and service projects. All members are also assigned to one of the elder-led R.E.A.C.H. Groups that meet through the year for fellowship and service.
Men's and Women's Ministry
The men's ministry centers on a few reliable touchstones: a yearly themed breakfast and devotional, a yearly retreat or Men's Day (held either off campus or in the building), periodic topical Bible classes on topics like leadership and worship, and the steady Friday morning breakfast at the Grovetown Cracker Barrel that runs throughout the year.
The women's ministry is similarly wide-reaching. A ladies' Bible class meets Thursday mornings year-round at the church building, and a second ladies' class runs two quarters of the year on Wednesday nights. Women take at least one annual out-of-town trip, with past destinations including Charleston and Savannah, and gather for roughly four to five baby showers and two to three wedding showers each year for first-time mothers and brides in the congregation. Other rhythms include a quarterly Saturday tea, Ladies Day or Ladies Retreat each year, and quarterly Lunch-Ins when women bring brown-bag lunches to shut-in members of the church.
Outreach Across the Augusta Area
Central's community footprint is one of the most visible things about the congregation. The AMEN Ministry reaches out to new Christian soldiers arriving at Fort Eisenhower with personal invitations to services. Cancer Support Services (formerly the Lydia Project) receives tote bags sewn by the Central ladies; paddington totes filled with feminine products are sent to local schools to combat period poverty. Central partners with South Columbia Elementary, providing backpacks, supplies, and a back-to-school breakfast for teachers, and the church delivers a meal to the families of patients at the local burn unit on the third Tuesday of every month.
Each year Central participates in Halloween with a Heart at Patriots Park gymnasium, where more than 700 special-needs children and families from the CSRA come to trick-or-treat; the church also collects supplies and cleans at the Ronald McDonald House, joins the area Churches of Christ on the Monday of Thanksgiving week to feed more than 3,000 people downtown, and takes part in a monthly devotional at the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home on the first Sunday of each month. A Baby Basket Ministry packs clothing and supplies for local social workers, a Casserole Ministry stocks a freezer with home-cooked meals for members in need, the Friday morning Food Pantry hands out food weekly, and a Golden Harvest Food Bank team works most months of the year to earn credit that keeps that pantry supplied.
Missions Across the Country and Around the World
Central supports a wide network of mission works under deacon Justin Maynard. Domestic and foreign efforts funded and partnered with by the church include AGAPE, Church of Christ Disaster Relief, Dubai Missions, the Guam work of Wade Phillips, In Search of the Lord's Way, India Missions and the India House Mothers, the Indonesia Preaching School, Tanzania Missions, Truth for the World, Palmetto Bible Camp, the Rabun County Church, Latin America Missions, and a Military Outreach effort. Each summer the youth ministry also joins the church in a foreign mission trip, and from time to time the congregation travels to a stateside campaign.
Worship, Audio, and the Building
Worship services depend on a deep bench of men who sign up weekly to lead songs, offer prayers, read Scripture, make announcements, usher, preside over the Lord's Supper, and serve at the attendance count. Communion prep is shared by families through the week, with someone coming to the building between Thursday and Saturday to prepare the elements for Sunday. Behind the scenes, an Audio and Video team (Rex Faulkner, Armond Rouillard, and Jeff Hennen, with additional help in the sound booth) handles streaming, sermon recording, and CD production so that services can reach the homebound and anyone online. A Safety and Security team under elder Riley Kester monitors the building during services through cameras and on-site personnel.
Fellowship, Sports, and the Calendar
Fellowship at Central runs through every season. Barry Baggott coordinates congregational luncheons, going-away fellowships for members who relocate, and an annual graduation banquet. Each year the church also hosts a golf tournament for members and visitors, and over the years Central has fielded flag football, volleyball, and softball teams. The church calendar at visitcentral.org/calendar keeps every group connected to the same rhythm of events.
Giving, Contact, and Finding the Building
Visitors will find Central at 3650 River Watch Parkway in Martinez, Georgia. The church phone is (706) 855-0801, and the office can be reached at secretary@visitcentral.org. Online giving is available through the church's PayPal account linked from the Give page, and welcome materials invite first-time guests to share a coffee cup full of candy and a church brochure, just one of the many small touches Central uses to make newcomers feel at home from the first Sunday they walk through the door.