God is Doing Immeasurably More Than We Ask or Imagine


By Tom Barbian, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Christian Counseling Center


1, 1997. When I think about the ministry of the Christian Counseling Center over the past 25 years, two Scripture passages come to mind: “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:1,9 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church….” Ephesians 3:20a The vision for a Christian Counseling Center as a ministry of First Presbyterian church, came out of necessity and


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forward thinking. In 1991, the session, seeing that the pastoral staff of the church was overwhelmed with counsel- ing needs beyond their time and ability, sought to establish a Christian Counseling Center. It would provide bibli- cally based clinical counseling services which would be available to the congregation and the community at large,  -  providing approximately 6,000 sessions per year. Over the past 25 years God truly has done beyond what was ever imagined. The counseling center now consists


 of 25 includes licensed counselors, a psychiatrist, and student interns. Together, they provide 18,000 sessions. Over 1,300 new individuals seek services every year. Those involved in the initial planning efforts, along with myself, never conceived of a counseling center this large. The Christian Counseling Center is trulty an outreach to the Co- lumbia community and beyond. The numbers do not tell the larger story of lives changed. Individuals with depression, anxiety, addictions, ad-    This year we are celebrating an anniversary of 25 years of ministry. More importantly we are celebrating God’s faithfulness and blessing for the past 25 years. If you would like to know more about the ministry of the First Pres- byterian Church Christian Counseling Center, please visit our website at www.Christiancounseling.ws


- na. The Christian Counseling Center is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia. I am privileged and grateful to be the Executive Director of that ministry, and have been since it began operations on April


French Camp Presbyterian Church in French Camp, Mississippi welcomes 14 new members.


William, Natalie and Lili Grace McKinley, Mary & Terry Roberts, Roy & Karol Nail, Mike & Kathy McCollum, Mechelle Burson, Forrest & Stephanie Marx, Jimmy Middleton, John Dendy


24 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian


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