6198 Airport Road, Syracuse, New York 13209, United States
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OUR purpose
The Circle Center
The Circle Center exists to teach and train youth and adults to circle back (return to God and His Word), circle walk (live/walk around in God’s ways), and circle talk (tell the world about Jesus and defend the faith) through a variety of programs and events.
1. Circle Back – this term simply means, “to return.” Over and over in Scripture, we see God call His people to return to Him. This is because we are a people prone to turning our backs on Him and wandering off. We are easily distracted in our thoughts and desires and therefore, quick to forget Him and veer off the path. Thankfully, we have a God who goes after us at all cost. He does what it takes to get our attention and beckons us to circle back to Him. He says, “Return to me and I will return to you” (NIV, Malachi 3:7).
Additionally, circling back to God is really a daily choice. We must wake up each day and decide to return in prayer and the reading of His Word. Just like any relationship, if we won’t look another person in the eyes or talk to them or listen to them, we won’t have much of a relationship. So it is with God - we automatically turn away from Him when we don’t purposely and actively turn toward Him, listen to Him or talk to Him. We need to be in a healthy cycle of circling back.
2. Circle Walk – this term comes from NT passages that tell us to walk by faith, walk in the light, walk in love, walk in truth… etc. (2 Corinthians 5:7, 1 John 1:7, 2 John 1:6, 3 John 1:4). The Greek word for “walk” in these verses is, “Peripateo.”
Peri = around, in a complete circuit
Pateo = walk.
Imagine looking at a map of New York State. If I were to draw a circle around the greater Syracuse area, I would declare, “You can find me here. I reside here. I live here. I walk around here. I work, grocery shop, go to church, and play pickleball here.” This same concept is being portrayed in Scripture. God has circles for us to be found walking around in – circles of light, love, truth, faith, and so on. God wants us to reside in those circles and not break the circles by stepping out.
“Circle Walk” is all about living in God’s ways. This is something we will be working on for all our earthly days. Thankfully, we have some great examples to follow. The Bible says, Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24), Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9b), Abraham and Isaac walked faithful with God (Genesis 48:15), Josiah walked in all the ways of David (2 Kings 22:1-2) and more. David told Solomon to “walk in His ways” (NASB, 1 Kings 2:1-3).
The best part is we are not attempting to walk in God’s ways alone. The Bible actually says God walks in us. God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (KJV, 2 Cor. 6:16). And 1 Corinthians 3:16b says, “the Spirit of God dwells in you” (NASB). We have a God who resides in us to help us walk in His circles.
3. Circle Talk – this concept is all about telling the circle of the world the gospel of Jesus and learning to defend the faith. Just like Abraham in Genesis 12, we were not given the blessing of Salvation to withhold it. We were blessed to be a blessing to the world. God is calling all believers to share the truth of the gospel in love.
We believe the Bible is clear that God's plan of sacrificial love and redemption was determined before the beginning of time, the creation of the circle of the world and certainly, long before the sin of mankind. Since God had a covenant of redemption among the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) prior to creating the world, believers should also have a mindset of humility and sacrificial love toward others as they share the gospel of Jesus with them (Mark 16:15, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 13:20, Ephesians 1:4a, 2 Timothy 1:9, Acts 2:23,24, John 17:1-5, 24). Philippians 2:5 reminds us, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (NKJV).
In addition, 1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to be ready to defend the faith to those who ask for the reason of our hope. Our mission at The Circle Center is to train and help prepare people to share the gospel and defend the faith with solid answers from God’s Word. We believe this will help our youth grow and remain strong in their faith during some of the most crucial years of their life. It will also help adults to solidify their faith and live uncompromised by the world. It will help all believers to be more effective in sharing with those living without hope.
Key Verse
Isaiah 40:21-22a
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth”
